ARTICLE
An Interview With the Cast of 'PRODIGIES'
By InCinemas / 02 Dec 2024 (Monday)
We caught an early screening of the new French biographical drama PRODIGIES (or PRODIGIEUSES) and were exceedingly impressed with the performances of the leads as the Vallois twins which were struck by a disease jeopardising their talent and career as pianists, amidst the mounting pressure of meeting their father’s expectations to succeed.
Following the screening, we also had the pleasure of chatting with the cast from the film – Camille Razat, Mélanie Robert and Franck Dubosc – who were in town to promote their film. Camille and Mélanie play Claire and Jeanne Vallois respectively while Franck played the role of their father.
Here's what transpired:
(Question directed at Camille and Mélanie) Your onscreen chemistry as twins is simply amazing and we understand you are friends or have become great friends. Would you say working with someone you know and share a close friendship with makes the work easier?
Camille: I have a personal opinion. Yes, there is a huge advantage work to be able to act with someone you know because then this chemistry is already there right? Because we've known each other for like 11 years. She is basically my sister in my life so, that is something we didn’t have to create in order to play Jeanne and Claire.
Are there any disadvantages to being great friends with your co-star which may impact the more tension filled scenes both of you are filming?
Camille: I would like say that that when you know so much about a person, it is harder to be sincere when it comes to tension-filled scenes. For me, it was hard to do the scene where Claire realises that Jeanne is taking her place as the soloist and she shouts explicitly at her... it was tough for both Mélanie and I to do because it seemed so much like me as myself talking to Mélanie and not as our characters.
Mélanie: Sometimes when you know someone in real life, that can like also a little bit harder because you can be a bit shy about it, because you know the person so well and acting with them can be a little bit bizarre at first. But then it goes away.
Were there any moments during the filming where you feel you could have done better?
Mélanie: I may have struggled with some of the piano techniques. Camille had a softer approach to it but it was difficult for me to have this kind of this softness in my gestures. They had to remove the handcast, and the director was saying that it was not soft enough, the movements not fluid enough. I felt guilty because I was working so hard to deliver what I needed to.
Since both of you do not play the piano, would you say that the hard work you put in from the intense piano training and the pains you must have gone through makes your portrayal of Claire and Jeanne more authentic?
Camille: We were rehearsing for 8 months. Mélanie and I have never played the piano before at all so, that was very new for us and it was very interesting. We had to be very stubborn and have some perseverance to succeed in making people believe that that we are prodigies of piano. I would say yeah, it really felt like started to connect more with our characters because we had to rehearse so much just like Jeanne and Claire. It really bonded us to the characters for sure.
How do you handle or overcome the stress from filming the intense scene/s?
Franck: (jokingly) Liquor?
Camille: Red wine... I love red wine.
Mélanie : Watching movies... I go to Camile’s place and watch comfort films like Harry Potter and play board games. I wasn’t really stressed during filming because we rehearsed a lot before, and we got a piano all just for the acting. And I was with Camille, so I was confident. The only thing I may have been stressed about was acting for the directors, but they were generously amazing and stunning. Other than that, maybe the final scene with the piano.
Camille: For that scene, it was the end of filming and we were pretty tired and then to our big surprise, there was only one piano when we arrived on stage. We were like, "but I don’t understand because we were supposed to have two pianos and shoot this scene like this (simultaneously)." They told us they were missing one piano, so we had to make do with just one. So then Mélanie was pretending to play for a close up shot but she was actually playing on wood, not the piano. I said that’s not fair and we had to swap places so I asked her to take the piano while I take the wood. Playing on the wood was not planned but thankfully it worked out in the end.
Actresses and actors can get so immersed in their characters that they may find it hard to disconnect from the role and be themselves again when the filming ends. Did you experience such a feeling?
Camille: No, not really. It’s not that kind of role that necessarily requires me to dive deep and get lost personally. Even If the role is very different from our characters, we can understand what resilience, excellence, and working hard means because we are actresses and we have to work real hard for the job. So, we do understand that but sometimes we do have roles where it’s harder to let go.
Would you consider working with each other again?
Camille: (laughter all around)… PRODIGIES 2 maybe.
Franck: Yes, I don’t know but I wonder now. (Speaking from a directorial point of view) If I have to choose one of the two, I don’t know which one I would choose. My wife asked me at the end when she saw the film, "which one do you prefer?" (lots of laughter) The question was about the two characters, not the actresses which was interesting because I think many people do wonder which character they prefer. But if the question were about the actresses, I don’t know. Frankly, they are both very, very talented and it would be difficult to choose between them.
Do each of you have siblings? [if yes] Would you say that your relationships with your siblings helped with portraying siblings on screen?
Mélanie: I have a brother who I love so much but it’s different, didn’t really help for this film.
Camille: I have a half-sister, but we didn't like each other when we were young. It was only recently that we started to get along. We were quite the opposites, and family situation was not great. I guess it was hard to be friends at that time. So no, didn’t draw any references from our relationship.
Playing Camille in “Emily in Paris” and Claire in “Prodigies” is very different. Would you say that Claire is a more challenging character to play?
Camille: I think Claire is an interesting person. It was very hard to play Camille. You know comedy is a genre that is very hard to play because everything is like a question of rhythm and also because specifically in Emily in Paris, the acting style is so burlesque, exaggerated, always a little bit too much over the top. It was not an easy thing for me because I am French and we tend to be more subtle and more shy about showing emotions vs American culture where it’s more outspoken and loud. So for me, playing Camile is definitely harder than playing Claire.
Do you think roles like this, e.g. Camille will be your preference going forward?
Camille: I guess I want to do different things, that’s why I am an actress. I don’t want to be pigeon-holed, I don’t want to be put in a box, I don’t want have a label on my face. That’s why I do different projects. This past year, I’ve been playing Camille, then Claire and an investigator in a crime thriller series (Lost Station Girls). Every character is so different and very versatile – that’s what I am interested in. I don’t want to be stereotyped, I want to find more challenging roles.
Mélanie, your performance as Jeanne, the twin who was initially perceived as a shadow of Claire, and who eventually shines relatively brighter is excellent. Apart from drawing on real life references of the Pleynet Sisters on the portrayal of Jeanne, what other sources did you rely on for your portrayal to make the audience connect with Jeanne in the film? Did you use your personal emotions or past experiences?
Mélanie: Not really. The directors explained very precisely about the role and there were the piano and acting classes in Cours Florent. Also, Camille graduated a year before me and started acting already. I looked at her and thought, "wow, I will become an actress, going down the same path as her." I was so happy when I booked this role. My personal determination and looking to Camille as a role model helped.
Would you ever consider joining Camille in Italy along with Emily, if there is an opportunity?
Mélanie: Yes, but it is difficult for me because it is in English. So no, but you never know.
Franck, taking reference from “How To Make A Killing”, what inspires you most when directing a film – the plot or the energy of the actors?
Franck: The story first, and then the actors.
As a father yourself, do you feel that in Prodigies, your character as the father to twins should not force his ideals and his ambitions (to win) on his children without considering their needs?
Franck: I don’t agree, but I understand when you miss the opportunity in life, I will never do that. I understand that the children are a view (image) of yourself. You have to remember they are not you. I will want my children to succeed in what they want to do as I did and succeed better than what I succeed. Sometimes I am pushy with them because of that. I often think about the difficult moments I had... I don’t want them to go through the same thing so that makes me become pushy. I want them to succeed in their own interest because success mustn’t be the goal. In summary, you must love is what you do to be able to do your best.
Prodigies opens in cinemas 5 December.