A Rabbit’s Foot: When you were first offered the role of Emmanuelle, what was your reaction? Were you already aware of the original film?

Noémie Merlant: No, I didn’t know the film. When my agent called to tell me, I said to myself: “How exciting!” Audrey Diwan and the story of Emmanuelle together promises to be a fresh and singular vision. I embarked on the project with a wild curiosity and desire.

ARF: What was the audition process like? When did you realise that the character of Emmanuelle was right for you?

NM: I had dinner with Audrey and after we spoke she asked “Do you want to be my Emmanuelle?” It was very moving. And in fact, I was so deeply taken by the role and what Audrey had written that, even when I speak about it now, I feel a vibration of desire and emotion.

ARF: How did you prepare for the role? 

NM: I didn’t watch the original Emmanuelle films. We had a lot of discussions and rehearsals with Audrey, the fellow cast members to best prepare each scene. Not only in regards to intimacy, but in Emmanuelle’s sense of liberation in body, in spirit… The first task was that of the body. A moment of letting go, from a very cold woman, almost a robot (a shark in a luxury hotel who checks customer satisfactions) to a young woman pursuing her desires in the streets of Hong Kong. Almost everything had to pass through the body, the eyes. We also worked on English with author and dialogue coach Dany Hericourt.

ARF: What’s your favourite erotic film?

NM: When I ask myself as a woman which film makes my emotions, my sensuality, my eroticism and sense of love come alive, I always come back to Wong Kar-wai‘s In the Mood for Love (2000), which strangely enough isn’t considered as erotic.AR

ARF: How do you define eroticism?

First, it’s patience. It’s when you take the time. It’s a totally different rhythm in film, than it is on the page or a still image. It’s getting into a rhythm. You have a space for the sound—for the breathing, for the bodies that are brushing together. It’s about playing with the frustration that waiting brings. That’s why I love Audrey Diwan’s Emmanuelle.

ARF: Who’s your favourite on-screen heroine?

It’s a hard question, because I have many. I love Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998). Her performance and dialogue always gives me so much strength.

ARF: Can you remember your first cinematic experience?

I was nine years old, I went to a little cinema in the city I grew up in, and it was Titanic (1997). I went with my sister, and the lines were so long that we kept getting turned away. We showed up, and waited, and waited, then one day, we were able to get in, but we had to sit on the stairs because the room was still so packed with people. It’s the first time my emotions showed themselves during a film. I didn’t know I could feel that kind of emotion watching a screen. It’s also the first time I fell in love—with Leonardo in Titanic [laughs]. There’s true eroticism in that film.

ARF: What was the period like before the shoot, when the cast and crew moved into the hotel? What did this bring to your performance?

Living in the hotel felt like I was living the film from the inside. I loved the idea of not stepping out of the film’s world, of not having a break, and of being immersed in the place. Like my character, I had a very structured routine: waking up early, always the same breakfast, exercise, and work. Then, as the filming progressed, this helped to nurture the letting go of my character, who had been too restrained, who had forced herself too much in a way. As for my colleagues, I rarely encountered them. The place was vast, and I felt like I was constantly alone in my search for them.

ARF: What was it like working with Audrey?

NM: She is precise, sharp, and she loves dialogue. I like curious people. People who sometimes question themselves often make great filmmakers: they bounce back, they invent and reinvent, they take risks simply where few would go. This is the case for Emmanuelle. Audrey went there with absolute sincerity and with ideas that were unexpected. I like the unexpected. It’s the only thing I like.

ARF: Audrey spoke to me about creating different bodies and voices for Emmanuelle. How was that process for you as an actress?

The role of compositions is often the most interesting. We step out of ourselves and enter into the true craft of an actor. One uses one’s body and voice in depth and detail. Creating a character from scratch requires immense trust and imagination from the director, and I thank Audrey for that.

ARF: What was the most difficult scene to shoot… and the most pleasant?

The scene at the table with Will and the long monologue taken in a single shot. Technically and rhythmically, it is essential to take the scene somewhere because everything rests on the shoulders of the actors. There is no movement, nothing. That time at the pool with Chacha when I was really sick with a fever wasn’t easy [laughs]. But all of them were a delight. I had such wonderful colleagues. I loved the stroll in Chungking with Will.

ARF: In your eyes, how did Audrey redefine Emmanuelle?

NM: She actually defined Emmanuelle. She was previously shown mainly for the male gaze, and is now disembodied into something new. Here she begins with a woman who is precisely disembodied because she conforms too much to the dictates of society. It is a woman who is going to embark on a journey to define herself and reconnect with herself. How to desire, what to desire, when, how, and with whom. What do I love, and how can I finally enjoy it when I have never experienced pleasure as a woman? Those are the questions.

ARF: The film begins on an aeroplane. What is Emmanuelle’s journey in the film? Where is she going?

NM: She goes into her belly. She goes into her flesh.

ARF: What was it like working with Will Sharpe and Naomi Watts?

I dreamed of working with Naomi; I am an absolute fan. She is extraordinary and transcends each scene with an amazing simplicity. I admire her so much. Will was another genuine encounter for me creatively. I love what Will does as an actor. He doesn’t have an actor’s ego; he serves a film, being a director himself. He has an incredible ability to transform, a rare generosity, and a respect that is unparalleled. He is a whole universe unto himself.

ARF: Has your work as a director changed the way you act or the way you interpret the roles?

I believe I am more attentive to other members of the crew. Between each role, I understand the stakes behind everything, and I also trust myself more as an actress. I don’t know why, but it gives me a broader perspective that allows me to understand my character in a slightly different way.

Read: “Let’s see what is erotic” : Audrey Diwan on creating Emmanuelle