Rebecca Marder. It sounds like the title of a Modiano novel, at least the surname of one of his ghostly characters. With this name, Mademoiselle Marder, Franco-American actress, with an American father, a music composer, and a French mother, a journalist, is a rising star of cinema. Seven films – directed by Arnaud Desplechin, Sandrine Kiberlain, Michel Leclerc, Olivier Dahan, Noémie Lvovsky, François Ozon, Sylvain Desclous – in just two years, who could say better?
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Also read: Kim Higelin, Rebecca Marder, Melvin Boomer... meeting with the revelations of the 2024 Césars
Especially since, in a previous life, Rebecca was the youngest member of the Comédie-Française, hired at the age of 20 as a resident in the lineage of Isabelle Adjani or Anne Consigny. She spent seven years there, “the age of reason”, she explains, before leaving home “to (re)find a certain freedom”. Along the way, she met her lover, Benjamin Lavernhe, with whom she has just shared the poster for
Great Expectations
(for which she was nominated in the Best Female Revelation category at the 2024 Césars.)
We meet her in the hotel-restaurant of her choice, La Providence. What is immediately striking is her diaphanous complexion and her eyes, neither gray nor blue, like in a Caussimon song. She, practicing self-deprecation, talks about her “vampire complexion” and her “oyster” look… The tone is set: Rebecca doesn’t take herself seriously. So charming.
Madame Figaro.
–
What did you think of the Césars evening, particularly Judith Godrèche’s speech?
Rebecca Marder.
– A very courageous speech. I had the feeling of witnessing a real turning point, the end of an era, the beginning of another, like a renewal. Four years ago, there was the intervention of Adèle Haenel... The MeToo phenomenon had already arrived in France... But, each time the door opened, it closed a little... February 23, 2024 is a historic moment: I think there can be no going back. Each speech was very politicized. The speech by Jamel Debbouze who presented the Honorary César to Agnès Jaoui was also moving. It was a dignified evening where women were in the spotlight.
You started at the cinema very young, at the age of 10. Have you faced similar situations?
No never. And the times I experienced complicated behavior, it was mostly from women. One said to me: “You don’t want to take off your panties, do you think you’re Isabelle Adjani or what? » ; the other: “Ah! but take off your t-shirt, you have nothing to show anyway.” A story of power... I'm lucky to be working at this particular time when the fate of actresses is becoming clearer and when certain behaviors can no longer happen. In my young career, there was a lucky star, and I met caring directors. Later, they were also the ones who trusted me and offered more substantial roles, trajectories to carry on my shoulders, and above all given the opportunity to embody women who take their destiny into their own hands.
Bra, Eres, faux leather pants, Chanel, rings, Chanel Joaillerie. Chanel makeup by Lloyd Simmonds: Treatment No. 1 by Chanel Crème Riche with red camellia, Les Beiges Touche de Teint B20 complexion, Blush Duo Exclusive Creation Roses Coquillage, Les 4 Ombres Coral Treasure, Noir Allure Noir mascara, and Rouge Coco Baume Dreamy White . Photo Luc Braquet
Is this the common thread of your filmography?
Maybe… ? In four films, I found myself having studied at Sciences-Po. I said to myself: “I’m going to get the diploma eventually!” I have hardly played the “woman of” or the
toy girl
(“woman-object.”) It’s been three or four years since I’ve been offered leading roles.
You are on the cover of a Beauty special. Do you feel beautiful?
It's stupid to say that, but it really depends on the day. During photo shoots like that of
Madame Figaro
, I feel revealed to myself. The same thing happens to me with Chanel, of which I am an ambassador. This house changed my relationship with fashion. I didn't know much about it. From now on, it has become one of the dimensions of my profession as an actress. It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of Delphine Seyrig, Jeanne Moreau and Romy Schneider, who were friends of Coco Chanel. Thanks to the photographers I meet, or to this spotlight, I discover myself more glamorous, more confident in my femininity. Because when I act in the cinema – and it’s sincere – I completely forget myself. In action, I don't care at all whether I'm beautiful or not. When I see an actress in a film with too much makeup or already having her hair done when she wakes up, I find it embarrassing. This takes away credibility from the scene.
How far would you go for a role? Could you get ugly?
Yes, of course, why not? I have a pretty side and a possibly ugly side, I like to play with that. I'm not saying this out of false coquetry, but there's something asymmetrical about me. I can have strange profiles. In castings, you are assigned to jobs. To play a pretty girl, I don't have enough bombastic looks, and to play a comical girl, people sometimes find me a little too pretty. When someone has the imagination to offer you a counter-job or to detect your hidden side in you, it is a precious gift.
Chanel t-shirt, Eres bra. Ear cuff and rings, Chanel Joaillerie. Photo Luc Braquet
What is your complex?
The placement of my hair, broad shoulders… With a character, I like to go beyond the way I look at myself. My relationship with beauty is evolving thanks to this job. I am taming my image. I have too often forgotten that I have a body.
Dominique Blanc told you not to stand with your back to the audience...
She helped me a lot to assume my presence in the space, to not stand a little hunched over, to have confidence: "I observed you, and If you doubt whether you are made for this job, you call me. And if you still doubt, you call me a second, a third time. » It was so generous and encouraging. Theater helped ground me physically. If I take a sports class, which happens too infrequently, I forget that I have a left side, for example...
You have dual nationality. Is there a difference between French beauty and American beauty?
In the United States, there is a cult of well-being and
healthy looking
. American women are dressed with almost an obsession with always perfect teeth, hair, nails... French women display a fairly studied nonchalance. Dual nationality offers a mix of inspirations and role models. And a mysterious mix of self-confidence and lack of self-esteem. I love the natural beauty of American actresses like Meryl Streep or Kate Winslet, who is English but works in the USA.
Jersey top, Chanel, Ear cuff Chanel Joaillerie. Chanel makeup by Lloyd Simmonds: Treatment No. 1 by Chanel Crème Riche with red camellia, Les Beiges Touche de Teint B20 complexion, Duo Blush Exclusive Creation Roses Coquillage, Calligraphy by Chanel Hyperblack, Baume Essentiel Transparent, Noir Allure Noir and Rouge Coco Baume mascara Dreamy White. Photo Luc Braquet
What did your French mother pass on to you?
My mother is not at all flirtatious. She tends to forget herself. The first time I put on makeup around 13-14 years old, coming home from school with a little kohl on my eyes, she said to me: “Your eyes! It looks like a rabbit with myxomatosis!” Despite these kinds of comments, she is attentive and loving. She transmitted love to me, despite the “underminings” of confidence and, deep down, that makes me feel beautiful. Furthermore, she always told me that the best beauty secret, which no cosmetic can replace, is sufficient sleep. I also have my older sister, Ella, who is eleven years older than me. He's the person I feel closest to. It shares its solar energy. When I am in his presence, I feel in harmony.
Do you respect this beauty secret
: restful sleep?
Unfortunately, I got into a different rhythm with the theater. We finish playing at midnight, we go to dinner, have a drink, because we need a little airlock to get back down… We become night owls. That said, the Comédie-Française was a luxury apprenticeship. My foundations. This builds muscle, we develop a bit of an athletic side. I was used to playing six times a weekend, four pieces at a time. Today, I am discovering the life of an actress without a framework.
You also sing. Do you have a project?
Yes, with Sébastien Wolf, from the group Feu! Chatterton. We met during the filming of the musical
La Grande Magie
, by Noémie Lvovsky. I always sang, but never my own songs. Sébastien pushes me, he's a kind of midwife. We meet in the studio, he composes the music, I write. Inventing yourself is exciting.
Jersey top, Chanel, Ear cuff Chanel Joaillerie. Chanel makeup by Lloyd Simmonds: Treatment No. 1 by Chanel Crème Riche with red camellia, Les Beiges Touche de Teint B20 complexion, Blush Duo Exclusive Creation Roses Coquillage, Calligraphy by Chanel Hyperblack, Baume Essentiel Transparent, Noir Allure Noir and Rouge Coco Baume mascara Dreamy White. Photo Luc Braquet
Do you keep a diary
?
Irregularly, and when I come across the diaries from my teenage years, I find it both funny and stupid. In love with a boy: “I go back to sleep to continue dreaming of him, I imagine that he is under all the motorcycle helmets that pass by.” Besides that, I wrote plays and screenplays. In high school, I even filmed class friends with a cassette camera, an adaptation of Agatha Christie, then a film called
Watch Over Us
. Write, produce, you have to dare. During these seven years at the Comédie-Française, I didn't really have the leisure or the freedom of mind to tackle it, but I'm getting there.
Seven years isn't a lot.
That's a lot at that age, between 20 and 27 years old. I left because I had to know something else. Éric Ruf, the general administrator, changed my life by hiring me at 20 years old. From one day to the next, things change. A phone call, three days after an audition: “We would like you to be part of the troupe.” I met directors from all over Europe. Then there was Olivier Dahan. It's the first time that someone trusted me to play a role over such a long period, between 15 and 37 years old. And not just any role, since it was about playing Simone Veil. Live up to the character. These are encounters that influence destiny, like those with Dominique Blanc or Sandrine Kiberlain. Not to mention Emmanuelle Bercot, who became my friend. She doesn't watch herself play. She is an extraordinary partner: she lives the scene in the present. I have rarely seen someone so truthful.
And the men? A definition of masculine beauty?
I don't really have any beauty standards. In the past, I was able to love a tall blond man, 1.93 m tall, a sort of Michelangelo's David, then another, 1.70 m tall, all brown. Finally, I can be seduced by a sad look, a bit of a hangdog look. And then humor is what cracks me up. It takes kindness too, obviously.
Chanel cardigan. Chanel makeup by Lloyd Simmonds: Treatment No. 1 by Chanel Crème Riche with red camellia, Les Beiges Touche de Teint B20 complexion, Les Beiges Crème Ensoleillée Soleil Tan Bronze, Signature de Chanel Noir, Noir Allure Noir mascara, and lip balm No. 1 by Chanel Lively Rosewood. Photo Luc Braquet
You will be 29 years old. The 30-year-old woman is looming…
I can’t wait to be 30! Because I have the impression that before we are not whole. 28, 29 is a bit bastard. We're no longer 20, but we're still seen as young. I have the impression that at 30 it's blossoming, lots of things happening. That sounds rather exhilarating.
You love Anna Magnani who herself was impatiently awaiting her wrinkles...
She is one of the greatest actresses in my eyes: my goddess! I also like Gena Rowlands, Olivia Colman… No, age really doesn't scare me. In life, I have a lot of role models, women my age with whom I am friends, but also older women who can be between 50 and 70 years old. I don't fear the passage of time, because I find them free and fulfilled. They are strong and help each other. Women are often more present in the hard or strong moments of life. The fear would be, with the passage of time, of no longer playing. But, as I said at the start of the interview, there are more and more women who write, produce, women directors. We will be more and more represented at all ages. So I hope to continue doing this job all my life. For now, I would really like to play
Hedda Gabler,
by Henrik Ibsen. I just reread the piece. She's my age, exactly.