‘I’m looking to retire’: Sophie Marceau on Jailbirds and Hollywood’s ageism and sexism
The French actress, in Hong Kong to promote her latest film, has harsh criticism for Hollywood and ponders retirement from cinema
Sophie Marceau dropped a bombshell when she sat down with SCMP.com. It could be because the French actress was under the weather (she complained of jet lag and lack of sleep during our chat, and subsequently cancelled a public conversation event with the Hong Kong actress Karena Lam the following night) – or it could be because she really meant it.
“I’m looking to retire,” says Marceau, 49, when she’s asked to describe the current phase of her career.
“Kind of, yeah,” she says. “I’ve done a lot, you know. I like my job, but today to be famous is a lot of pressure, a lot of manipulation, a lot of blah, blah, blah. And, of course ... ” She takes a brief pause, possibly remembering the many offers already on the table. “No, there are a lot of things, but I will be very selective. Very selective.”
When I remind Marceau – who is one of the most recognisable actresses to have come out of Europe in the past two decades – that she wouldn’t stop being famous just by quitting acting, she laughs. “So why should I keep going? You know, it’s done.”
Except it isn’t yet. Marceau was in Hong Kong last week to attend the gala premiere of her new film Jailbirds, directed by Audrey Estrougo and presented here as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Playing a woman who’s imprisoned for helping her criminal activist boyfriend escape the clutches of the law, the actress spends the entirety of the movie navigating her way around the prison system.