Mathilde Seigner (such a long night): “The passing time does nothing at all”

You have an image of a strong woman, like Isabelle, your character. What makes you different?

Already, I'm not a lawyer (laughs). His private life is different from mine. She has a complicated relationship with men, she refuses to invest in a relationship and has no children. But, otherwise, she is close to me, which is why I was chosen.

Are you, like her, ready for anything when you commit to a cause?

I don't want to get involved because it takes a lot of time to be a sponsor of an association, for example. If we are in a hurry, we do not do things well, so I prefer to decline.

In the series, you play opposite young actors. What relationship do you have with them?

Little Sayyid [El Alami, he plays Sami, the young man she defends] is very focused. He is an extremely involved, very serious, very mature actor. With Assa [Sylla, she plays her young collaborator], who is very comfortable, they were very nice playmates. It is not in my nature to give advice, to be in a posture of transmission.

Are there any actors who fulfilled this function for you when you started?

It was natural. My aunt Françoise, member of the Comédie-Française, put me on stage a lot and gave me acting lessons. Francis Huster and Isabelle Nanty, whom I met when I started out, told me things that inspired me, but I was quite rebellious by nature, so I didn't really like it. Michel Galabru, who was my teacher, gave me simple and clear advice. Vincent Lindon, Antoine Duléry or, more recently, Richard Berry are people who have also guided me. I do a dating job, in which we learn every day. This is my case, even thirty years after my debut. Nothing is fixed, we no longer have the same voice, the same face...

Today, are there any roles that you would interpret differently?

When I look at myself in films shot when I was younger, I find myself “green”, as they say. With time, experience, habit… we gain in maturity. I have acted in seventy films, but I can still progress. We always need to learn. It's like in life, you learn from your mistakes. And life is not easy for anyone. Even when you are privileged, like me, you are not spared.

Would you like to star in a popular comedy again?

Kayleigh tests positive. https://t.co/QsoRd4byU6

— Maggie Haberman Mon Oct 05 15:28:23 +0000 2020

I made some, the Camping series films, for example. But I've had enough of comedy, in general. It's less my thing these days. I want to turn to more dramatic things. Comedies are more random, because a failed comedy is scary. A not very good drama is less serious.

Is it important for you to alternate genres?

I have always done everything. I recently finished filming a TV movie, The Child of the Righteous, for France Télévisions, which I am very happy with. We did it together with Fabien Onteniente. It's a nice subject, in a different register than the series in which I played. It has a lot of resonance with our time. There is also the film Choeur de rockers which will be released, where I play the coach of a Dunkirk choir.

Your son, Louis, who bears the first name of your grandfather (a great theater and film actor), is he attracted to the stage?

Not at all. He is more interested in music. And I'm happy because you don't have to do the same as your parents. It's complicated to be "the son of" or "the daughter of". For the moment, he is 14 years old, he still has plenty of time to change his mind. But I'm not pushing him down that path.

You just turned 54. How do you apprehend the passage of time?

It doesn't bother me at all. I am not very attached to my age and it does not depress me that much to age. I hate celebrating my birthday. I celebrate the tens, not in between. It must be said that I have a lot of friends and acquaintances: for my 50th birthday, I think we were 250, because I couldn't leave some of them. It was a very big job, so I avoid it.

What are your plans for 2022?

None, and that's nice, because it's voluntary. I had some nice offers, but I turned them down. I bought myself a house in the South. I will enjoy it, develop it and simply live. I will go back on horseback. I had stopped a bit because my work was extremely demanding. Taking breaks allows you to find "the desire to want", as my friend Johnny used to say. Because, when we chain, we do average things too, and I want to do really good things. Over time, I tell myself that you also have to adjust the exposure. I don't want to bore people.

This interview was published in the magazine Nous Deux number 3890.