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SUMPTUOUS
SEYDOUX The Gallic gallantry of Lea Seydoux and a career that continues to evolve
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n a world where celebrity has become a little too much ‘look at me’ – an inelegant and brash clamouring for attention, devoured by the Instagram-obsessed who crave relentless ‘content’ – the French darling of cinema, born Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne, is a touch of class. By Chris Ritchie
As an actress, she has moved gracefully across the spectrum of film and fashion. As a modern icon, she’s enigmatic but approachable: true movie star appeal but without the usual celeb bluster. She’s down-to-earth, despite flying almost impossibly high, professionally. For her whirlwind double-header in Spectre and No Time to Die, Seydoux played a crucial part in the reinvention of ‘Bond girls’, bringing a deeper characterisation and genuine melodrama to the franchise – a lover, a mother, and a fighter. She captures and encapsulates Dr Madeleine Swann with emotional touchpoints alien to previous iterations, mixing vulnerability with a voracious, instinctive spirit for survival. The character is a sign of the times, the actress absolutely key in delivering her essence authentically.
24
You don’t get much more blockbuster than Bond, and although her best work is arguably found elsewhere, Seydoux understands its power. “I think that for anyone to be involved in such a colossal franchise, such is Bond, it can never really be seen as a negative,” she says. “Yes, it’s true that it will be something that will always be attributed to me, as that person who is defined in many ways as starring as a Bond girl in two of the series of films, but what’s is the problem with that? In this industry, identifiers are important, providing the don’t define you in totally, and I will make sure that Madeleine Swann doesn’t!” The positive approach from Seydoux mirrors the tenacity with which she has always driven forward her acting aspirations. Not only is she cemented in her approach, she is always fiery and proud of her achievements, but never arrogant.
