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The critics here cant get enough of her:TheGuardianproclaimed, Shes just so good.
A star is born; elsewhere, shes sparkling, vibrant, anddazzling.
Just halfway into the fest, theresalready buzzthat shes a shoo-in to win the festivals Best Actress award.
How does it feel?Its very overwhelming for me.One day I woke up and I puked.
And today I woke up and I cried.
I read it the night before, but I woke up and I was like, Oh no.
I ruined the film.
I was really nervous about the press conference.
I just saw another good review, and then I just puked.
Today, two places it was written, This might be the best film of Cannes.
Now, having a few days to digest all of that, do you feel any better?No.
I feel a little nausea all the time.
But, probably when I get home and land, itll be okay.
Shit, that happened.
Tell me about how this all came together.
It had to be filmed in nine days, though, because of the lighting.
So we spent a lot of days together, and it was so much fun.
We were this group of new friends just partying.
We had to bring that vibe to the set.
We were so aligned on the existential thoughts of it all.
Youve never been the lead of a film before, right?No, no, never.
I was so scared of disappointing him.
There was no audition, right?
So he didnt really know what Id do for this specific role.
I would study the script hard, and talk to him a lot about the character.
Wed talk about, Should we make it a bit different?
But I always landed on being me.
Shes written like me.
I feel so close to her.
Im hearing that a lot of people connect to Julie and the things she goes through.
Things wont go the way you think its gonna go.
Being flawed and making a fool of yourself half the time is okay.
And you helped shape the character, right?
But I was so moved and relieved by how accurately they wrote a female character of this time.
For them, its not about gender, but writing a whole person with flaws.
But the script was already good and the role was so good, there wasnt much to add.
On set, we laid a good foundation of scene analysis.
But once we started filming, it was all about letting go.
Not deciding about anything before filming the scene.
And he wrote it specifically for you, thinking about you and basing the character on you.
Did you notice right away when reading the script that Julie felt like you?Yes.
That [she felt like] life is chaos.
And that she doesnt know what she wants.
She cant find her identity, and she struggles to find it through work and who shes with.
Shes very sincere and true to herself.
Thats ultimately why she needs to leave, because hes kind of in control of that relationship.
She hasnt figured out who she is yet.
I think thats maybe whats closest to me.
Julie discovers that not making a choice is also a choice, and suddenly its too late for her.
Shes where shes at, without having control over it.
What I really related to with her was this terror she has about the permanence of her choices.
This idea that you make a choice among many and cant take things back.
Did you and Joachim speak about that sort of fear?Yeah.
Its a connection to death, for Joachim.
Youre mortal, and living now things change all the time.
Youre filled with so much impression, but youre so driven by individual ambition.
And that makes it really hard to make choices that are right.
Its so hard to navigate in that chaos.
I think having that many choices you’re able to change your career tomorrow, if you want.
Its a generational thing.
Were privileged in so many ways.
We have too much time.
But we can do whatever we want, whenever we want.
Some of the reviews are callingThe Worst Person in the Worlda rom-com.
I can see how that might be a good descriptor for it, though it gets pretty heavy.
Did you guys talk about it that way?No, we didnt.
But its very Joachim Trieresque, as we say.
But its a lot more vibrant and lovable and light.
Thats where Im at and it was refreshing to see the characters talk about it.
Do you and Joachim feel that way?
Or was that specific to the character?We didnt talk about that specifically, no.
Her not having kids isnt a big thing, because so many people say that now.
But we both can relate to that: When is it right?
Have I found my full potential yet, or can you even do that?
For Eivind [another one of Julies boyfriends], its the climate crisis.
So it comes from this catchy phrase.
Its how she thinks about herself, and I can relate to that.
You often feel like the worst person in the world?Oh, yeah.
I think thats a healthy sign.
I want to ask about some of the most memorable scenes in the movie.
I think every person on earth has had that fantasy at one point or another.
How did you accomplish that scene?
The extras would stand frozen, and I would run through them.
I still hear from people who are like, I was there.
It was a big coordination, for a few days.
Very I couldnt help but wonder …The thing with Julie is that she is sexually liberated.
At some points, shes sexually aggressive.
Not aggressive, but how do you say it in English?
Confident?Yeah, or liberated.
When she bites Eivinds ass.Joachim and I, we feel that womens sexuality is often portrayed very submissively.
We wanted it to be more like what weve experienced.
A female character whos that how do you say a softer word than aggressive?
He is on the way to dinner with his mother, but agrees to sit down and talk.]
We were talking about Julies sexuality and the article that she writes.
JT: Maybe this is a Scandinavian thing, but I grew up in a feminist household.
For me, its not a paradox that Julie says, Fuck it.
I want to be free and talk freely about things.
A modern feminist can sometimes have that more restricted, controlled approach to talking about sexuality.
Sorry, Im getting academic.
As a man, Im aware there are so many cliches around the way that we film sex.
Im trying to find a way to show a female gaze.
And its done humorously, like when you bite Eivinds ass.
Why be prudish about that?
Its a wonderful situation, someone in love.
Were people shocked by the sexual content in this movie?JT: No, rather the opposite.
People are enjoying that aspect.
Someone is daring to show this in a climate thats very cautious.
The joy of a woman experiencing passion.
Im kind of relieved.
I wrote this film for her.
You never know in the world of film.
So I was brought up as the main thing you do as a director is casting.
Find the right actor for the right role.
Im sorry I didnt offer you more.
But what I did discover was her talent.
I thought,Dammit, shell be a star soon.
So here I am.
RR: You have that a little bit as well.
You were so nervous about not giving me good enough direction.
Youre both Julie.JT: Were both Julie.
Thats what Im discovering.
[He leaves.]
Lets talk about the mushroom scene before you go.
And it shouldnt be!
Maybe Im a prude or something.
Is it called prude?
Throwing a tampon into someones face!
Menstruation should be something thats not to be embarrassed about.
But that was shocking to read.
Talk me through the filming.They had this little capsule that they put a tampon with blood in.
I was naked, but I had covered up my[gestures below].
So I took it out.
We did two takes, because on the second take it just hit him right in the face.
It was like, Okay, we have it.
Everyone on set was so respectful.
They know that sitting with your legs open and doing this is fragile and vulnerable.
But it was really fun.
Apparently, inTheSouvenirPartII,theres another menstrual blood on the face scene.
And her name is Julie, too.
Are we having some kind of moment?Really?
This is the moment.
This is when it appears.
The year of the tampon In the face.
