Juliette Binoche. Photo by Siebbi. Wikimedia

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Juliette Binoche


 

Juliette Binoche is a French actress, artist, and dancer. She has appeared in over sixty feature films and has won numerous awards. 

Binoche was cast in films by notable auteur directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Doillon, and André Téchiné. The latter would make her a star in France with the leading role in his drama Rendez-vous. Her breakthrough came with her English-language film debut, The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

She had a successful career in the 2000s. Binoche alternated between French and English language roles in both mainstream and art-house productions. She became the first actress to win the European “Best Actress Triple Crown” in 2010.  She was also given the Maureen O’Hara Award at the Kerry Film Festival in 2010. That award is given to women who have excelled in their chosen field in film. 

1. Juliette Binoche was born in Paris

Juliette Binoche was born in 1964 on March 9th. She was born in the French capital of Paris. She is the daughter of Monique Yvette Staelens, an actress, teacher, and director. Jean-Marie Binoche, her father, was a sculptor, director, and actor.

Her adolescence was accompanied by a number of difficulties for her family. Her parents divorced when she was still a child. Binoche struggled academically in school and had to work hard to succeed. With the knowledge that she was not good in school, Binoche decided to try her luck in the theaters. She was in her teens at the time when she took this seriously and moved to Paris with her sister.

Her plan was to rent a house and support herself as well as her sister. She was fortunate enough to star in several stage productions, including Pirandello.

Binoche later enrolled in the French National Academy of Dramatic Arts while still in Paris. Unfortunately, she did not spend time here because she became frustrated with how other students were not committed to studying. Nonetheless, she persisted in her pursuit of her dream of becoming a movie star.

2. Binoche auditioned for the female lead in Hail Mary

Juliette Binoche. Photo by Elena Ternovaja. Wikimedia

Binoche’s early films established her as a well-known French actress.  She tried out for the female lead in Jean-Luc Godard’s controversial Hail Mary. A modern retelling of the Virgin Birth, in 1983.  After seeing a photo of Binoche taken by her boyfriend at the time, Godard requested a meeting with her.

She has stated that she spent six months on the set of the film in Geneva. This was despite the fact that her role in the final cut was limited to a few scenes. Additional supporting roles followed in a number of French films.

3. To accommodate Binoche, the script for Family Life was modified

She was cast as the volatile teenage step-daughter of Sami Frey’s central character in Jacques Doillon’s critically acclaimed Family Life. This film would set the tone for the rest of her career.

Doillon has stated that her character was written to be 14 years old in the original screenplay. He was so impressed with Binoche’s audition. Dillon changed the character’s age to 17 to allow her to take the role. 

4. On short notice, she was cast in Rendez-vous.

Juliette Binoche at Berlin Film Festival. Photo by Martin Kraft. Wikimedia

With her role in André Téchiné’s Rendez-vous in 1985, Binoche would fully emerge as a leading actress. Sandrine Bonnaire had to drop out of the film due. Binoche ended up being, cast on short notice. 

Rendez-vous premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1985. It won Best Director. The film became a sensation, and Binoche became the festival’s darling.  Rendez-Vous tells the story of Nina (Binoche). Nina was a provincial actress who arrives in Paris. She begins a series of dysfunctional relationships with several men, including the moody, suicidal Quentin.

5. Her first English role was in The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Binoche began filming as the young and innocent Tereza in Philip Kaufman’s adaptation of Milan Kundera’s novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

This was Binoche’s first English-language role. It was a global success with critics and audiences alike. Binoche has stated that her English was very limited at the time. She relied on a French translation to fully understand her role.

6. Juliette Binoche won a European Film Award

Juliette Binoche at the Red Carpet. Photo by Dick Thomas Johnson. Wikimedia

She began work on Les Amants du Pont-Neuf  later that year. The film was plagued by issues and took three years to complete. Necessitating investment from three producers as well as funding from the French government. 

Les Amants du Pont-Neuf was a critical success when it was finally released in. Binoche received a European Film Award for her performance, as well as her third César nomination.

Binoche plays an artist who lives rough on the famous Parisian bridge. She meets another young vagrant in the film. This iconic part of town serves as the setting for a wildly passionate love story. Some of the most visually arresting images of the city ever created are featured in that film.

The paintings featured in the film were created by Binoche herself. She also created the film’s French poster, which features an ink drawing of the titular lovers locked in embrace.

7. She has previously collaborated with Lancôme

Lancôme stand. Photo by A P Monblat. Wikimedia

From 1995 to 2000, she was the face of Lancome’s perfume “Poeme.” She was also named the brand ambassador for the Lanc’me Renergie franchise. A skincare line aimed at addressing the signs of aging.

8. Juliette Binoche is a godmother to five orphans

Binoche has been a patron of the French Cambodian charity Enfants d’Asie since 1992. She is godmother to five Cambodian orphans. Binoche has funded the construction of a children’s home in Battambang through this charity.

She has been involved with the organization Reporters Without Borders since 2000. Binoche co-hosted “Photos of Stars” with Thierry Ardisson.

9. Juliette Binoche was employed as a cashier

Binoche, was working as a cashier in a department store. This was right before she got a small part, in Hail Mary. The store’s owner wanted her to stay, but she declined.

She recalls living in a hotel with the film crew for two to three months. At that time Godard would shoot when he wanted to and not always. 

10. She’s a mother of two

Binoche has two children. Her son Raphae (born on September 2, 1993), whose father is professional scuba diver André Halle

Her daughter Hana (born on December 16, 1999), whose father is actor Benoît Magimel.