[IMG:L] Her recipe for transformative perfection has gained the highest of accolades in Hollywood. La Vie En Rose‘s Best Actress Oscar nominee Marion Cotillard is a name not to be forgotten, especially as she’s pulled off nothing short of a miracle in chaneling the orphaned, legendary, tragic chanteuse–the one and only Edith Piaf. And the world has taken notice.
With actor-parents and a life-long passion to “tell stories and share emotions,” Cotillard‘s destiny is quite fitting at age 32 to have won a Golden Globe and nabbed an Oscar nom for portraying the enigmatic, tortured world-weary artist. Olivier Dahan, director of the searing biopic, asserts Marion was his “only choice” to play the cultural icon. From shaving back her hairline–and removing eyebrows–to mastering arduous lip synching and physical aging, the statuesque Parisian left no stone unturned in her alternately glamorous and ailing, substance-addicted role opposite screen icon, Gerard Depardieu.
Melting the screen with her Gallic dazzle and flavor, Marion truly grasps the art of sublime performance. What’s her secret? Well, Hollywood.com found her 10 hidden ingredients for becoming the ultimate onscreen Edith Piaf:
[IMG:R]1. Liter of Sparkling Vintage Cristal:
“The thing is I didn’t know anything about her life. And when I started to discover her life, I felt something very close and magical. The thing that intimidated me more was to play [Edith as] an ‘old lady’ who was sick, and looked much older than she was in reality. That was the scary thing for me.”
2. Layers Thinly Peeled Piaf Memories:
“I have an ancient memory from when I was a little girl. I heard her voice because my grandmother was a huge fan of Piaf; I thought she had a very strong voice–and that’s the first memory. When I started to work on this project and I discovered all of these pictures of her, and footage of the interviews and the movies she had done as an actress, that was very important material for me … The first impression was the strength [she had] and at the same time the weak [vulnerable] person she could be. The balance of these two opposite things was something to discover.”
[IMG:L]3. Stalks of Freshly Stretched Vocal Cords:
“Because she was a singer and sang almost every day of her life, during the working process, before the shooting and even during the shooting there was one thing I did every day–and it was singing …The lip synch is something very hard to do. You have to be very, very accurate. It’s a matter of a quarter of a second. What is important is that it’s not just doing the right thing with your lips, but it’s doing the right thing with your whole body–and especially with the breathing. The silences are maybe more important than the notes in the lip synch work. The more you are close to the original behavior the more it will be realistic. I had to learn how to breathe like her while she was singing.”
4. Jars of Spicy Dijon Time Travel, Whisked-In:
“When I saw the schedule and the fourth day of shooting–I was a little bit scared [to begin as the older Piaf] … But then I realized it was the better way to not be so scared–because otherwise I’d have to wait with the fear of the moment we’d shoot her ‘old period’. And the fact that it [filming] was all mixed–I was young, and then old, and then I was my age–I think it was a good thing that they did it like this because I found my marks in all of the periods. And then it was just about enjoying doing something I know I could do, and have fun with.”
[IMG:R]5. Tablespoons of Savory Thespian Flexibility:
“It was not hard. It was a good thing cause after four or five days as working in the old period it was so good to come back to the younger [Edith]. I remember talking to a friend on the phone and they asked, “Are you okay,” and I replied, ‘Yes!! I am young today!!’ It was quite fun.”
6. Fresh Cloves of Sense Memory Instincts:
“I was inspired by a great Uncle who lived with our family for many years and he was ill. It was very hard for him to move. When I started working for the movie he came to mind. He inspired me. As an actress it’s not always conscious.”
7. Cups of All-Purpose, Self-Rising Flour:
“You take an emotion of a loss and you make it bigger. I’ve never had a loss like this. I did lose things [people] in my life, so I know what it is and you just make it fit to the situation and let go and see what happens.”
8. Dashes of Distilled Edith Essence:
“Oh! I didn’t know anything about her life growing up, but I did know of her. I knew a few songs and sometimes I use music in order to get through different kinds of emotions–and several times before this project on other movies I used Piaf’s songs. So, I have kind of an intimate relationship with those songs. I have the image of “The Little Sparrow” [Piaf] as they show her in her black dress with strong and amazing voice. The thing is, in her time she would share her personal life with the audience, in the press–each time she had an accident…a lover, her intimate life was shown. But now, the new generation doesn’t know anything about her intimate life, but they know her songs because she wrote the most beautiful love songs.”
[IMG:R]9. Seconds on ‘Whip’ Speed in La Machine:
“I couldn’t describe how it [playing Edith] helps me–but I know that in the work I abandon myself more than ever … you just feel these moments and let go, and just see what happens…”
10. Minutes in the Oven Until Puffed on Top … and Voilà:
“I’m not at all a newcomer in France–I have that quality to take a step back. I didn’t have special preparation for this. The people I am working with, I trust them; I’ve worked with them for a long time and they’re a beautiful support for me. It’s really something to get that [type of] attention. It’s also about the movie and I’m very happy that this movie has the chance to see [itself] all around the world.”
