Q&A: Julie Delpy

Julie Delpy, 43, was raised in Paris, the daughter of avant-garde theatre actors. When she was 14, Jean-Luc Godard cast her in his movie Detective. In 1994, she starred in White, the second of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy. She wrote, directed and starred in 2 Days In Paris in 2007 and 2 Days In New York in 2012. She is best known for playing Céline in the Before series of movies, which she co-writes with Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater. The latest, Before Midnight, is released on 21 June. She lives in Paris and Los Angeles.

When were you happiest?
When I am working on something I really like, or when I am alone with my son playing in the garden.

What is your earliest memory?
A dead fox that escaped the Louis Pasteur research centre for rabies study. I used to live next to the centre as a kid.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
When I had a stomach bug at Tiffany's. There was a special jewellery sale at Tiffany. There was no loo and I had the stomach bug, so I had a bit of a problem. And I didn't buy anything.

Where would you like to live?
Not in one place, that's for sure.

What is your most unappealing habit?
There are many. Flossing in the car, I guess, is not very appealing.

What is your favourite smell?
The head of my son, Leo.

What is your favourite word?
"Ephemeral".

What is the worst thing anyone's said to you?
"You fucking piece of shit cunt." I can't say who said it.

Cat or dog?
Neither. I prefer goldfish.

What makes you unhappy?
Health problems for me, or anyone around me.

What do you owe your parents?
Everything.

To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
To my mother, because I couldn't help her. She died from cancer a few years ago.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"Shit", "Fuck"… I can't help myself. I am a person who swears a lot and I have to really watch it with my son.

What is the worst job you've done?
When I was blackjack dealer in a casino.

What has been your biggest disappointment?
I wish I'd never smoked.

When did you last cry, and why?
I cried a few days ago because I couldn't face moving my stuff out of my house because of termites. I cried out of exhaustion from trying to make it so they wouldn't get termite gas on everything, especially my kid's stuff. I cried at the end of the day.

What is the closest you've come to death?
I had an allergic reaction 12 years ago and went into a coma.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
An assistant.

What song would you like played at your funeral?
Just In Time, by Nina Simone.

How would you like to be remembered?
I don't care.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To never give up.

Where would you most like to be right now?
Right now, I am happy where I am.

My Body, My Enemy, by Claire Beeken with Rosanna Greenstreet, is available as an ebook from amazon.co.uk.

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