Eva Green: “Tim Burton and Me”

The actress recalls her three collaborations while W9 airs reruns of Miss Peregrine and The Peculiar Children.

eva green Toured thrice under the direction of Tim Burton : For dark Shadows (2012), Miss Peregrine and the Peculiar Children (2016) and dumbo (2019). That year, he recounted these experiences First,

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What was your relationship with Tim Burton’s cinema before working with him?

eva green : I watched a lot of his films as a teenager. I was particularly fond of it Edward Scissorhands Because as a teenager, we necessarily identify very strongly with this character who is too different to integrate into society. But despite everything remained my favorite Beetle Juice, For the forbidden atmosphere but overcome by the permanent weakness created by Tim. For Michael Keaton’s incredible freedom of play.

How did you get in front of his camera? dark Shadows ,

To be honest, I never even dreamed of working with him. And then one day, when I had just finished filming the series Camelot, I was called to say that he wanted to meet me. I was in quite a sad mood that day and although I went there, of course, it was without the slightest hope. I was sure it would do no good. You should know that Tim doesn’t manage the tests. This is just a face-to-face discussion. This must have lasted about 10 minutes in total, his arms were waving in all directions and I was looking at the ground. Two completely opposite ways of expressing your embarrassment. I came away completely surprised, although in his small voice he asked me if he could give me his script. I had no idea why they would have thought of me for this spirited character, which unknowingly reminded me of those characters. addams family, I definitely deserved a second appointment but again for 10 minutes, not more than that. So imagine my surprise when he finally chose me without even auditioning, which almost never happens. Plus, almost every day of filming, I felt like he was going to replace me…

How did you work with him?

For my part, I immersed myself in the catalog of the exhibition that was dedicated to him at MOMA. Tim is a very “visible” person. This character of Angelique unintentionally reminded me of Jack Nicholson, Bette Davis Shining Or a song by Janis Joplin: a woman completely in love, whose broken heart has inspired her for centuries of metamorphosis. So, to exchange with them, I looked at the images and pictures that I had collected. For example, for the love scene with Johnny (Depp), I showed him Camille Claudel’s sculptures. In any case, all discussions take place during the preparation phase and therefore all possible problems are resolved in advance. Then, once on set, his great ability to listen removes the fear of ridicule… and that goes against the character he has assigned you. Because here we were closer to German Expressionist cinema than realism evening, She inspired me to go further than I ever could have, to dare to do more. So much so that we practically wrote the ending of the film together…

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At the end of dark ShadowsDid he express his desire to work with you again?

No, we never mentioned it. Until one day, when I was making a movie penny Dreadful, I get a call from him. They just told me they came up with the idea of ​​an adaptation Miss Peregrine and the Peculiar Children And I was thought of for the title role. “I’m sending you the book, but if you’re not interested, that’s okay!” , He added. When I came across this Ransom Riggs novel I read it and immediately said yes to it. It’s funny because Tim nicknamed this character “Spooky Poppins” Whereas for me there is nothing scary in this system of governance. She just wants the children under her protection to be in no danger and for this she needs to set and enforce strict rules.

What was the challenge with this role?

Work on your English pronunciation for the fastest possible pronunciation. Because this story is a race against time for him. The slightest delay means danger to children. It’s the pressure that makes it as tough as it is fantastical. It’s not Scary Poppins but Speedy Poppins! (laughing)

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What was your reaction when Tim Burton asked to meet with you for the third time? dumbo ,

This is a cartoon that had a big impact on me as a child. I remember crying a lot when this mother elephant and her baby got separated. And, for me, Tim was the perfect person to bring this story to the screen. He understands the hearts of the misunderstood like no one else, he knows how to convince them by adding a perfect blend of his magic, humor and emotion. Later, he likes to give me challenges. And giving me the role of trapeze artist when I’m afraid of heights is one of them, I can assure you! (laughs) For a long time I felt that I would never be able to fly, but I got good support and I finally managed to overcome my fear of heights.

Like during your first collaboration with him, were you still afraid that he would replace you after you were hired?

Tim is a special case. They have a family feeling and like to find the same actors and technicians. It’s his armor in a way! We also experienced our filming in a protective bubble that I have never encountered anywhere else. Later, my character dumbo There is less pain than usual so in some ways it is much easier to play. So I was able to stay more calm. (laughs) But we must never forget that Tim never expresses things in words. You have to have constant antennae to understand what you want and turn it into something colorful.

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