Léa Seydoux tal ks nerves and fame in ta king on Madeleine Swan

Were you worried about becoming a Bond girl? Yes, I was quite afraid, I have to say. Because for me, a Bond girl, in my mind, is seductive… she’s a woman, she’s sure of herself; it’s something I’ve never played before in a film. [ But] when I saw some footage of the film, I didn’t recognise myself. I was going, “Ah. I’m a woman. I look like a woman.”

How did your screen test go? It was terrible! I was nervous. I thought, “Oh, I’m going to have a little beer to relax myself.” And it was terrible. I lost my lines and I had a panic attack and I was like, “I’m so sorry, I forgot my lines.”

Were you nervous before going on set? Even acting with Daniel, I was like, “He looks like a man. And me, I feel like a little girl. [ laughs] How it’s going to look? I hope the chemistry will work.” But no, it was great. It’s a new experience. For me, it’s my biggest part in an English film. And it’s James Bond – I mean, it’s so famous. What was it like meeting Daniel Craig for the first time? I was shy. He was really nice – I was shy at the readings. But then, we had time to rehearse and train for it with the stunt guy. Then I was prepared and I was very excited. Is Madeleine Swann a Bond woman rather than a Bond girl? She’s a strong woman. Monica [ Bellucci] said something really interesting, that [ her

character] was a Bond girl from the past because she’s, like, dependent. And then me, it’s true, I’m more the girl of modern times. I’m as strong as Bond. You won the Palme d’Or – did that change your life as an actress? It was a huge thing. A Palme d’Or is amazing and it was great, but it’s not like because you have a Palme d’Or everything is acquis. I don’t know how you say “acquis”?

It’s done.

Yeah. Never take things for granted. JC