Interview – Marlene Jobert: Interview without filters!

Published in 1966 with the thanks of Jean-Luc Godard, in Masculin Feminine, dedicated in 1967 alexander the blessedBy Yves Robert, marlene jobert She is one of the rare actresses of her generation who in her forties decided to leave this previously prestigious profession behind and take up a new passion: writing stories for children. At 83, mother of actress Eva Green, who starred in the film Lace, dies three Musketeers :Milady but also Pleasure, she blossoms as a grandmother. Later this year, she is releasing a storybook and CD box set titled 3 beautiful Christmas stories (Young Glenat). And follows his inspiring and rare journey with refreshing freedom of tone and perspective.

Gala: Do you today have the family life you dreamed of?
marlene jobert : Let’s just say I never would have imagined that each of my daughters, who are twins (they are 43, editor’s note), would live somewhere other than France. However, Eva lives in London, where she pursues her career, and Joey lives with her husband (Niccolo Marzichi Lenzi, married in 2011, editor’s note) in Tuscany where he manages a wine estate. Although I visit them as often as I can, it creates a distance. Joey gave me two grandsons, Giulio, 9, and Vittorio, 10, who speak three languages ​​– French, English and Italian – and call me Grandma with an accent and a lot of bucks… it’s crisp. Eva, for her part, has no particular interest in becoming a mother.

Gala: Are you going to celebrate Christmas with Giulio and Vittorio?
MJ. : No, because at this time, they traditionally go to Mauritius with their parents, but we compensate for this in June when they come to visit me in Normandy for a month and a half. At that time, I give them Christmas in the garden with lots of gifts. Meanwhile, I’m spending the holidays with friends who don’t have grandchildren. We get together, I put up a tree full of decorations and it’s fun. Of course, ideally, I would like to see my grandchildren more often. Because we laugh a lot together. They are two little kids with a great sense of humor. With me they paint, watch movies and listen to stories. Giulio also likes to cook with me.

Gala: Do you have any particular educational principles?
MJ. : Suppose, today, I was very surprised when I saw that the students of fourth class do not know how to read or have lost the taste of reading. The first years are decisive for the rest of life. For my part, I regret not being able to study. This has been both my strong point and weak point. Strong because, without method, I was natural, spontaneous, spontaneous. As an actress I knew my lines and I played them with a certain sense of comedy without any preparation. I also had a way of being sad that made people laugh. Weak because I suffered from lack of values ​​throughout my life.

Gala: What stopped you from studying the way you wanted?
mr j, : Combination of circumstances and time. The eldest of five children, I moved from Algeria, where I lived until I was 8, to a small village in Burgundy, because my military father was transferred to Dijon. At the age of 14, I went to evening classes at BeauxArts. I saw myself studying architecture, but went to the Drama Conservatory and worked quickly. I learned to love texts through the theater and it was a young lover who introduced me to classical music by listening to Brahms’s String Sextet, which Louis Malle chose for the music of the film Les Amants. I was 20 years old. It instantly transported me…

“Depardieu? He should be considered sick!”

Gala: You are one of those rare actors who stopped his career midway…
mr j, : This is true. There was a mix of facts. For a long time I hesitated about getting pregnant because I was afraid I wouldn’t be a good mother. I was 40 years old when I was pregnant with twins. My career declined a bit and, when he was 4 years old, I took the opportunity to drop out. I could no longer bear to leave him alone at home. It didn’t make sense that I waited so long to not take care of it. Meanwhile, I read many works of child psychiatrists and understood the properties of stories for child development. One day, I forgot my books and went on vacation, and I discovered the ability to tell stories. I started writing my own stories and I must say that this new career has satisfied me as never before…

Gala: Have you ever regretted your life as an actress?
MJ. : No, it was quiet. In cinema, I have had a lot of luck and success, but when you are on a film, you depend on the entire team, their talent as well as their mediocrity. You could have a big role in a mediocre movie or a small role in an amazing movie. Sometimes it is heavy. And then there are many definitions of success and achievement throughout life. It’s not just about performance or fame.

Gala: What advice do you give to your successful daughter Eva?
MJ. : If she asks me yes, but that doesn’t mean she follows them… I like her without too much makeup, like in Alice Winocour’s Proxima, a movie in which she plays a French astronaut Is. She is so talented and beautiful that she can afford it.

Gala: Looking back, are there things you miss about your youth?
MJ. : I guess I never realized that I was lovable in addition to being original. I was often afraid of not being good enough.

Gala: As an actress, have you ever faced problems of inappropriate behavior?
mr j, : Fortunately, no. I had no problems on that front. People were courting me but either I was interested in it or I was not interested in it. On this subject, I saw Gerard Depardieu’s complementary investigation and I want to say a word about it. I acted with him in Not So Bad As That in 1975 and at that time, he never allowed the slightest deviation in his speech. There is something about his relationship with sex that has taken a pathological turn. He should be considered ill. There are some who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, they have become such people whose speech is broken. And obviously I want to express my full respect to the victims.

“Challenging the times together requires intelligence and concessions”

Gala: What helps you maintain your beauty? Do you have any advice for staying fit?
MJ. : I think there’s a lot of heredity. Then, obviously, you have to adopt a healthy lifestyle. And then personally, at about the age of 46, there was a slight change in me. I recommend doing this at a very young age, as it doesn’t go unnoticed. Today I do gymnastics with a coach three times a week. So three times a week, I hear my doorbell, I roll my eyes and then get to work.

Gala: Who were you in a relationship with? cloud berry At the age of 22 and since 1976, you have lived your life with your Swedish-born husband, Walter Green. You met him almost fifty years ago at the age of 34. What have you learned about love?
MJ. : I lived for two years with Claude Berry, a complex and tortured man. I myself have a bit of a perfectionist side to myself which can be annoying. Dualism bothers me. When everything could be peaceful and it isn’t, it doesn’t suit me. This ends our story. As for Walter, it’s clearly something else. At this more mature stage of life, where I got to know him, I appreciated that he was seduced by me without being aware of my notoriety. That he developed out of my profession (he was a dental surgeon, editor’s note). But if you ask me if, ultimately, it’s easy to spend life with only one person, I tell you, no. In a way this is also unusual. Challenging time together, overcoming fatigue, requires intelligence and concessions. We do this mainly for the sake of all the memories we have accumulated. We are each other’s memory.

This article can be found in Gala No. 1594, on newsstands December 28. The new issue of Gala will be out this Thursday, January 4, 2024. Enjoy reading.

Photo Credit: Dr.