Charlotte Gainsbourg Talks Showing Off Her Comedic Chops—and Swearing with Abandon—on ‘Étoile’

“People here see me only as a dramatic actress, but I was always looking for comedies as much as I could,” explains Gainsbourg, who is best known stateside for her work in provocative Lars von Trier films like Melancholia and Nymphomaniac. “I enjoyed doing comedy in France. I’m not always serious. I like to have fun and laugh!”

It’s no wonder, then, that Gainsbourg took such great pleasure in the chance to play a bold, over-the-top character like Geneviève. “I love the way I was able to hide the depressed side of my character with her high heels, and then a little more authentic when my character is by herself,” Gainsbourg says. “This duality was fun to play because it’s going to those extremes.”

She also had a blast dropping F-bombs and reciting zingers from Étoile’s whimsical, fast-paced script. “The way Amy and Dan write is so funny, and once I discovered that it had to do with the pace and the rhythm, and understanding the words they choose, I understood what I had to aim for—and to swear as much as I can, it was so fun!”