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Show business gave her dizzying early popularity; cinema – the role of a young seductress, a desperate dreamer and a fam fatale; life – a lover and a family, which it is customary to only dream of. But it was her dreams that came true.
Ten years ago in New York, she studied English for half a year. The “immersion” has paid off: she speaks fluently, almost without an accent, and if there is something foreign in her intonations, she sounds more British. But she now and then inserts French words-phrases. He will call his native France as in the old song – “chez nous” (“with us”, “where we live”). That is the drawling “amoureux” … So, exclusively “beloved”, she calls her partner Johnny Depp.
Because of this manner of mixing her authentic into someone else’s assimilated, Vanessa Paradis is seen as a person who, despite all the “globalism” of her existence, the internationality of recognition and fame, stubbornly clings to her roots, her native soil. And he stands firmly on his feet – on the territory that he considers his own. She says that, as in purely French youth, she prefers to drink red wine, that she recently stopped smoking purely French cigarettes, that she speaks pure French with children and sees her professional place only in French culture. She smiles at my remark that even now, in black jeans and a simple gray sweater, she still retains her Parisian flair. It’s funny to her: it’s here, in America, everyone drives cars, everyone is hidden from each other in salons and no one sees anyone. And “chez nous”, in Paris, everyone walks with their own feet, examines each other, thereby cultivating attention to how they look, adopting something from each other – hence the gloss … But still, according to the feeling, her charm is explained in a completely different way. “Amoureux” Paradis, with his characteristic laconism, described it as absolutely no bullshit. So he said: “My girlfriend (that’s what Depp calls Vanessa in an interview) is absolutely not one of those who fools their heads, turns the dynamo, tries to seem not who they are. She is absolutely equal to herself. Absolutely no bullshit.”
And it is true. Her heavenly name, her refined subtlety, her childish gap between her front teeth, her big-eyed and curls – all that Karl Lagerfeld so actively exploited, who made her a bird in a cage in one of Chanel’s advertising photo shoots – do not make her replicated Lolita. Because it clearly contradicts its essence. Her direct, independent, stubborn nature. Her ability to look fate in the eye, sometimes uncooperative. Her refusal to be coquettish… And her ability to answer questions directly.
Dates
- 1972 Born in the family of interior designer Andre Paradis.
- 1980 TV debut in the children’s program L’ecole des fans.
- 1986 The song Joe le taxi performed by her becomes a hit in Europe.
- 1989 César Award for debut in Jean-Claude Brissot’s The White Wedding.
- 1998 Starts a serious relationship with Johnny Depp.
- 1999 Birth of daughter Lily-Rose, and 3 years later – son Jack.
- 2010 “Heartbreaker” by Pascal Chomet.
- 2011 Cafe de flore by Jean-Marc Valli, where Paradis plays the devoted mother of a boy with Down syndrome.
Psychologies: You are a famous singer, a recognized actress, you have two wonderful children, and, finally, your partner for 13 years is Johnny Depp. In addition, you are the muse of the House of Chanel and are good-looking. Which of all this do you attribute not to the gifts of fate, but to your own merits?
Vanessa Paradis: To my own … Probably, I managed to understand: in life you need to do only what you like. If you regret something, then it is better about what was done, and not about what was not done. Connect only with the person to whom you are really drawn. In fact, this “great pattern of life” of mine is that you need to live to the fullest, without measuring the dose, without calculating the percentage of the correctness of actions. And without looking back.
Have you always thought so?
VP: I don’t remember ever acting differently. I live in a very, very simple world. I do not consider myself entitled to give anyone advice, but for me it’s like this: if you love, love. Sleep with whoever you want to sleep with. Use objects, words in their direct meaning. I do not like figurative meanings and when champagne is drunk from cognac glasses. Think of the people in your life in their obvious function: a producer is a producer, not a friend. A friend is a friend, not a patron. Beloved is the closest person. Children are my children and will never be my friends. I am their protection, adviser, they are behind me like behind a stone wall, and therefore they are not a company for me … You know, this is why I love our house in the south of France. The sun, cicadas… But the main thing is people. I go out for a baguette, and at the bakery I’m just a neighbor, not a celebrity. People from our town are interested in how I was brought up, how I behave, and not what my social status is. They know for sure that only my manners concern them. And my grandmother raised me like that – I spent a lot of time with her as a child – she even had such a saying: “There are manners for everything.” This means: you need to find a true, worthy and, most importantly, appropriate manner of behavior in the circumstances offered by life. Although I do not claim that I have always succeeded.
When did it fail?
“IF YOU REGRET ABOUT SOMETHING, IT IS BETTER ABOUT WHAT IS DONE AND NOT ABOUT WHAT IS NOT DONE”
VP: Well, for example … I reacted quite painfully to talking about Johnny and me. To remarks about the fact that at the moment when we connected with him, his previous relationship had not yet ended. It was not even necessary to give out irritation with intonation. But when you love, you react spontaneously, immediately, without thinking. And it’s hard for me to resist. Because I generally live with my heart, I have a head … Well, not really for food … But really I try to listen only to my heart.
You were fourteen when your performance of Joe le taxi became a hit. Do you remember how you felt then? How was it for you?
VP: Yes, then I passionately wanted to become a singer. And she became. And soon, on the wall of a house not far from ours – we lived near Paris – there was an inscription “Paradis is a whore.” Everyone walked past her and probably laughed. But I don’t remember being particularly disturbed or offended by it. The song sounded endlessly from everywhere, and I was everywhere – in newspapers, in magazines, on TV. There were too many of me. I suddenly realized it already then: when there are too many of you, you start to annoy. Again, my grandmother was right – there is a manner for everything, and in that situation, even if it was not my fault, there was neither measure nor manner. I understood this with some kind of childish intuition and was not offended. And then … I’m French. And with us, any success is not only an object of admiration, but also ridicule. Our success is not an absolute concept. So, probably, I was genetically prepared for all this in a sense.
In the eyes of other people turned on you, do you ever notice such a feeling as envy? For example, when they talk and write about the longevity of your union with Johnny Depp…
VP: Let! I was really fantastically lucky to find my man. And this is the most valuable thing. I have always dreamed of a family.
Is your own in any way similar to your parents’ family?
VP: I grew up in a very strong family, we are all very devoted to each other. Until the age of 11, I was an only child and rarely parted with my parents. I was with them everywhere – “adult” poker, barbecue, my mother’s trips to a beauty salon … I remember the relationship of my parents – and I dreamed of having the same. And the same family – we became even closer when my sister was born. I have always been looking for a person who would be not just a lover, but a life partner, the father of our common children. I didn’t even imagine being childless. I’m talking about myself – for someone it may be right and natural. But I was waiting for the man of my life. I wanted to have a family with children. I felt that I could not live only for myself. Before meeting Johnny, I was in a certain… despondency. My career was on the rise, but my personal life was melancholy. I thought: it’s a pity that I visit such beautiful places, I see so many interesting things – and all this is beautiful only for me? But I waited and waited.
Was it love at first sight?
“I REMEMBER THE RELATIONSHIPS OF MY PARENTS AND ALWAYS DREAMED TO HAVE THE SAME FAMILY”
VP: Yes, even in total darkness! (Laughs.) I was in Los Angeles then, and one of my friends invited me to the coolest club. And in the club, where it was dark and they played the hardest heavy metal, they introduced the owner. We shook hands… I didn’t see the face… but I felt something. Something like that… A momentary energy tension between us… But we lived in different worlds. I am in France, Johnny is in America and all over the world. We had different professional and friendly circles-communities … After all, we might not meet again. But we met! By chance. And since then together. What difference does it make what they say about this phenomenon? The miracle is inexplicable.
And very soon after that meeting, you made the decision to have a baby.
VP: I got pregnant three months after our second meeting – I found my man, why put off? Johnny is truly an amazing person. He is incredibly talented – not only as an actor, musician or teacher there. It was he who taught me to play the guitar, which no one could do before him! He is a talented person. A man with a talented heart.
Can you explain how you understand this?
VP: His big heart can take a lot. You know, when I got to know him better, I was amazed at how much he looks like my mother! It has the same wisdom of a man who refused to consider that there is evil in the world. No, he understands with his mind that it exists and there can be evil people. But his communication with the world is built on trust. I also try to live like this, as if before the fall, not knowing about evil. But I still don’t have that talent. For example, only now, when my daughter became a teenager, I realized how heroic the decision my mother made when she allowed me to leave school at the age of 16, go to Paris and live with the one I was in love with then. I’m not at all sure that if Lily-Rose has the determination to do something like that, I will let her do it. Well, at least without scandal. (Laughs) And Johnny is able to show parental wisdom. That is, parental heroism, self-denial – the ability to let go of “your baby.” He will definitely be on the side of choosing his child. He will definitely focus on the desire of the child and try to interpret it rationally … In general, he is such an incredible person that I do not mind existing only in his rays.
However, you are serious about your career. And successfully.
VP: But I’ve always wanted to do it! I wanted to be an actress and a singer. Do this specific thing. One person said that I was a fighter – if I took up something, I would not quit. I once thought it was a compliment, but now I think he may have been right.
Her men (not counting Johnny Depp)
Gerard Depardieu
When she was going through the most difficult – debut – period of her career, when fellow pros called her a voiceless upstart, and her classmates simply hounded, Gerard Depardieu, in a television program dedicated to him, when asked who he would like to see now in the studio, replied: “A brave girl named Vanessa Paradis. A few years later they will star together in “Elise” by Jean Becker. She calls Depardieu her godfather in cinema. In Elise, Depardieu is just the father, and Vanessa is the daughter who finally found her father.
Serge Gainsbourg
She was seventeen when Gainsbourg expressed a desire to write songs for her. Together they made her second album – a few months before Gainsbourg’s fatal heart attack … “He did no less for me than my parents. My parents raised me and raised me as a person. Gainsbourg raised a singer in me and raised a professional, ”says now the world star Paradis.
Lenny Kravitz
“Music and falling in love went hand in hand: the music ended – love passed too,” she later said about the album, recorded in 1993 together with the American jazz-soul-retro-rock star. Lenny Kravitz was a songwriter and producer. The album reached the top of the charts in France and the UK. But his success proved to be “the end of a chapter” of their romance.
Karl Lagerfeld
The art head of the Chanel brand insisted that it was Paradis that became the center of the Chanel “reboot” advertising campaign in 1991. In it, whistling and waving her feathers, she swayed on a trapeze like a black bird inside a cage. And she ceased to be a woman in advertising … “Lagerfeld,” says Paradis, “made an act of modern art out of fashion. From me – a kind of installation. From a trade mark — an exposition hall. Thus, he even instilled in me an interest in the world of elegant and useless little things.
For what or against what did you have to fight?
VP: Well, for example, there was such an episode … I was fifteen years old, I went on stage during the Midem awards – this is the French version of the Grammy – and only sang the same Joe le taxi, as from the public – and these were all industry people, professionals – there was a friendly “boo-u-u” … I almost burst into tears. But I sang to the end and even came out again for the second song. By the way, it was because of this, thanks to this, that my film career began. Jean-Claude Brissot saw that shameful broadcast on TV and decided that I was the very iron maiden, steel Lolita, which he needed for the White Wedding. Such a paradoxical interweaving of unpleasant and joyful is this profession.
And yet, is it more important for you to realize yourself in your profession or in life?
VP: And in that, and in this. Your colleagues often ask me: how did Johnny and I manage to be together for so long? I think because each of us needs personal space. We are often not physically together – either I have a job, or he has a shooting … Our relationship does not become routine, kitchen, although we talk – thanks to Skype – every day. And even several times. But we do not become commonplace for each other. Each of us has separate times, places, activities. We always have something to talk about – and it’s not only children and family interests. On the contrary, completely extra-family interests … And this is possible only because each of us has only his own zone of life. But it is this separation that comes out and unites us.
How do you feel having a daughter and then a son changed you?
VP: Probably, with their birth, I had one more – very powerful – disciplining factor. When a person has children, he has to think more often what he says, in what tone … Even think what he thinks! I have children, and my mind does not belong to me alone. Even if I have always been a focused person, a person of purpose. But with children, I can no longer concentrate on one thing: a part of me belongs to them by right. And another interesting feeling. That when you solve some small problem of theirs, you change the world… Yes, that’s right: it seems to me that the world changes for the better if I help them in some way.
Has your childhood experience influenced how you take care of your children?
VP: Certainly. I started singing at the age of seven, and at fourteen I was already a hit performer. My childhood ended quite early. And I’m not rushing Lily and Jack’s childhood. I generally like the slow life. Family dinners, walks… I spent all my childhood and adolescence in a hurry, in a tight schedule, and now I have learned to put off what needs to be done. For the sake of what you want to do right now … And one more thing: I didn’t like myself too much when I was fifteen. And therefore, she kept herself somewhat provocative – until the age of twenty I had a kilogram of cosmetics on me … In general, I try to make sure that my daughter does not have such a psychological need.
Are you taking care of Johnny the same way?
“WHY DO YOU NEED TO MARRY THOSE WHO ARE NOT GOING TO GET DIVORCE!”
VP: Almost manic! (Laughs) About his food, about keeping all the buttons in place, about ironed shirts. If you see him in a wrinkled shirt, know that this is style, not my negligence. By a man you can always understand what kind of woman is next to him. And I hope you can judge a woman by her man. In this sense, I strive for perfection.
But do not aspire to a formal marriage.
VP: Why get married if we’re not going to get divorced? Papers are needed for those who are thinking about the division of property or … this … horror, joint custody.