Open-air Somerset House premiere was a dream come true, says Marion Cotillard

 
Gallic glamour: Marion Cotillard at the Two Days, One Night premiere (Picture: Dave Benett)
Dave Benett
The Weekender

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French film star Marion Cotillard said holding the London premiere of her new film outside had fulfilled a childhood dream as it was screened in the Somerset House courtyard.

Cotillard said seeing Two Days, One Night in the open-air was “really amazing”, adding: “It was always a fantasy when I was a kid to go and see movies outside.”

But the 38-year-old admitted that the film, by the Belgian directors Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, was not necessarily the most obvious choice for the setting.

It tells the story of a woman who has battled depression and has a weekend to persuade work colleagues to give up their bonus so she can keep her job.

“I wouldn’t think right away that the movie would be shown in a place like this,” she said.

Cotillard’s previous roles include parts in The Dark Knight Rises and Inception as well as an Oscar-winning performance as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose.

Premiere of Two Days, One Night

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She said she took on the unglamorous role of Sandra in her new film because the script reminded her of a terrible true story of someone who killed themselves in France because they felt everything was “useless”.

She said: “It’s the question of do we really have a place in this world?

“If you compare us with other societies such as Indian tribes, they never have these questions. It’s important to talk about ourselves, maybe question more, question our system.”

The role is in complete contrast to her next film, in which she plays Lady Macbeth opposite Michael Fassbender’s murderous Scottish king.

She said she had been “too conscious” of the history of that role, adding: “It was intimidating. It was funny because I never had that when I was Edith Piaf.

“But amazing actresses have taken on Lady Macbeth. It was hard to enjoy because I put a lot of pressure on myself. And the Shakespearean language is hard to get and she is a hard one to live with.”

Cotillard, dressed in black Dior, joined guests including movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and actors Will Poulter and Stacy Martin at the opening night party, which also launched the annual Film4 Summer Screen movie season at Somerset House. The season runs until August 20.

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