As Catherine Deneuve pads through a throng of frenzied cameramen, her blond shoulder-length hair unshaken, and glides to her seat, you cannot help but agree - she is still one of the most beautiful women in the world. Appearing in French films since childhood, the sixty-five year old French actress remains an icon of grace and style, even appearing as the face of Marianne, the national symbol of France, on their currency.

Her perfect grasp of English is sweetened by a charming French accent, which she rolls about her tongue with mesmerising poise. She has even starred in numerous American films, boosting her to international stardom. But what is her attitude to playing in more English-speaking films? "Well, my attitude is very French," she quips.

Dressed in a brown dress, matching brown sunglasses, with bright red nail-polish, the sixty-five year old is not so much a human but a picture of French elegance. Her porcelain skin is speckled with perfectly-placed smile lines which, rather than distract, only seem to heighten her perfection.

Despite feeling unwell after her long flight to Sydney for the French Film Festival, the actress appears nonplussed. Coughing slightly, she nonetheless commands the room, responding icily when asked about her personal life. With an exceptional career behind her, she understandably feels that there are more important things to discuss than her affairs with high-profile directors, a hugely successful modelling career and her controversial political views.

Appearing in French films since the age of 13, she became a symbol of beauty after appearing in the 1963 film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg and Belle de Jour in 1967, where she played a frosty, sexually-adventurous housewife. In her ensuing career, she starred in more than 100 films and proved herself to be not only a stunningly beautiful woman, but also an exceptionally talented actress.

She became the face of Chanel No 5 during the 1970’s, catapulting the actress to international stardom and cementing her image as an eternal beauty icon, as well as causing sales to go through the roof.  She also became a model for Yves Saint Lauren, reportedly becoming the designer’s muse.

However with such emphasis placed on her looks, one might believe this encumbers her ability to be taken seriously as an actress. Can her looks be a burden?

"In life, yes, it can be a burden," she says, "but there are certainly more advantages than negatives. People are expecting you to be what they expect you to be." She says with a wave of her hand and sitting before her today, I wonder how they could ever be disappointed.

I ask if her fame may distract the audience from her onscreen persona, as a viewer might not differentiate the famous starlet from the character she aims to convey. But the actress is unfazed by her audience’s expectations. "It’s something I don’t really think much about… because otherwise I will be paralysed by fear," she says. "I respect the audience very much … but I don’t consider what the audience will like or should like. I have to think for myself."

This confidence is reflected in her daring choices of films, demonstrating both her intelligence and love of a challenge. In her latest offering, Apres Lui, screening as part of the French Film Festival, she plays a mother whose son dies shockingly in a car accident, prompting her to initiate an obsessive relationship with his best friend. “The film is quite disturbing and little shocking”, Deneuve explains. “It’s not really an obsession, it’s something that she cannot not do, it’s a question of survival I think for her.”

Similarly, Deneuve’s love of cinema means she has no plans to retire soon. Despite playing in numerous American films, including The Hunger in 1983, in which she starred with David Bowie, and more recently the musical Dancer in the Dark in 2000, when she starred opposite Icelandic singer Bjork, the actress continues to work mainly in France, where female actresses are not considered expendable after the age of 35.

Indeed, French actresses get better with age, she says. She criticises American culture for placing so much emphasis on age and beauty. At sixty-five she remains not only one of the hardest-working actors in Paris, but a beauty icon. "I always hear American actresses complaining that it is much more difficult to work after 35… we are much more civilised in Europe."

Touché.

Thumbnail photo Courtesy of Ned and Co. Marketing and Publicity.

Photo above courtesy of ohannakatherine, Creative Commons