Lea Seydoux, the French actress taking the world by storm
THE FRENCH actress is being tipped for a major role in the upcoming superhero flick “Gambit,” alongside Channing Tatum. If it works out, the beautiful blonde will appear in her ninth non-French feature and confirm her status as an international star.
Léa Seydoux is set to meet with executives at 200th Century Fox next week as they eye her for the role of Belladonna Boudreaux, the titular character’s wife in “Gambit.” But the Frenchwoman is not alone on the shortlist. According to Deadline, there are two other actresses vying for the role of Channing Tatum’s on-screen wife.
Rebecca Ferguson, the 31-yearold Swedish actress who stars opposite Tom Cruise in the latest installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, will also audition for the role, as will former Australian model Abbey Lee. Despite having few acting credits to her name, the latter has nonetheless made a name for herself with her turns in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the upcoming “Gods of Egypt” directed by Alex Proyas, and “The Neon Demon” directed by Nicolas WindingRefn.
Tarantino, Woody Allen and Ridley Scott already in Léa Seydoux’s bag
The French actress has no need to envy her competition. At the tender age of 30, she has already starred for some of the greatest American directors. In fact, it was Quentin Tarantino who opened the doors of Hollywood to her by giving her a role, albeit minor, in “Inglourious Basterds.” The very next year, her talents landed her successive roles for Ridley Scott in “Robin Hood” and Woody Allen in his ode to the City of Light, “Midnight in Paris.” In 2011, the French actress played the assassin Sabine Moreau in “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,” the fourth installment in the Tom Cruise-driven saga.
After the top honour at the Cannes Film Festival was awarded to her film “Blue Is the Warmest Colour” in 2013, Léa Seydoux picked up the pace. She played a part in Wes Andersen’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and has since landed the honour of being one of the new Bond Girls, Madeleine Swann, in “Spectre,” coming to theatres on Nov 6. Before that film hits the screen, she will appear in “The Lobster,” a film by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos that competed for honours at this year’s festival in Cannes.
2016 promises to be another banner year for Seydoux, as she will be starring with some of France’s best known actors, including Vincent Cassel (“Black Swan”) and Marion Cotillard (“The Dark Night Rises” and “La Vie en Rose”), in “It’s Only the End of the World,” directed by Xavier Dolan (“Mommy”). — AFP