EXCLUDED – Mélanie Laurent tells us behind the scenes of Black Widow, which she almost made

“I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend three years of my life doing a Marvel movie. (…) On the other hand, I’m convinced that it was useful for Thieves.”

Melanie Laurent is on the cover of First from November 2023 (n°545, currently on newsstands) surrounded by her actresses Thieves : Isabelle Adjani, Manon Bresch And Adèle Exarchopoulous.

On the occasion of the arrival of this heist film on Netflix, this Wednesday, November 1, we are sharing below a new extract from this interview with the quartet of actresses, very strong on screen, but also in interview. As well as a behind-the-scenes video of their shoot for First :

Mélanie Laurent: “Basically, Voleuses is a new version of Le Bal des Folles”

The actressInglourious Basterds and director of Fools’ Ball is known for her outspokenness, and for her taste for eclectic projects: she alternates without problem between intimate dramas (Breathe, Galveston…), filmed in French or English, comedies (Dikkenek), and Hollywood blockbusters (Elusive, Six Underground...). However, her colleagues were surprised to learn that she should have made a Marvel film for Kevin Feige and Scarlett Johansson: Black Widow. In 2018, we learned that after a long casting process, the producer and the main star of the saga had chosen Cate Shortland (Australian filmmaker known for the drama Lore released in 2013), who was in the final for this position against Mélanie Laurent.

Here are the details.

You were talking about Los Angeles. Melanie, when you auditioned to direct a Marvel movie…

Adèle Exarchopolos: What ?! Wait, did you audition for a Marvel movie? I do not believe it ! Which ?

Melanie Laurent : Black Widow. There are things about me that you still don’t know…

… Did you have the feeling of being welcomed differently because you were a woman?
LM: It’s special since they were looking for a female director. American studios are amazing. There were 300 of us on the starting line because they wanted to see everyone. Including a director who had just made a short film and who they were told had an interesting eye! That doesn’t scare them: they are capable of giving 250 million to a filmmaker because they know that their big teams will manage all the machinery. What matters is the shot/reverse shot between two actors. This little moment that makes some Spiderman are more moving than others. They had seen my second feature, Breathe, who made three entries in France and one there (Laughs.), and they spoke to me about it with astonishing enthusiasm. They had no doubt that the girl who made Breathe could achieve Black Widow.

AE: And how did it end?

LM: There were two finalists and Cate Shortland was chosen!

MB: Oh yeah anyway !

LM: But frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend three years of my life making a Marvel movie. What excited me was going through the casting process. I learned a ton during this process.

In retrospect, you would have liked to realize Black Widow ?
LM: I do not believe. On the other hand, I am convinced that these seven months spent editing action films, presenting Black Widow with French references without makeup, served me for Voleuses. Just like filming for five months with Michael Bay who had fun with four helicopters and 700 cameras on Six Underground !

Isabelle Adjani: Ah that’s it, I understood everything! I wondered where this genius came from. You observe and you copy. Like all the grown-ups! (Laughs.)

The rest of this four-way interview can be found in the newsstands. Good reading !

Here is the synopsis and trailer for Thieves :

Carole and Alex are two genius thieves, and best friends since forever. Under Godmother’s control for years, they dream of being free. With the help of Sam, a motorcycle champion, they embark on a final adventure to free themselves from this life on the run.

Le Bal des Folles: Mélanie Laurent films the women’s choir (review)