French actress Lea Seydoux once admitted that shooting explicit lesbian love scenes in the 2013 film Blue Is the Warmest Colour made her question her s*xuality
James Bond star Lea Seydoux once admitted that shooting explicit lesbian love scenes caused her to question her own s*xuality
The French actress, who turns 39 today (July 1), is possibly better known to audiences for playing Dr Madeleine Swann alongside Daniel Craig in two Bond movies. She also made appearances in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
But, outside of Hollywood, her breakthrough role came with the controversial and acclaimed 2013 French film, Blue Is the Warmest Colour. The film follows the relationship between painter Emma (Seydoux), and Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), which follows Adèle’s high school years to her early adult life.
At Cannes, the film shocked some critics with its long and graphic s*x scenes, and was described as having “the most explosively graphic lesbian s*x scenes in recent memory”, by Variety magazine.
For her part in the movie, Seydoux received the Lumières Award for best actress, as well as the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival along with her co-star.
And, following the film’s release she admitted to having certain feelings while playing the role.
In a 2014 interview with the Evening Standard, the Bafta Rising Star Award nominee was asked whether the intense scenes with co-star made her question her s*xuality.
“Of course I did,” she told the publication.
“Me as a person, as a human being. It’s not nothing, making those scenes. Of course I question myself, but I did not have any revelations.”
Despite rave reviews, the movie courted controversy when the stars hit out at director Abdellatif Kechiche, saying that he made them feel like pr@stitutes during a 10-day s*x scene shoot.
“I feel independent, maybe that’s why I spoke,” Seydoux said of the incident. “You know, I’m still very happy with the film. It was hard to film it and maybe people think I was complaining and being spoilt, but that’s not it. I just said it was hard.
“I like to be tested. Life is much harder. He’s a very honest director and I love his cinema. The way he treats us? So what.”