Isabelle Huppert Says She Read the Script of ‘The Piano Teacher’ While Flying to the Vienna Shoot

As a longtime admirer of French cinema, I can confidently say that Isabelle Huppert is a true gem and a testament to the power of intuition and resilience. Having started her acting career with very little cinematic exposure, she managed to work with some of Europe’s most talented filmmakers, including Claude Chabrol, Michael Haneke, and Paul Verhoeven. Her journey in the industry is nothing short of inspiring, and her candidness during the masterclass at the Lumière Film Festival only adds to her charm.


At the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, I had the pleasure of attending a masterclass led by Isabelle Huppert, an Academy Award nominee famed for her role in “Elle.” In a refreshingly open discussion about her career, she left the audience in stitches with her self-effacing wit.

The renowned French actress, who will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Lumière prize, admitted that she had only watched a handful of films when she began acting around half a century ago. Yet, this limited exposure didn’t hinder her from collaborating with some of Europe’s most gifted filmmakers such as Claude Chabrol, Michael Haneke, and Paul Verhoeven.

She mentioned that we didn’t frequent cinemas as often in the past, during her discussion with Thierry Fremaux, head of Lumiere Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival,” is a possible paraphrase of the original sentence. This version aims to maintain the same meaning while making it more straightforward and easier to read.

When I first began creating films, I had only watched a small number. To this day, I still haven’t seen many. Yet, there have been times when I could somehow sense the presence of a film without actually watching it. I’m not sure if I can read scripts effectively, but perhaps my ability to identify filmmakers is crucial in our decision-making process. Making choices for films is challenging and enigmatic; it’s a blend of various factors. In the end, it’s pure instinct that guides us.

Isabelle Huppert reflected on her collaborations with Michael Haneke, the esteemed Austrian director who cast her in multiple films, commencing with the groundbreaking movie “The Piano Teacher” in 2001. This film later garnered two awards at Cannes, one of which was for Best Actress. However, Huppert revealed that it was nearly not possible.

Initially, our paths seemed to elude each other,” I admitted. “He suggested ‘Funny Games,’ a movie I initially declined due to its intensity not allowing space for an actress’s imagination, as captivating and brilliant as it is.

In her opinion, ‘Funny Games’ felt like a cold and analytical portrayal of how violence affects its audience, and how the audience becomes a pawn in the production,” she stated. Later, when Haneke proposed his other films he hadn’t made yet, after seeing ‘Funny Games’, Huppert was so eager to collaborate with him that she agreed to work on ‘The Piano Teacher’ without fully reading the script.

“He told me, if you don’t want to do it, it’s over, I won’t propose you another film. For that reason, I said “Yes, of course, I’ll do it! And then, I really read the script while I was in the plane, and there I told myself, ‘OK.’ And the next minute we were landing at the Vienna airport.”

In 2009, when I had the honor of leading the jury at Cannes, I presented Michael Haneke with the prestigious Palme d’Or for his masterpiece, “The White Ribbon.” It was a truly memorable moment as a film enthusiast.

Huppert, along with Benicio Del Toro and Xavier Dolan, is among the prominent figures gracing this year’s Lumiere Festival.

Hupper gained recognition at the Cannes, Cesar Awards, and the Golden Globes for her brave portrayal in Paul Verhoeven’s film “Elle.

Apart from her film work, Huppert has also been quite active in the theater scene. Notably, she’s starred in plays like “Mary Stuart” and “The Maids” in prominent performances in English.

As I pen my latest film critique, it’s a profound honor to acknowledge Isabelle Huppert as the newest recipient of the Prix Lumière. She now stands tall among cinematic titans such as Martin Scorsese, Jane Fonda, Jane Campion, Pedro Almodóvar, Francis Ford Coppola, Quentin Tarantino, and Wong Kar-wai – a truly illustrious company indeed!

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2024-10-18 17:50