Irma Vep , which just debuted at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, will begin airing on HBO Max on Monday, June 6.
First, Alicia Vikander wants everyone to be aware that she is not the protagonist of Irmavep . This HBO miniseries remade/remixed Olivier Assayas 1996 film. In which Maggie Cheung played the role of 'Maggie Cheung'. Vikander plays Mina Harberg instead, who is a fictional movie star living in the exact same situation. She's been hired to remake the silent film serial Les Vampires. However, she gets caught up in offscreen drama involving her hectic personal life. Although the Academy Award-winning actress hasn't gotten into a fight with her assistant as her screen counterpart, none of it is literal. The eight episodes are a hilarious mirror of contemporary showbiz in which the stentorian of the press and details of the rigors of filmmaking (like this one at Cannes Film Festival) interact with the filmmaking burlesque of a crack addict thespian, who is a director at his wits' end with unexpected seducers around every corner.
Although the series may be a bit fake, Vikander is 100% real. Vikander is mostly done with Hollywood BS. She lives a happy life together (Michael Fassbender), and enjoys every gig that her career has taken her to. This wide range includes Oscar-lavished glamour like The Danish Girl and big-budget popcorn adventures in the vein of Tomb Raider. Mina's vanity, capriciousness and inexplicableness were great to watch. This is especially true considering how disconnected they are from Vikander. Candid and introspective, she's an excellent fit for Assayas, a hyperverbal auteur with a yen for meta-dissections that continuously prod at their own insights — the same thing she did over the course of our chat at the ludicrously luxurious Majestic Hotel, a stone's throw from the pristine Croisette beaches. This secluded area of glamour was the ideal setting for us to have a conversation about her job and the challenges she faces.
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It seems that one of the most difficult parts of acting is being able to advocate for yourself.
[Laughs.] The job is more important than the title of the work you do. We discuss this briefly in the series. Indie work is for people who want to make a difference, but don't have the money. This is your solution. You know what you can expect from each project in terms of scale. It is clear what movie you are making. It doesn't matter if you make a movie worth $150 million or $5 million. You can't expect the opposite. Both are my favorite. If you are part of a team and go on-location doing something guerrilla style, you will often find yourself in the place where you think, "Wow! We really did some great shit here and it was all for nothing." It's a great feeling.
The flipside of this is that you may feel further away when working on something larger, particularly something effects-driven. It's there, you see it.'
It was great doing Tomb Raider . It is true that I am capable of running from one place to the next in two weeks. This can sometimes be confusing. Productions can be very different. Some are focused on action, while others have intense conversations in a room. This is how Olivier operates, and it's an absolute treat for actors. It's a lot of fun making this stuff! It's fun to go to work.
How did that sequence of running across rooftops work? Do you require any training? Parkour is something I have never done.
It was a rehearsal more than training that we did up on the roofs. I was relieved to get to do a little physical stuntwork in the middle of an Assayas movie! To be sure, I had my wired-up. It was because I was wearing heels that it was the most challenging to navigate.
This is the most difficult part of the catsuit. You can see the breathing space is restricted.
It's not true! It can breathe. They say it's stretchy.
It seems that the dynamic between actor and director is delicate and involves a lot trust as well as risks. In the past, have you ever found yourself in conflict with a director, like the antagonism on the set of the show-within-the-show? How do you get out of a conflict with a director?
Remember that we are all people. Overall, things have been going well for me. Olivier is a wonderful man. I have known him for six to seven years. Although we had a project in the works, Olivier kept my name in his thoughts. We became friends more recently when we were in Paris. All of it felt natural. It's all very natural. I don't recall any bad experiences on the set. You're working together, and you both have the goal of the same thing. So you can only figure out how to make this work. These people have been great friends and I am grateful for that.
How much research were you able to do in preparation for this role? Did you attempt to separate your performance from Maggie Cheung? Or is Mina a part of Maggie Cheung in the film that you were watching?
Maggie Cheung was Maggie Cheung herself. This makes things very different. My role is that of an actress who has become someone else. She's now remaking Rene's movie with an Asian actress many years ago, much like Olivier. He made an interesting point. Today, he asked me to join the show. I said yes immediately, and he was like "Great!" It's now that I have to make it. It was not about me being played.
Most viewers of the West didn't know Maggie Cheung when she was cast in the role. This is something we need to be ashamed about. People watching her didn't know who Maggie Cheung was. She was an Asian actress, much like Mina being an actress. This version with Alicia Vikander as Irma, Vep, would include all of the filmography and details about my life, which could be confusing for some people.
Which was the most difficult problem? The text is quite dense, and it could have been difficult to comprehend everything.
This is brilliant writing. It's rare to get that kind of writing in your life. This is like performing theater. Every sentence could have many meanings. It can be broken down line-by-line, just like Shakespeare. That's Olivier. It's great that HBO has picked up this French author who literally told me "I don't like plot." They're all great at that! Studio owners are often afraid of the fact that audiences may not understand what is happening. There is a point somewhere that audiences don't think they are stupid. If you really want to do something they will meet you right where you are. Olivier's Irma Voriginal scene has a simple dialogue that lasts twelve minutes. As an actor you might be thinking, "How can we do this?" It will bore people! He has an interesting way of filming that involves constant movement. It's not a choreography, but it is a technical way to keep the flow going. It's something I love, perhaps because it is my background as a dancer.
The challenge was that I felt like I had to play five characters. Mina is a mix of people and roles, but the challenge goes much deeper. In the final episodes you'll find that she goes deeper into yet another layer. It was difficult to keep it all in order, but the fun part was having to play with so many characters.
What is the practical difference in creating characters for a series and a movie? Is it just a matter of learning as you go with eight episodes?
But it also happens when I am filming. It's easy to sit down at home and do all the prep work. Then you start thinking about your script. Once you get on the set and are wearing your costume around others, everything starts to click. This is not a unique way of thinking. All the planning and fiddling around at home can only make you ready for the moment when the magic happens and all the pieces click together. Television is different because you can view each episode individually. However, in our case, it was difficult as we had to shoot them out of order. In a week, we would work on 8 and 1 episodes. The evolution of my character over time is quite mind-boggling. This is what I love. Mira isn't sure who she really is beyond her job and social circles.
It is difficult for her to be in public view. It's hard for her to think about the places she will be seen and who and when. Do you find that stressful?
Non, really. My life is very different. My life is very different. I reside in Lisbon in Portugal in a tiny town, then live the remainder of my days in France in small towns. This was not a difficult decision, but it just happened naturally. It helps me that I don't use social media. It is up to you whether or not you are willing to share your personal information with the world.
This series is so current, it feels like it addresses the present moment. Did you notice any changes in the industry as recent as ten year ago?
Oh, yeah. To start, ten year ago I was a foreign actress. It wasn't the same as now where everybody watches Korean television online. No offense intended, Americans wouldn't go far if they could watch British television. Another big shift is in the role of women. Audrey's scene on the roof is my favorite. It's more than women being strong. These characters can be a strong connection, even though they have many sides.
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