with Natalie Portman
at the Auditorium of Lyon
 

PostED ON 15.10.2025

© Jean-Luc Mège Photography

A playground

I feel the same joy as when I started, but at the time I couldn’t have imagined that it would last thirty years. On my first shoots, they would turn the set into a playground.

Technique

At first, I took on role after role and learned on the job. I was lucky to observe Jean Reno or Gary Oldman at work, then later Al Pacino, and Meryl Streep and Philippe Seymour Hoffman at the theatre. I looked over their shoulder to pick up clues and see how they worked. It was only around my 20s or 30s that I was a bit panicked and felt I needed to take classes to improve my craft in terms of technique. 

The best advice

Juliette Binoche is one of my favourite actresses. You can feel the blood flowing through her veins, and then her gazes... When I was filming Cold Mountain with Anthony Minghella, who had directed Juliette in The English Patient, he told me, ‘The great thing about her is that she always says exactly what she thinks’. And that's the best advice I've ever been given on set.

Producing

I do it to support and work with auteurs I admire, and also to collaborate with my co-producer, Sophie Mas. It's an absolute pleasure to work with her. We met in Cannes in 2008, when I was on the jury.

Telepathy

Black Swan was one of the most important experiences of my life. I consider dance to be the most powerful means of expression. Darren Aronofsky and I communicated almost telepathically. I discovered through this film, that becoming an artist is not about pleasing others, only yourself.

By Carlos Gomez