Once upon a destiny
 

PostED ON 11.10.2025

Theatre or cinema? Cinema or theatre? With her, the question doesn't arise. It never has. Cheese or dessert? Dominique Blanc is both. She always has been.

© Nouvelles Editions du film / DR
Michel Piccoli and Dominique Blanc in May Fools (1990) 

She does not correspond to our idea of a ‘star’. She is too private, too discreet, too aware of being a mere instrument in the service of an orchestra, regardless of who is conducting. Naturally, she has at times enjoyed the pleasures of being a soloist, as attested by those who have seen her perform La Douleur by Duras, directed by Patrice Chéreau, in her neighbourhood of La Croix Rousse. In any case, in theatre as in cinema, she thrives in a group, just as she did as a child among her many brothers and sisters. Dominique Blanc has garnered several César awards, winning three of them for ensemble films: May Fools, Indochine (1992) and Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train, 1999).

She often doubted whether she was ‘cut out for this profession’, after repeatedly hitting a wall, having failed the Conservatory entrance exams three times... in a row. It would be enough to discourage even the hardiest of us, but not her. In the early 1980s, she defied her father who was against her choice of career, clinging to the words pronounced by her drama professor François Florent: ‘Dominique, when you turn thirty, you'll never stop working.’ ’That's what kept my head above water,’ she confides. ‘If he had that intuition, it meant I just had to wait. It was reassuring.’

In 1981, fate smiles on her when she meets Pierre Romans at Florent’s, describing the former, founder of the Théâtre des Amandiers, as a man of ‘exceptional sensitivity’.  He introduces her to Patrice Chéreau, who subsequently hires her at the Théâtre National Populaire (TNP) in Villeurbanne. Dominique claims that working with Chéreau led her to enter into ‘the school of the gaze’. Then, two films cement their uncanny alliance: Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train and Queen Margot (La Reine Margot, 1994), which earned Dominique another César nod. ‘He helped shape who I am. In his eyes, I felt I truly existed. When you're the fourth of five children, you're barely noticed at the back of the pack. I needed to be seen in a specific way. Patrice loved me for who I was as a person—and as an actress.’ The compliment is deeply moving to hear. Dominique Blanc could have also addressed the comment to Régis Wargnier, the first to shine a spotlight on her in The Woman of My Life (La Femme de ma vie, 1986) and to certify her addictive uniqueness with I’m the King of the Castle (1989). The same could also apply to Michel Piccoli, who admires Dominique beyond belief. Immediately after their collaboration on May Fools, he directed her in two more films, insisting that ‘Fellini would not have hesitated’ either, that ‘Buñuel would have been passionate.’ In other words, ‘Blanc’ is timeless, and goes with everything!

Carlos Gomez

Master class
Meet with Dominique Blanc
Sunday, October 12 at 11am at Pathé Bellecour

Screenings

I’m the King of the Castle by Régis Wargnier (1989, 1h25)
UGC Astoria Sun 12 2:45pm ST-SME | Institut Lumière (Hangar) Mon 13 7:45pm

Milou en mai by Louis Malle (1990, 1h47)
UGC Confluence Sun 12 6:15pm | Comœdia Mon 13 11:15am

L'Affût by Yannick Bellon (1992, 1h43)
Lumière Terreaux Mon 13 2:45pm | Comœdia Tue 14 11:15am