French talent import is a big business in Hollywood and more often than not, it’s a win-win trade. Hollywood gets exotic Europeans with sexy accents while French cinema gets global recognition. With this, we list the best of French modern cinema imports, those of who have made lasting impressions in Hollywood playing roles of all types.
Marion Cotillard
Being the most obvious pick in this list, Cottilard is appearing in most of everything nowadays and just like the rest of the world, we notice how Nolan is hooked. A passing house name in France in her early days, her breakthrough was French-Belgian romance flick ‘Love Me If You Dare’ with Guillaume Canet (whom she had had a child with and should also be in this list) followed by the Oscar-nominated ‘A Very Long Engagement’. Fast forward to an Academy Award for her chilling performance in ‘La Vie En Rose’, she’s now a steady favourite in Hollywood.
Mathieu Amalric
Man, can Amalric play the life out of a mute vegetable. Exactly that he did in the wildly successful ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’. The film captures the true tale of ex-Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffered a sudden stroke resulting in a paralysed body. Amalric’s range of emotion may have been limited but the state of cripple the audience is left with is blazing. Soon after the success of this film, he starred in a James Bond flick (truly the epitome of any Hollywood crossover), ‘Quantum of Solace’ and in 2005, landed a supporting role in Spielberg’s ‘Munich’.
Juliette Binoche
Binoche is one of the more versatile French imports in Hollywood and can switch from pre-war dramas to modern slapstick in an effortless whoosh. Although most notably recognised for her work in ‘The English Patient’, her breakthrough came in the form of a big-dreaming waitress in the critically-acclaimed ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’. In this day and age, it seems nostalgic to look back at her works in ‘Chocolat’, ‘Wuthering Heights’ and the more erotic ‘Damage’. She’s rumoured to star opposite Jean Dudarjin (see below) soon and boy, will we be jumping all over that.
Jean Dujardin
Declared the George Clooney of France, his starring role in ‘The Artist’ earned him a Best Actor nomination and overnight Hollywood attention. Having started out doing solo cabaret shows in France (he has the courage of a lion, we say), he soon moved on to a local TV series there and landed minor roles in films. His breakthrough role as a spy agent in ‘OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies’ got directors whispering and one silent film later, he is the centre of much gushing among many American housewives. On a side note, check out Dujardin’s hilarious parody of Hollywood villains. This video itself is worthy of a thousand Oscars.
Vincent Cassel
There’s not a film lover who doesn’t like/want to emulate this man. Cassel started out in French productions and although his path to Hollywood wasn’t as quick as Dujardin’s, he eventually landed in LA as a valuable talent. You might know him as a charming villain in the Ocean’s series or a dance instructor in ‘Black Swan’, but it was his roles in ‘The Apartment’ and ‘Irréversible’ which put him on the map. Although neither are English-language films, both collected praise among Western critics.
Charlotte Gainsbourg
The French actress and singer made her feature film debut by playing Catherine Deneuve’s daughter in a 1984 production ‘Paroles et musique’ (don't look at us, neither of us have watched this). Her French streak continued a while longer before playing the title role in ‘Jane Eyre’, Michel Gondry’s ‘The Science of Sleep’ and eventually landing herself in two equally disturbing Lars von Trier productions, ‘Antichrist’ and ‘Melancholia’. Not too shabby, eh?
Jean Dujardin is up for a 'Best Actor' award at the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Check out our event listing for broadcast details.
