Helene De Fougerolles

Twenty five year old Hélène was in "Le péril jeune", "Chacun cherche son chat" (both from Cédric Klapisch), "Que la lumière soit !" (from Arthur Joffé). She is not so well known in France as Guillaume and Virginie but the director, Danny Boyle, was so impressed with her during a casting call that he decided to write her a part that was not planned at first.

Nationality: French

Character: (beach community member)

Filmography:

This was taken from a French TV show in early May '99 in which Helene de Fougerolles was repromoting a French film 'Que la Lumiere soit' and inevitably talk turned to 'The Beach'. Translation by Steve and first posted on Beach Watch.

Philippe Dana: And we couldn't miss this opportunity of having you here without mentioning a more recent venture; You were one of the 3 French actors along with Guillaume Canet and Virginie Ledoyen to find themselves in Thailand during the last few weeks on the set of Danny Boyle's film 'The Beach' which features an actor who is fairly prominent at the moment, Leonardo Dicaprio... So now that you're back (in France) can you tell us what it was like?

Helene De Fougerolles: It went very well... I have to go back next Saturday (exact date of the interview and transmission of programme are unknown) Well, it was fantastic to be on a set like that, a huge American thing...(refering to the studio rather than nationality of the director?)

P.D. Especially an incredible adventure for you.

H.DF. Well, I really didn't have a lot to do there; I had come for some screen tests, like half of Paris, and I didn't have a role in the film but in fact I hit it off with Danny, we spoke for 1/2 an hour and since I didn't have much to do because he was looking for a part for Virginie...and then he found me something as he wanted me working on this film...so there I was for 3 months in all!

P.D. And so in this role, not the man who saw the man who saw the man (a literal translation, not sure what he actually means) but the actress who saw the actor: Leonardo Dicaprio...?!!

H.DF. Well, er... he's very nice, normal! He's a young guy of 24 who is... I think his life can't always be easy because it's true that you can't just talk to him and look at him like someone... you immediatly feel a little...I don't know, there is...people don't necessarily feel at ease with him, which is normal...But I think he is a nice guy!

The following is an article in THE FIGARO (Monday, April 27th). It was translated and sent to us by Isabelle D. It is about Helene de Fougerolles, who plays one of the community members on the beach.

Helene de Fougerolles touched by grace.

Joffe had given Helene her most important role and she now goes her own way: She has just completed shooting THE BEACH with Leonardo DiCaprio. Pretty Helene de Fougerolles is lively, merry and enthusiastic. She always has a smile on her lips and hearty laugh in her throat. It is because of her eagerness and of her grace that Arthur Joffe had chosen her to play a modern Jeanne d'Arc in "Que la lumiere soit!" (Let the light be!"). This intrepid Jeanne who sped along on her steel horse got a holy mission: she was designated by God to shoot a scenario written by him! Helene de Fougerolles still defends this very pure character with the same keeness. And also, it allowed her to get a "most promising actress " Cesar and to make castings on another level, i.e.to get main roles on the silver screen. Main roles that, for most of all, she refused. "I was not interested in playing vulgar characters or to get myself bare-assed for one and half hours!" On the other hand, she said yes to Danny Boyle and to his movie "The Beach", with Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet. She has just returned from this four months shoot, she is luminous and tanned. "I signed something that says I cannot disclose anything about the film", she tells regretfull in confidence. And Leonardo? "Hallucinating! Looking at him when he is playing a scene is like attending two years theater studies!" Twenty six years old Helene doesn't forget the time before "Que la lumiere soit!". The distance she has covered has been "hard, very long, missed castings, small roles on TV and on silver screen." Slowly, but surely, the actress made headway. A secondary character in "Le mari de Leon" (Leon's husband") by Jean-Pierre Mocky who is, according to her "nice but completely nuts".One appearance in "Jeanne la Pucelle" by Jacques Rivette", too much intellectual as a director" in her opinion. A simple silhouette in "Chacun cherche son chat" ("Everybody 's looking for one's cat") and a small appearance in "Le Peril Jeune" ("The Youth Danger") by Cedric Klapisch. "I was needing a director to give me a chance, to take a risk, this was Arthur Joff. In the movie buiseness people now can rely on me. I feel like living plenty of different movie lives. And I am paid for that! This always astonishes me, because when I was a child, I was believing that one had to give a lot of money to be allowed to play in a movie!".

Hélène de Fougerolles said in ELLE (3 May 99):
"For a whole year, I've been offered in the buff silly roles." Then Danny Boyle came with The Beach. "I said to myself: if I have to show myself half-naked, the better it is to do it in front of Leonardo DiCaprio.... He is a normal 24 year old guy, very nice, who enjoys playing with his pals and who also takes upon his phenomenal fame in the best way."

Photo Album

Helene in the movie "que la lumire soit!" Scanned from Studio #128 (November 1997) and sent to us by Benedicte.

Helene in Elle magazine

Helene and Guillaume at the airport in Paris before flying to Thailand. Scanned from Studio 143 (March 1999) by Benedicte.

Thanks to Isabelle D. and Benedicte for help in compiling this page.

Click here for a "Cast" navigation frame to the left.

[ Back to the Beach | Cast | Crew ]