Sammy Loren interviews French actress Tess Barthélémy about her ARTE and A24-backed series Icon of French Cinema as well as her influences, the US vs the French, and fashion.
You’re 18 years old and an actress. Walk me through a typical day like in the life of Tess Barthélémy.
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY The life of Tess Barthelemy is quite similar to that of most other 18 year olds. It’s constantly evolving, it’s very unstable, but it’s full of promise! (I hope…) I read as much as I can, I try going to the movies every week, I dance in my bedroom and I talk a lot and very loudly.
In Icon of French Cinema you play the daughter of a French actress returning to France after working in Hollywood, a role with echoes of your own biography. What did you discover about yourself that you didn’t know while working on this show?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY Even though Zoe’s character is not an exact replica of me, it’s true that she is inspired by me. I discovered that playing “yourself” can be quite therapeutic because it makes you observe your own ways of being, so that you can recreate it on camera. This work made me dig deep inside myself.
In the series your character Zoe falls in love with an older choreographer. How did you prepare to handle this dynamic?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY We had an intimacy coach on set. Douglas Grauwels (who plays the choreographer) and I worked with her before shooting and she created a safe space. We only had one kissing scene, but we believed it was important to have her around. It was interesting that unlike her mother’s relationship shown in the flashbacks where she has no power, Zoe has total control over this relationship with the choreographer. She decides when it starts and when it ends. Zoe is a reflection of the new generation of women who are finding a voice and finding their power in their relationships with men.
In a previous interview you mentioned that Zoe has an, “ever-longing hope for romance.” Could you elaborate on how you prepared for this role to portray such a nuanced longing, and how it affected your portrayal of Zoe’s relationships throughout the series?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY This was probably the easiest emotion to portray as I am exactly like her in real life. I felt it was important that Zoe stayed a 16-year-old girl, that her love for her choreographer came from a place of innocence and romance instead of something serious. She feels seen by Mark, her choreographer, and when you are young and lost the lines get blurred. I think she’s read and seen maybe too many romance movies which have made her idealize love! So she throws herself into this romance with her choreographer, but what is important is that the second the relationship gets concretized by a kiss, it all becomes too real. She pulls away at that moment.
What influences your acting outside of television or cinema? Novels? Music? Fashion?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY The world around me! People I hear in the streets, wondering where they come from, where they are going. Of course, novels too. They are a reflection of the outside world, just more concise. Novels help me create an inner dialogue for characters.
You’ve spent time in both France and the United States. What do the French not get about America? And what do Americans not get about the French?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY This is funny as I feel too French for the Americans and too American for the French. The French idealize America, the country where everything is possible. Americans have this specific idea of French people and Paris especially. They think we wake up with our beret already on and that we live inside the Eiffel Tower. Which is, sadly, not true.
In addition to acting, you’ve collaborated with fashion lines like Dior and Miu Miu. How do you use fashion to understand your characters and yourself?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY Fashion has always been a way for me to express myself. When I arrived in LA, I went to a school with a uniform and I felt strange having to look like everyone else. Identity is important for characters even if it is in the details, tiny things set us apart from others. I’m so happy that I have gotten the chance to collaborate with those brands as I feel they have a very specific image. I feel like a character when I am wearing their clothing, which I love.
I’ve heard rumors you’re in a movie. What can you tell us about it?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY Yes! I shot a movie with Helene Fillieres, for french TV with Eddy Mitchell who is another French icon! I was so happy to be directed by another female director. I will let you discover the rest!
Your mom is often described as being an icon of arthouse cinema. Tell me about some of the challenges of growing up with such a towering figure.
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY Since I grew up in Los Angeles I did not have the pressure that I would have had growing up in Paris. My mom never wanted me to watch her films, that watching her on screen would create a distance between us, that she wouldn’t be my mother, but an actress. So I never had the feeling that my mom was an actress until I came back last year to France.
Talk about the joys and burdens of having your mom as your boss in Icon of French Cinema?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY There are no burdens. I feel extremely lucky for this experience so I would find it ungrateful to start looking for faults! The joys were that I got to work in the most safe environment with a “boss” who was protective and kind. Getting to share this with my mom was very special and I’m extremely thankful to her.
These days the chronically online often complain about ‘nepo-babies.’ How do you respond to those who say you only acted in Icon of French Cinema because your mom is the director?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY It is true I am very lucky that my parents are already in the world of cinema—it opens doors more easily than if I had no connections. But I auditioned for my role in the series, for Arte and for A24. I feel that I worked extremely hard and I earned my place, it was not given to me on a silver platter.
You can have drinks with any three actors, living or dead. Who are they and why?
TESS BARTHÉLÉMY Cary Grant because I would want to know about all the behind the scenes from the Hitchcock movies and if he believes that in Rear Window the neighbor really killed his wife. Scarlett Johansson because I find her brilliant in everything she does. And Jeremy Allen White because… I’m sure you can understand.
