Post by Emilie-Jolie on Apr 29, 2012 2:00:56 GMT 1
Another English interview given (I presume to promote Cafe de Flore??) We're very lucky at the moment, lots of great interviews & in English too!
www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2135534/Vanessa-Paradis-I-used-bag-head.html
'I used to go out with a bag over my head': The world according to Vanessa Paradis
No, we can’t believe it either. But as the singer, actress and model (not to mention Johnny Depp’s other half) reveals, it wasn’t because she was worried about her looks...
I’m used to being disliked.
When my first record came out, it was a big success. It was everywhere and no one could escape it, to the point where I became an annoyance. Horrible things were said about me. Hateful slogans were painted on the walls outside my house. People would spit at me in the street. It got so bad that I would go out with a bag over my head. It wasn’t a fun time. I was fortunate to have parents who helped me through that difficult period. They were always there for me with the right words. Along with the belief in my singing and acting, it was my parents’ love that made me feel I could cope. Without that I don’t think I’d have been strong enough to endure all the negativity.
Johnny is a good teacher.
He has enormous patience, which was needed when he taught me to play guitar. He not only bought me a beautiful guitar; he showed me how to bring music from it. He needed to be patient, because I’m a slow learner. To be honest, my guitar-playing is really pathetic. I don’t practise enough. But I love the instrument. When you own a guitar you’re never lonely.
I’d never rule out doing a movie with Johnny, but there’s something scary about the idea.
We’ve worked together on music and it’s been a very positive experience. We almost worked together on the Terry Gilliam film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and we were ready for it, but that project was cancelled.
Serge Gainsbourg taught me how to think and speak for myself.
At 17 I stayed at his house for three months and he produced my second album in the last year of his life. I got to know him well just at the time when I was turning from girl to woman. When we worked together on songs, he taught me to be free. He gave me the assurance to stand tall and believe in myself. His music is always with me. When I was pregnant, Johnny would play his songs for me and I would hold the CD player next to my belly.
The precious things in life aren’t the most expensive.
One of the first things my son gave me was a necklace he made out of macaroni. I wore it everywhere. It’s easy to buy beautiful things but you cannot put a price on the things that are endlessly precious. The truly precious things will always take you back to the moment that you were given them, and you never forget the emotion that went along with them. I wouldn’t swap that macaroni necklace for all the rubies in the world.
True peace of mind is being with Johnny and my children.
When I’ve got a child on each shoulder, that’s when I’m at my happiest. It’s true that there aren’t many places in the world we can go where we’re not recognised. We can’t walk the streets of London anonymously. But there are a few places in Central America where people don’t know who we are. Also we’re lucky to have our own island that we can retreat to.
I love the idea of reincarnation.
I can’t quite bring myself to believe it exists, but the notion has always enchanted me. It’s a far better idea than there being nothing more than living and dying. I’d like to come back to life as a dolphin.
The red carpet isn’t my idea of a good time.
That’s not where I feel content. I feel at home when I’m singing on stage or acting on a movie set. Even when I’m acting in a violent, disturbing scene, I feel like I’m in a safe, secure bubble. It’s like I’ve stepped out of my life and I’m in the hands of artists who know their job.
One of my most prized possessions is a metal heart that belonged to Marilyn Monroe.
I’ve always been crazy about her and I devour every book that’s written about her. I first started reading about her when I was six years old and I was immediately entranced. My fascination for her is never-ending. Like all of us, she was a combination of strength and vulnerability. Her life was so hard, but she rose above all that to become an icon. The metal heart was a gift from Johnny. To wear something like that is magical to me.
I find it hard to resist a challenge.
In 1992 I starred in an advert for Coco perfume where I had to swing on a perch inside a gigantic birdcage. To prepare I spent a week learning trapeze with a circus instructor. It was a thrill to feel like I was flying through the air like a bird. I didn’t stop smiling for that entire week.
My latest role is as far away from glamorous as it’s possible to get.
Café de Flore is a love story set in Paris in the Sixties. I play Jaqueline, who is driven by the fear of losing her Down syndrome boy, or seeing harm come to him. She’s not an easy person to like. I had to wear the ugliest shoes and the most shapeless dresses in order to escape my femininity. I wasn’t even allowed to have blonde hair. I needed to create a character who was more like a man than most men could ever be. I can’t say it was liberating to shake off that femininity, but it was definitely an interesting experience, because it was so different from who I am.
You know life is good when you find yourself on stage with Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop and Chrissie Hynde.
In 1999, we performed a cabaret show in Paris, doing songs by Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone. Johnny played guitar. That was such an exciting night. Iggy was full of mesmerising beauty. Chrissie has the voice of an angel. To have my man alongside me made it even more special. Definitely one of the highlights of my career. You can find it on YouTube.
No, we can’t believe it either. But as the singer, actress and model (not to mention Johnny Depp’s other half) reveals, it wasn’t because she was worried about her looks...
I’m used to being disliked.
When my first record came out, it was a big success. It was everywhere and no one could escape it, to the point where I became an annoyance. Horrible things were said about me. Hateful slogans were painted on the walls outside my house. People would spit at me in the street. It got so bad that I would go out with a bag over my head. It wasn’t a fun time. I was fortunate to have parents who helped me through that difficult period. They were always there for me with the right words. Along with the belief in my singing and acting, it was my parents’ love that made me feel I could cope. Without that I don’t think I’d have been strong enough to endure all the negativity.
Johnny is a good teacher.
He has enormous patience, which was needed when he taught me to play guitar. He not only bought me a beautiful guitar; he showed me how to bring music from it. He needed to be patient, because I’m a slow learner. To be honest, my guitar-playing is really pathetic. I don’t practise enough. But I love the instrument. When you own a guitar you’re never lonely.
I’d never rule out doing a movie with Johnny, but there’s something scary about the idea.
We’ve worked together on music and it’s been a very positive experience. We almost worked together on the Terry Gilliam film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and we were ready for it, but that project was cancelled.
Serge Gainsbourg taught me how to think and speak for myself.
At 17 I stayed at his house for three months and he produced my second album in the last year of his life. I got to know him well just at the time when I was turning from girl to woman. When we worked together on songs, he taught me to be free. He gave me the assurance to stand tall and believe in myself. His music is always with me. When I was pregnant, Johnny would play his songs for me and I would hold the CD player next to my belly.
The precious things in life aren’t the most expensive.
One of the first things my son gave me was a necklace he made out of macaroni. I wore it everywhere. It’s easy to buy beautiful things but you cannot put a price on the things that are endlessly precious. The truly precious things will always take you back to the moment that you were given them, and you never forget the emotion that went along with them. I wouldn’t swap that macaroni necklace for all the rubies in the world.
True peace of mind is being with Johnny and my children.
When I’ve got a child on each shoulder, that’s when I’m at my happiest. It’s true that there aren’t many places in the world we can go where we’re not recognised. We can’t walk the streets of London anonymously. But there are a few places in Central America where people don’t know who we are. Also we’re lucky to have our own island that we can retreat to.
I love the idea of reincarnation.
I can’t quite bring myself to believe it exists, but the notion has always enchanted me. It’s a far better idea than there being nothing more than living and dying. I’d like to come back to life as a dolphin.
The red carpet isn’t my idea of a good time.
That’s not where I feel content. I feel at home when I’m singing on stage or acting on a movie set. Even when I’m acting in a violent, disturbing scene, I feel like I’m in a safe, secure bubble. It’s like I’ve stepped out of my life and I’m in the hands of artists who know their job.
One of my most prized possessions is a metal heart that belonged to Marilyn Monroe.
I’ve always been crazy about her and I devour every book that’s written about her. I first started reading about her when I was six years old and I was immediately entranced. My fascination for her is never-ending. Like all of us, she was a combination of strength and vulnerability. Her life was so hard, but she rose above all that to become an icon. The metal heart was a gift from Johnny. To wear something like that is magical to me.
I find it hard to resist a challenge.
In 1992 I starred in an advert for Coco perfume where I had to swing on a perch inside a gigantic birdcage. To prepare I spent a week learning trapeze with a circus instructor. It was a thrill to feel like I was flying through the air like a bird. I didn’t stop smiling for that entire week.
My latest role is as far away from glamorous as it’s possible to get.
Café de Flore is a love story set in Paris in the Sixties. I play Jaqueline, who is driven by the fear of losing her Down syndrome boy, or seeing harm come to him. She’s not an easy person to like. I had to wear the ugliest shoes and the most shapeless dresses in order to escape my femininity. I wasn’t even allowed to have blonde hair. I needed to create a character who was more like a man than most men could ever be. I can’t say it was liberating to shake off that femininity, but it was definitely an interesting experience, because it was so different from who I am.
You know life is good when you find yourself on stage with Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop and Chrissie Hynde.
In 1999, we performed a cabaret show in Paris, doing songs by Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone. Johnny played guitar. That was such an exciting night. Iggy was full of mesmerising beauty. Chrissie has the voice of an angel. To have my man alongside me made it even more special. Definitely one of the highlights of my career. You can find it on YouTube.
www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2135534/Vanessa-Paradis-I-used-bag-head.html
