How Paris made a brilliant actress out of an angular English nanny: Christine Scott Thomas

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In her face, the features of an Englishwoman and a Frenchwoman coexist at the same time - cold stiffness in her eyes and the lively charm of a smile. Christine Scott Thomas, moving towards her dream - to become an actress - faced serious obstacles at home, but Paris accepted the young English nanny with open arms - and now, several decades later, she is recognized all over the world and recognized as one of the best European actresses.

London: a childhood darkened by tragedy and obstacles to a dream

Christine Scott Thomas was born in Redruth, Cornwall on May 24, 1960, and spent her childhood in Dorset. The family raised their children in the Catholic tradition. Mother, Deborah, was brought up in the English colonies - in Hong Kong and Africa, father, Lieutenant Simon Scott Thomas, was a pilot of the British Navy. When Christine was five, he died in a plane crash. Some time later, his mother remarried - again to a military pilot. In a striking way, history repeated itself - Deborah's second husband also crashed during the flight. As a child, Christine did not particularly communicate with her peers, she was quite closed. According to her, she had only an imaginary friend Wendy, who, unlike Christine, "was rich", drove a Rolls-Royce. For all her uncommunicativeness, the girl from a very early age dreamed of a stage.

After graduating from school, she tried to enter the London School of Stage Speech and Dramatic Arts, but was refused. She was not taken to the National Youth Theater in England. “Too angular”, “no talent”, “if you want to go on stage - go to the local drama club” - that was the verdict. And then Christine would give up and continue her work in a London supermarket, like thousands of other girls who dreamed of the scene. But she didn't give up.

Paris: recognition and glory

Christine decided to go to Paris, and there she got a job with a French family on the au-pair system, worked as a nanny. The college gave her a good knowledge of French, and therefore there were no problems either with work or with education - true to her dream, the girl still entered the Higher National School of Art and Drama. In the French capital, Christine turned out to be a very successful applicant and student, and at the final exam she was noticed by Prince, who was acting at that time as a filmmaker. At his suggestion, the young actress starred in 1986 in the film "Under the Cherry Moon".

Despite the fact that critics did not appreciate this picture too highly, the debut of Christine Scott Thomas was successful, she was invited to other film projects. In parallel with filming, she played on the theater stage. The popularity of Christine has greatly increased after the film "Fistful of Ashes." For her role in Weddings, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In the film "Unforgettable Summer" in 1994, Christine played in Romanian, which she did not know, she had to learn the words of the role by heart. For a long time, the actress considered this motion picture the best in her career.

Hollywood: world success

In 1996, Christine starred in the blockbuster Mission Impossible, and in the same year the Oscar-winning film The English Patient was released. Christine played the role of Catherine Clifton in it, very worried about her ability to cope with the role. Judging by the interviews of the actress, she generally treats her acting extremely demanding, is distinguished by great self-discipline, and each role for her is like a separate world in which she needs to immerse herself headlong.

Christine Scott Thomas, like a true Englishwoman, always comes on time everywhere and always, and like a newly-made Parisian, she loves to act with French filmmakers.

In 1987, she married - of course, to a Frenchman, François Olivenne, a gynecologist, and lived with him for eighteen years. The couple had three children. Despite motherhood and family life, Christine's career practically did not stop developing, she also played on the London theater stage - including in Chekhov's plays. The city, which once treated a young ambitious girl rather coldly, turned out to be captivated by her talent. In 2015, the actress was awarded the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire.

But she did not return to her homeland, Paris became the home and eternal love of Christine Scott Thomas.

Among the representatives of the French and English beau monde, Christine has quite a lot of friends - and one of her close friends has long been Jane Birkin.