11 · 09 · 12

Geraldine Chaplin talks with the public at FICM

Geraldine Chaplin presented her most recent film, Et si on vivait tous sembles? /And If We All Lived Together? (2012), at the Morelia International Film Festival. Chaplin said that the film is "a revolution of old people against their children." She added, "I talked a lot with Jane Fonda; she is the daughter of another great actor. We identified with each other, except that she lived to please her father, and I was freer."

In relation to her participation in the films by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, she said, "One day a very courageous director, Juan Antonio Bayona, came to my house and offered me a part as a psychic in his first film, El orfanato / The Orphanage (2007). I was skeptical, but when I read the beautiful script I didn't hesitate in accepting the part. They say it was successful because I gave him luck. Now he has offered me a part in his new film Lo imposible (2012). He didn't know what part I would have, but he was sure he wanted me in it."

When asked about her new projects in Mexico, she said, "I think the best cinema that exists today is in Latin America; it is the type of cinema that I want to be involved in. Have you seen the latest Colombian films? They're wonderful! That's what I'm looking to do now, work with young people who are creative and innovative."

The actress shared her way of selecting her projects today. "Before I used to pay a lot of attention to the director before selecting a project," she said. "Now I look at the script and study it. After that, I look at the relationship that exists between the director and the script and that's the way I choose my films."

 Jean Christophe Berjon mentioned the films the actress had participated in throughout her career: Doctor Zhivago (1965), Peppermint Frappé (1967), La madriguera / Honeycomb (1969), Ana y los lobos / Ana and the Wolves (1973), The Three Musketeers (1973), among others. "Your greatest merit was that you created your own very characteristic identity, without depending on your last name," Berjon told the actress.

Geraldine Chaplin was able to work under her father's direction in A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). "I have to thank my father for having given me that marvelous scene when I danced together with Marlon Brando," she said. "I'll never forget it."

Referring to her relationship with her father, she said that she had a very rich childhood and has superlative memories about being in his company. About the decline of his cinematographic star, the actress said, "The bad critics of A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) killed him. It was something that depressed him a great deal. The media was very critical of this film; my father loved it. That's it."

The actress, always radiant, thanked the support of the 16° Tour of French Cinema for bringing to Latin America a part of this wonderful cinema and invited the people to see Et si on vivait tous sembles?