In 1989, she had made her first film in Saint-Étienne.
She had never done cinema. In 1989, two years after the release of the hit “Joe le taxi” which transformed the young singer into a true social phenomenon, Vanessa Paradis was in Saint-Étienne, in front of Jean-Claude Brisseau’s cameras (1), for the filming of her first movie, “Noce blanche”, alongside Bruno Cremer. An experience that was complicated, especially due to the director’s “authoritarian” behavior.
Is singing in Saint-Étienne a special moment for her today? “No, it’s not special because, honestly, the filming of this movie was very difficult and it would be a shame to link it to the public of Saint-Étienne because they are not to blame,” explains Vanessa Paradis. “I do not make any connection between the two. It is much more joyful to come back here in music today and for the past few decades. During filming, I was young (Editor’s note: she was 16) and quite isolated. I filmed with many people my age since it was the story of a high school student (Editor’s note: the film takes place partially at the Portail-Rouge high school). Many extras were young people from Saint-Étienne. I still had some nice evenings with super people. I still have some good memories of this filming.”
“Noce blanche” totalled 1.8 million admissions and allowed Vanessa Paradis to win the César for Best Female Newcomer in 1990.
(1) Long before the #MeToo movement, Jean-Claude Brisseau (deceased in 2019) was convicted in 2005 for sexual harassment of two young actresses and the following year, on appeal, for sexual assault of a third actress.
