We shot a charming scene today—Pierre, me and the dog—with Daniel Bruhl. I saw immediately what a wonderful and subtle actor he is. (He was the young Nazi in “Inglorious Bastards,” Tarantino’s film.)

He is 31 years old and has made more than 30 movies. He started as an adolescent. Pierre told me today that he has really loved every single scene he has filmed so far on this movie—which, he said, is unusual.

After shooting (I got off early) I took Tulea for a long walk. So long I had to carry her back cause it was hot.

In this scene my husband and I are interviewing Daniel Bruhl (he plays a German student of ethnology in Paris) as a possible dog walker because the impetuous dog keeps pulling on his leash and has caused my husband to fall. After much hemming and hawing and objecting to the fact that the young student is German (my husband’s father was shot by the Nazis in 1941) he agrees to try him out. Many of my longest and loveliest scenes are when Dirk—the character’s name is Dirk—and I walk in the park with the dog. The characters have a real affinity. He is the only one who knows that I am dying and he helps me prepare my grave.

Pierre, Daniel, and the dog--photo of Simone de Beauvoir behind!!

me, Pierre and the director Stephane

Kesso Andrau, my lovely assistant who helps with Tulea while I shoot

The three Germans on the set--

dig that tongue

Kesso and Tulea

poor Tulea, she attracts every dog

...and lovers

Lots of musicians along the Seine

houseboat restaurant on the Seine

i am totally transfixed by the structure of Notre Dame

I love that the underneath of the bridges are made of wood.

coal being transported on the Seine

A wedding on board a Bateau Mouche

There are more and more modern buildings in Paris.

The parks along the Seine have lots of statues. interesting ones.

Pierre Richard is one of the most famous and beloved actors in France, known particularly for his comedies. Today we shot our first scene together. He told me he didn’t sleep well last night because he was nervous. Isn’t that sweet? It was a bathroom scene with us brushing our teeth and I lie to him and tell him that my cancer is gone–cured!!

pierre richard getting his pajamas (costume) on

pierre richard sitting by the window which is his habit in the film

Pierre and director, Stephane

In real life, a nice woman doctor came to the apartment this morning (they still make house calls here!!!) And proscribed antibiotics, sprays etc cause I am pretty sick with this cold but not enough to not report to work!!

We’re shooting in an apartment within Paris where Pierre and I are supposed to live. We’ll be here all week. I can’t resist taking pictures of interesting roofs. Roofs are so different in different countries. You can tell the class of a particular neighborhood from the roofs. This one is “petit bourgeoisie”–lower middle class. I play a retired philosophy professor and so the 2 of us live on our pensions but it’s an apartment we bought years ago when we were earning more and costs were less.

Gotta say, catered food on the set–as is always the case in france–is divine, in my opinion. They brought me a plate of haricots verts (string beans, the French kind that are thin) and brussels sprouts that were amazing. I try to have dark green vegetables every day. I also discovered that one of the best butchers in Paris is right near my apartment on Île Saint-Louis and when the doctor left I bought some steak, cooked it and it was really fabulous. I also bought a stuffed tomato (pork and lamb) that I will cook tonight along with rice cause the doc said I should eat rice. Can you tell I am hungry? Don’t you talk and think about food when you’re hungry? Also, the nearby produce shop has the most delicious cantaloupe I have ever had in my life. I bought 4!!!

I am about to shoot the scene where Jeanne, my character, having just learned that her cancer has metastasized, tears up her prescriptions and decides she will no longer try to fight. No one knows this and, as I just said, she tells her husband she is cured. Jeanne has the same attitude I have towards death:   she doesn’t want it but if it comes, so be it. She will buy a pink coffin and ask her friends and family to drink champagne and toast as they bury her. Like me, she takes great pains to choose a beautiful, flower-filled place to be buried as opposed to a cemetery.

Enough! Time to film.

Tulea, as usual, on my lap while i am in makeup

me as Jeanne

the film dog taking a liking to Tulea--who can blame him?

persistant

really persistant

many more women on the set of films these days

See you next time

It went well although Sunday I was locked out of my apartment (locked my key inside) for 3 and a half hours and it was really cold and rainy and I caught a cold so feel crumby. Still do. My scene had no dialogue but was a more intense than I expected moment between Guy Bedos (Geraldine’s Husband and a life-long friend of my character) and me. It was so cold out there in the suburbs where we shot. I didn’t count on this when I packed. Wardrobe will loan me some heavy sweaters today.

Here are a few photos of the shoot. I forgot to take any of Guy and me. Today I film some good scenes with my husband, Pierre Richard, and I promise to do better in the photo department…but I do feel lousy. Went to bed at 8pm (took a pill) and just woke up and took Tulea out…it’s 6:30am. Usually I wake up closer to 9am and call Richard who is about to go to bed. I also call him before I go to bed when he is just waking up. (( hours difference.) Dig this: Calling on a French landline, calls to U.S. Are FREE!!!

Stephane Robelin, director, and Dominique Colin, cinematographer in back of car. They're filming me through the windows.

The house where me and my huband live

The crew

The dog--she plays a pivotal role. She is very gentle and gets along well with Tulea. Isn't she great looking?

See you next time.

Yesterday we all were filmed in a small studio on the other side of Paris. Waaaay on the other side! It was the first time meeting Claude Rich. All the others—Geraldine Chaplin, Pierre Richard who plays my husband, Guy Bedos who plays Geraldine’s husband, and he German actor, Daniel Bruhl—met many months ago when I passed through Paris on my way from Dusseldorf and we had a wonderful dinner together with the director and producers in Mont Martres.

The director decided the dance Claude and I do will not be the Tango—too formal and “prepared”–but, instead, just a dance that is easier to improvise. I’m a little sad because I was enjoying learning the tango steps. Oh well.

I was so enthralled with meeting everyone and being in front of the camera that I forgot to take any pictures for this blog. Dang! I think, I felt and everyone said, that we all looked great together…very familiar and at ease. Dominic, the hairstylist, cut my hair a little shorter which looks good for the character. I like the way he and the makeup artist, Fabienne (I got her name wrong on my last blog), are making me look. Not glamorous but right. I decided I will not go to the rushes. I don’t want to become self-conscious with how I look. I’ve got enough to worry about with the French dialogue.

Last night a friend from Atlanta, Mark Benerofe, called and asked me to dinner. Actually, he invited me to go to the French open Tennis tournament with him but I had to decline cause we were working but I wish I could have gone. My friend, Martina Navratilova was doing the commentary and I could have seen her.

Anyway, Mark and I and his friend, Perry Cantarutti (Senior VP of my favorite airline, Delta, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa) had dinner at Café Flore on Blvd St Germain on the left bank. I hadn’t been there for such a long time. I’m going to take Richard there for lunch when he comes mid June.

That’s Perry on the left and Mark on the right...Tulea in the middle.

I just finished rehearsing with Pierre Richard and our director, Stephane, here in my apartment and now I am going to look for a hotel near me for Troy and Simone who are coming June 8th for 3 days before we go to St Tropez for my daughter, Vanessa’s, wedding to Paul Van Winkle, whom I like a lot. I am very happy for them. The wedding will take place in the home of Catherine Schneider, whom Vadim (my first husband) married after me. She and I are good friends and I look forward to seeing Vadim’s family at the wedding—his sister, Helene, his niece and nephew and other children, including his son with Catherine, Vania Vadim. Tomorrow Catherine and I will go to Vania’s photo exhibition and have dinner after.

See you next time.

I have arrived in Paris to begin work on a French film called “…Et Si On Vivait Tous Ensemble?” (“And If We All Lived Together?”) Geraldine Chaplin (Charlie’s daughter) is the other woman and the men are all iconic French actors, beloved here. Guy Bedos, Claude Rich, Pierre Richard. I love how the French are loyal to their stars even when they are no longer young.  The young German actor, Daniel Brühl, who was in Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards” is also in it. He and I have some lovely scenes together. He plays a graduate student studying the lives of seniors in France and how the population relates to them.

It has been 50 years since I made a film in French. Fortunately I have remained fluent though on the days when I have several scenes with a lot of dialogue I will be tested, for sure.

I am staying in the beautiful, sunlit apartment of a dear friend, Eve Ensler, on an island in the middle of the scene. I took Tulea walking awhile ago and took these photos of Notre Dame Cathedral which is on an adjacent island.

See You Next Time.