Secrets of a real Parisian woman who drives the best directors of the world crazy with her beauty and talent: Melanie Laurent

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

In her native France, 36-year-old Melanie Laurent has long been a top star. In the world, she is known for her roles in some cult films - including the authorship of Quentin Tarantino. She is interested in a lot and succeeds in everything - at least, it seems so. Maybe it's all about the mysterious charm of a real Frenchwoman?

How to become a star: accident or pattern?

She was born in Paris on February 21, 1983. Melanie Laurent's childhood was held in a creative environment. Father, Pierre Laurent, worked as a dubbing actor, taking part, among other things, in the dubbing of the French "The Simpsons". Mother, Annik, taught ballet. Melanie herself, at the age of ten, had a chance to become the "voice" of the character Satsuki Kusakabe from the French version of the Japanese cartoon "My Neighbor Totoro".

At fifteen she and her friend appeared on the set of the film "Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar", and Gerard Depardieu drew attention to Melanie. He invited the girl for a small role in his new film "A Bridge Between Two Shores" and gave three advice: not to study acting, so as not to violate your "natural" talent, not to learn the text of the role in advance and not be afraid to look funny on the screen.

Thus began Melanie Laurent's film career. In 2000, she starred in Rodolfo Marconi's This is My Body, and at the age of eighteen she walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. And a month later she received her bachelor's degree. Further - the roles of serious directors, the roles of complex, dramatic, award-winning film festivals. After the film “Don't Worry, I'm Okay,” directed by Philippe Lioret, she received the Cesar Award for “Most Promising Actress”. And new peaks were not long in coming.

In 2008, fate brought Melanie to Quentin Tarantino, who for many years had been hatching the idea of a film about the unusual heroes of World War II. The director was looking for an actress to play Shoshanna Dreyfus, a French woman of Jewish descent who manages to survive the Nazi execution of her family. Melanie took part in the casting. In addition to the director's charisma, Laurent was attracted by the plot itself: Shoshanna's story echoed the fate of the actress's family. Tarantino hesitated, inviting Melanie to the shooting: "You are too popular in your country, and I would like to open a new name." "No, no, no," said Laurent, "I'm not that popular!"

Melanie managed to quite convincingly show her knowledge of English - in fact, it was not easy for the actress. In addition to commercial success - the film grossed more than $ 350 million at the box office - "Inglourious Basterds" received the status of another Tarantino film masterpiece, and Melanie has now become not just French an actress, but a world-class star.

Actress, director, musician, environmental activist

After "Bastards", another important film project with the participation of Melanie Laurent came out - "Concert" directed by Radu Mihaileanu with Alexei Guskov in the title role. The film has collected awards and nominations from various European film festivals. Ahead of the young actress was shooting in many international films, by now the number of her works has long exceeded three dozen.

Already in 2008, Melanie made her directorial debut - she shot the short film "Less and Less", and after that - another, erotic content - "At His Feet", which became part of the series "X-Women". Three years later, she also released the full-length drama Native, which opened a series of successful projects directed by Melanie. In 2010, she first appeared in the theater, appearing on stage in Nicolas Bedos's play Health Walk. And another role of the actress was the performance of songs - in 2011 she recorded her debut album of 25 songs. Simply because I wanted to sing and wanted to do it at a high level - being, however, ready for the audience to criticize the “singing actress”. But Laurent's music was well received - like everything this Frenchwoman does.

Whatever business Melanie does, she works with full dedication and not striving for the profitability of the project. As she repeatedly stated in interviews - "", however, loyalty to her own taste and acting instinct still lead Melanie to success, including commercial.

Private life

Melanie Laurent's best friend is another gorgeous young French actress - Marion Cotillard, and they've had the occasion to act together. As for the life partner, in the past Laurent had a romantic relationship with the actor Julien Boisselier, while Melanie's current partner, with whom she is raising her five-year-old son Leo, remains in the shadows. It is only known that he was part of the film crew of the film "Requiem for a Killer", during the work on which they met.

Melanie Laurent willingly gives interviews - they are almost entirely devoted to her roles, work with great directors and collaboration with world stars. About the actress's private life, only a couple of lines are typed, wandering from magazine to magazine almost unchanged. Taking seriously everything about the ecological future of the world, Melanie participates in the missions of international organizations, and in 2015, to develop this topic, together with director Cyril Dion, she released the documentary Tomorrow, which received a number of nominations and awards from the film community, including the award Cesar”for the best documentary film. After filming, the actress became an adherent of vegetarianism.

It seems that there are no doubtful rumors around Melanie Laurent - the Parisian woman does not give them a reason. She leads an amazing life for a star - without shocking, without scandalous revelations, free from egocentrism and commercialism, completely surrendering to her beloved business, family and her hobbies, which, despite the worldwide fame of Melanie Laurent and the pervasive Internet, is known only to a very limited circle of her loved ones … And there is probably no need to know this, because innuendo and intrigue are perhaps the main secret of the charm of French women.

And more about the mysterious Parisians: Anouk Eme