CANNES, France — On the rooftop of the Hôtel Martinez, Marie Colomb is scrolling by images of her bulldog — the identical one she’d simply been chatting about with Angelina Jolie moments earlier than the Trophée Chopard dinner, which resulted in a captivating onstage slip-up.
The French actress was this yr’s recipient of the annual prize, offered by Jolie, who was serving because the ceremony’s “godmother”—although Colomb by accident, and endearingly, thanked her as “canine mom,” to the delight of the room.
“Simply earlier than she gave me the award, we talked about how being in the identical discipline immediately creates a bond, so we talked about our canine,” Colomb defined. Although she admits she was somewhat nervous earlier than stepping onstage, Jolie’s calming presence shortly put her comfy.
“It’s in her method of being,” she mentioned. “I might see she was actually grounded. She was extremely type and considerate. I believe she’s conscious of being the star she is, and that’s not all the time straightforward. She might sense we have been nervous, however when you get previous what she represents, there’s only a human in entrance of you — easy and type.”
The consideration was a heightened second for the 29-year-old, who has already had two movies premiere at Cannes — 2021’s “The Magnetics” and 2022’s “The Beasts” — though this was her first time being acknowledged for her full physique of labor, together with her TV sequence “Comply with” and “Culte.”
“It felt a bit surreal,” she mentioned. “I believe I’ll actually course of it once I’m again dwelling with my boyfriend and my canine.”
Marie Colomb, Angelina Jolie and Finn Bennett.
Elodie Chapuis/WWD
Colomb has earned approval for her emotionally wealthy dramatic roles, however she’s presently leaning into comedy — a problem she embraces.
“I actually need to discover totally different genres. Comedy is extremely laborious. It’s all about timing. Should you’re feeling burdened or not properly, you possibly can channel that right into a dramatic function. However with comedy, it’s important to really feel assured. In any other case, it simply doesn’t land, and it reveals.”
Finally, she picks initiatives rooted in humanity. “I’m drawn to movies that, perhaps it’s cliché to say, are full of affection. Tales about individuals. Typically it’s comedy, typically drama, however they make me need to dwell,” she mentioned.
Raised in a small city in southwestern France, Colomb knew early on that appearing was it for her. At simply six years previous, she penned a letter to her mom declaring her intention to be on stage and display screen.
“It’s cliché, however I fell in love with it then and by no means had a plan B,” she mentioned.
Although she hasn’t but taken on an English-language mission, she’s additionally up for that problem. “I do know I’m succesful, it’s only a psychological block. But when somebody supplied me a job in English tomorrow, I’d be engaged on it 9 hours a day,” she mentioned.
She’s additionally attuned to the shifts within the business, notably how international platforms have modified the sport for impartial movies, which has been a scorching subject at Cannes.
“There are lots of positives, however I don’t but have the hindsight to say how a lot. Nonetheless, even when we’re not saving lives by making movies, it does matter,” she remarked.
“In a world that’s as difficult as ours, cinema can supply actual consolation,” she added. “It nonetheless influences how individuals are seen — minorities, totally different views. It shapes the way in which we take a look at others.”
Colomb can be embracing the style world, notably as luxurious homes proceed investing in cinema. She’s been a entrance row visitor at Balenciaga, Chloé and Rabanne throughout Paris Style Week, and her appreciation of trend is rising.
“At first, it was a world that basically impressed me. It wasn’t mine. It appeared superficial. And sure, there’s that facet to it,” she mentioned. “However these days, I’ve turn out to be genuinely within the artistry and craftsmanship. Like something, when you look intently, there’s lots to admire. And let’s be trustworthy, it’s additionally a enterprise. However I really like that manufacturers are more and more supporting movie.”
For the Trophée Chopard dinner, she wore a pink feathered Prada mini gown that she referred to as an “quick, visible approach to have enjoyable.”
Her private fashion IRL is easier: a white T-shirt, a brief Prada skirt, and something “snug…and somewhat bit rockstar.” It’s her first formal relationship with a model, and he or she’s having fun with the liberty it provides her to play with identification.
“It’s like we are saying in France — fashion, we don’t take it too critically, you understand?” she mentioned, joking concerning the fantasy of “easy” French woman fashion that really takes quite a lot of work behind the scenes.
She’s seen a shift in that aesthetic because of social media, plus the dashing up of the style cycle as leisure.
“I do suppose trend has taken up much more house not too long ago,” she mentioned. “Folks see you first by what you put on — and it issues.”
