Audrey Fleurot, multi-talented French actress, known for her iconic roles in notable series such as Kaamelott, Engrenages, Les Combattantes and since 2021, HPI on TF1.
She talks about her thoughts, her journey, her upcoming projects and her vision of the film industry for the greatest pleasure of LiFE magazine readers.
How do you choose the roles you want to invest in? Is there a specific criterion that guides your choices?
I have never had a career plan. I have always operated on instinct. What motivates me above all is the feeling of not having already played this type of character. I tend to want to make the biggest differences. I like to be surprised by offers and do very different things, and also feel when I read a script that the character being offered to me, my uniqueness can bring something specific. I read a lot of scripts where I can consider many actresses. I don’t see why it is particularly proposed to me… I couldn’t say why but I need to feel that it resonates with me.
As an actress who has evolved in television, cinema, and theater, how do you perceive the evolution of your career over the years?
Once again, I have always been happy with where I was professionally. I didn’t allow myself to hope for anything at the image level. And then it became more and more important in my life. I gradually felt more legitimate, but I really feel like I climbed the steps one by one! I started by doing a few days here and there, in recurring series, and then I landed an interesting supporting role, and then a lead role, and then some cinema. What is interesting is that a career is really a mix of chance and luck at the same time. I find it quite coherent to do very different things, to finally not belong to any particular family, it resembles me quite a bit!
Can you tell us about a defining moment in your career that has shaped your approach to the acting profession?
There are many, especially Kaamelott. When Alexandre Astier came to offer me to play with this small troupe he had put together. He had seen me perform in theater. Despite difficult beginnings in casting, this experience was enriching and joyful because it combined my two passions, theater, and television. I think if there hadn’t been a few directors who had offered me roles without auditioning, I probably would never have shot! There is also another great moment, when I managed to get the casting of Engrenages, where it is the first time that I find myself with a recurring role and a series that is the first truly modern French series with really interesting female characters. I also had the chance in cinema to be part of the adventure of the film Intouchables which allowed me to become known on the big screen, even if obviously, the film does not rely on my shoulders.
In addition to your work on screens, you also performed in a play alongside Didier Bourdon. What is the importance of theater in your professional journey today?
I only did theater for 10 years. So I played in many plays. When I left the school of Rue Blanche, I worked directly in the universe I wanted to be in, namely subsidized theater. I had the chance to be part of Laurent Pelly’s troupe for about ten years. And there you go, we were on tour all the time in very beautiful halls that were full. So it was very pleasant and I was really where I wanted to be! Theater remains my driving force and I try to return to it regularly. Now it is true that it is complicated with shootings, because the timing is not at all the same. You have to book two years in advance and I don’t necessarily have that visibility! The last time I was at the theater, we got caught in the lockdown, we played Bug at the Théâtre des Célestins in Lyon, we played it once and then the lockdown fell on us! So I don’t despair of taking up this show again.
The 4th season of HPI is airing, do you have any new projects in progress to announce to us?
As I speak to you, I am in the process of making a feature film directed by Emmanuel Poulin-Arnaud, called “Regarde” with Dany Boon as a partner. It’s a dramatic comedy about a subject that is quite poignant. It’s about a separated couple with a teenage child and they realize that he is suffering from retinal degeneration and will become blind. What will they decide to do together in these last months of their child’s vision… Otherwise, I have plenty of upcoming projects, but I can’t talk about them yet… (smile)
As an influential woman in the film industry, what message would you like to convey to young artists aspiring to follow in your footsteps?
I find it very complicated to give advice because I believe there are a thousand and one ways to get to this profession. I have the feeling that you have to have a kind of conviction that it is this and nothing else. But it’s because it’s my own journey. It is obviously difficult profession. Obviously, no one is waiting for you and there is not much room. At the same time, I find that we live in an era where young actors and actresses have the opportunity to show themselves via social networks by making their own production, which was not at all the case in my time, I find it quite enjoyable. When I see the number of artists we discovered during the lockdown, I find that they can be a little more masters of their destiny by making their own sketches, their own productions, by obtaining visibility directly. This is one of the advantages of social networks, which I find quite nice.
How do you manage to maintain a balance between your professional and personal life, especially in such a demanding profession as acting?
Finding a balance between my professional and personal life is a constant challenge. Just like many women who juggle demanding careers. When it’s a passionate job it’s even more complicated because I love working and I’m never happier than at work, but obviously it’s not easy, and at the same time, it’s my balance. It’s a way of functioning that has always been mine. I try to compensate for the lack of daily life with some exceptional moments. When I’m with my family, I try to compensate by trying to create nice memories. And when I’m there, I try to be totally present.
This summer, will you be more team coconut trees, cocktails, and palm trees or mountain, hiking, and hot wine? (Laughs)
So I could tick all the boxes! (Laughs) First of all, I’m very happy because I have a good part of my summer free, which is quite rare because it’s often a filming period when the weather is nice. I’m going to be a bit of a coconut tree, a bit of countryside, a bit of hiking. I’ll tick all the boxes! (smile)
What would you like to wish our readers of LiFE magazine?
To make the most of their summer with the people they love, to enjoy their family, their friends, their lovers, their children and to spend intense moments with those they love.
