Director Marie Kreutzer’s Gentle Monster makes its intentions clear from the title — there’s no hiding that the subject matter is difficult. Lea Seydoux stars as a mother whose husband is accused of making and distributing child pornography, and the film follows her through the various stages of dealing it, from denial to anger and beyond.
“I was a bit scared of the subject, but I thought the script was very well-written and subtle,” Seydoux tells Gold Derby. Critics have called her performance “masterful,” “utterly enthralling,” and “quietly devastating.”
Here, she opens up about the challenges of the role (which included learning German), working with Catherine Deneuve, who plays her mother, and why she’d like to play a silent film role one day.
Gold Derby: What was your first reaction when you read the script?
Lea Seydoux: I loved the character of Lucy. I felt an immediate empathy for her. Sometimes you read a script and know it was made for you—you already know the character. That’s what I felt when I read this one. There was nothing to change or add.
Marie and I didn’t really speak about the character. We spoke about many other things, but not the character. I love that when I work with a director, they trust the intelligence of the actor. Everything felt evident and natural.
The first time I met Marie was on Zoom. I was filming a very different movie, a French film called The Unknown. I remember telling her, “You have to trust me. I know who Lucy is. Don’t worry—I’ll give you everything I can to play this role.”
How did you find your way into the character? Did you do any research?
Not really. That’s not my technique. I’m a very instinctive actor, and I can be shy. For me, the only way to abandon myself and play a character is to lose my consciousness in a way. To give my best performance, I need to throw myself into it.
I didn’t need to do research for this role. What I loved was talking with Marie. I always ask directors personal questions—intimate questions, but not intrusive ones. I like having deep conversations because making a movie means abandoning yourself in front of the camera. It’s a gift you’re giving, so I need to feel safe with the person I’m working with. I also need the director to trust me. It has to work both ways.
How did you come to trust Marie?
The best way to get someone to trust you is to trust them. Of course, sometimes you can be disappointed, and that has happened to me in my career. But with Marie, it was very easy to work together because she’s smart and sensitive.
The tricky parts were the piano and the German. I read the script in English, so I thought the movie would be in English. Then Marie told me, “You didn’t get the version, but you speak German.” I was like, “What?”
I remember receiving the German script when we were already filming. German is a tough language, so that was challenging.
Why was it important for Lucy to speak German? And why did she need to speak three languages?
It was important because it’s an Austrian film. It’s also interesting because Lucy is very isolated. The fact that she’s a foreigner brings even more solitude to what she’s going through.
It was Marie’s idea. At first, I was scared. When there are too many languages in the same scene, it can feel strange. Sometimes I couldn’t hold my composure because it was so funny to speak German. I knew I wasn’t saying the words in the right way, and sometimes I used an earpiece.
I was afraid the audience might not be able to follow the story, or that the languages might kill the emotion. But when I saw the movie, we forgot about that. Cinema is a universal language. Lucy expresses so many emotions through her face and her expressions, which I found very interesting.
Lucy is very internal. You have to read her face to understand everything she’s going through.
Yes, and I love that. I would love to do a silent film one day.
What does music mean to Lucy?
That was also Marie’s idea. I think it’s interesting because of Lucy’s relationship with her art. As a musician, you have a direct connection with the public — it’s you and the audience. You can express things directly, and Lucy can express through singing what she cannot express in her personal life. It’s another way of expressing herself.
How did that help you as an actor?
I’ve always loved singing, so I really enjoyed that. When I was a young girl, I was very shy and couldn’t really express myself with words. I was singing all the time. It was, in a way, the first language I spoke.
I lost my voice when I was a child. I had a beautiful voice then, and I can still sing, but it’s not what it used to be. Still, I loved it. One of the things I love about this job is that you can experiment.
What did it mean to you to work with Catherine Deneuve?
It was great. I love Catherine, of course. She’s an icon and a great woman. She’s lovely to be around — so smart and cultured — and she’s made so many amazing films. In a way, it was a dream of mine.
What do you want audiences to take away from the movie?
What I love about the film is that it’s not didactic. It’s very open, and it can open a debate. I hope people will want to talk about it and ask questions. Cinema can be a way to question the world. This is a movie that makes you think, which is a good thing.
Gentle Monster opened in theaters on Oct.30, and will begun streaming on Netflix on Nov. 18.
