Martyrs to the creative cause
Michael Edwards meets the stars of French horror film Martyrs, Morjana Alaoui and Mylène Jampanoï
Michael Edwards: It was a very dark film that you're in...
Mylène Jampanoï: Did you like it?
ME: Yeah. I mean it's not an enjoyable film, but it was dark and very uncomfortable. But I wondered how uncomfortable it was for you both to make?
MJ: As with you, some parts were amazing to do and some parts I hated being on the set. I was crying, tired, complaining and fighting with the director, it was a nightmare.
Morjana Alaoui: I'd say there were some agreeable parts, some cool parts, like the physical aspects, the stunts, the make-up was interesting but other times we had to keep up the most intense emotions all day - crying and screaming and that was quite hard.
ME: Are you still friends with Pascal?
MA: Are we still friends with..? Uh, yeah we're still friends with him.
MJ: Not me. I mean not so much. We fight a lot and we are not so much friends. I respect him as a director and I think he's really good but we had too much conflict.
ME: Morjana, you said the make-up was interesting. How did they achieve the look of some of those later scenes?
MA: Well actually it was a body suit for the most part. Then for the hands, the face and the feet it was painted, it was traditional make-up. It was horrible actually, I felt like I was going to die in the end.
ME: Speaking of the end, what did you think of the conclusion to MARTYRS? And what were you thinking in that final scene?
MA: People ask me this question a lot because they think I'll have something interesting to say, but in fact it was just so uncomfortable and the key thing was to not blink for I don't know how long, so the key thing was just thinking about not blinking and trying to act as relaxed as possible.
ME: So you weren't thinking about A Clockwork Orange, the scene where Alex's eyes are held open?
MA: No, but I should've. That's my favourite movie.
ME: While we're there, any films that particularly affect you Mylène?
MJ: For me, L'Incompris [Incompreso], it's a 1970s Italian movie, I like Kubrick, The Shining, and No Country For Old Men, Festen, the Dardenne brothers, and Monster. I like so many.
MA: [At Mylène] Pas films d'amour?
MJ: I hate love stories.
MA: You hate love stories? I love them.
ME: Mylène, you're in a love story next aren't you? I mean sort of...
MJ: Yes, but Serge Gainsbourg he's the king. He fell in love of course, but I play a junkie, a drug addict. We fell in love but we also hate each other in the movie so it's OK. We love each other because we're in lust, so it's a nice kind of way to fall in love.
ME: So you're a big Gainsbourg fan then?
MJ: Yes. I feel proud to be in this movie. It sucks I came to late to meet Gainsbourg, as Bambou I can fall in love with this kind of man. He is amazing, talent, brilliant.
ME: Morjana, you're in a thriller next aren't you?
MA: Yes, it's a pretty dark psychological thriller where I play a prostite. It's finished now and it was great, the director Michael Dreher is amazing, he had a short nominated for the Oscars actually.
ME: What's next then? Are you looking to get out of thrillers?
MA: Yeah totally, I want to something cool, interesting and smart.
ME: Are you staying in French speaking cinema?
MA: No not at all, I'm Moroccan, I live in Paris and I speak English so the more diversity the better for me.
ME: Are you in same situation Mylène?
MJ: Hmm? No. I've never been in LA, I don't care frankly. I think this cinema is not mine, Hollywood is so glossy. It's for Ken and Barbie, not me.
ME: So what attracts you to a production then?
MA: I need a movie that's real, sincere, and well-written. Not something that's just trying to make money. Unless it's well-written, real and interesting!
ME: What drew you to Martyrs?
MJ: The script was so different. You can't really see a script like this in France because your agent will just refuse. It's not popular in France and this script is so violent and different. And Lucie is a strong character for me as an actress, usually actresses play lovers, gilted lovers, always the same characters.
MA: Same here. I really wanted something challenging and controversial. This was the perfect script for this. I was also very touched by the love story between the characters.