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Thanks! Here's some interviews for "High Tension" when it came out:

"The New York Daily News," June 10, 2005
'Tension' is a tough
break for actress
By JOE NEUMAIER
DAILY NEWS FEATURE WRITER


Think American actresses have cornered the market on butt-kicking in
action films?


Au contraire.


In "High Tension," a French horror thriller opening today, 29-year-old
Cécile De France cranks up a chainsaw, wields a knife and battles a
homicidal maniac with more steel-jawed toughness than any latte-sipping,
Pilates-practicing Hollywood heroine.


Some of those women, however, did provide her with inspiration for the
movie, which pits her against a nameless, unstoppable killer in a rural
home.


"I studied several of the American actresses who have been so physical
and tough, like Sigourney Weaver in the 'Alien' movies and Jodie Foster
in 'Panic Room,'" says De France. "And, of course, there's Jamie Lee
Curtis in her early horror films. Plus I watched 'Rosemary's Baby,' 'The
Shining' and 'The Hitcher' to prepare."


Born in a farming area in the south of Belgium, De France moved to Paris
at 17 and studied at the French National Theatre School before diving
into TV and film roles - notably the part of a sweet, sex-advice-filled
lesbian in the 2002 international hit "L'Auberge Espagnole."


"Now with 'High Tension,' my image is that I can be tough. I like that,"
says De France, who studied with a Thai boxing instructor.


"I wanted an actress who was able to go further into the fear," says
"Tension" director Alexandre Aja. "Cécile uses her body, her face and
her voice in so many different ways. She's muscular and physical, yet
still feminine, which is not something a lot of French actresses can
pull off."


The blood-soaked "High Tension" isn't a De France family favorite. "They
love my movies, but this one I won't allow my grandmother to see," she
says. "She likes the movies where I'm more - how do you say? -
ladylike."


Copyright 2005 "The New York Daily News."


Coming Soon!
High Tension's Cécile de France
Source: Edward Douglas June 6, 2005


Most Americans probably won't know the name Cécile de France, but the
powerful image of the diminutive woman holding a barbed-wire bat on the
posters for High Tension is one that remains emblazoned on the mind for
a long time. Made three years ago on a shoestring budget, Alexander
Aja's homage to '70s cult horror flicks like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
is finally getting a US theatrical release after being altered with the
necessary edits to avoid an NC-17 and being partially dubbed into
English. The film is so extreme in its violence that it's little
surprise that Aja was scooped up to remake Wes Craven's The Hills Have
Eyes as his next project.


de France herself is barely recognizable as Marie, a young woman forced
to fight back against a brutal serial killer who terrorizes her friend's
family. It's the type of role that may surprise anyone who remembered
her from the hit French romantic comedy L'Auberge Espagnole or from
playing Phineas Fogg's feminine love interest in Around the World in 80
Days.


As she told ComingSoon.net on her first trip to New York, she relished
the chance to show off her dark side in a film that takes graphic horror
to new highs and lows.


CS!: Considering your background in comedy, this was a very different
movie for you. How did you first get involved and how did they approach
you to do this?


de France: We shot it three years ago, so they proposed it to me
something like four years ago now. They gave me the script, and I went
back home, and I read it in one sitting. I devoured it and I got scared.
It's like a good book that you never want to end, because it gives you a
real thrill. It was also the first time that a director proposed me a
role that was so violent. I like this kind of film, perhaps because I'm
from theatre and I'm used to working my character at first with my body.
Of course, in this kind of film, you speak more with your body than with
your head. That's why I was attracted to this kind of character.


CS!: What kind of interest did you have in horror films before making
this, and which ones have you seen?


de France: Because Alexandre has a huge culture of this kind of film, he
knows each scene and every detail, so he asked me to see a lot of films.
And so, I discovered great films like "The Hitcher," like "Duel," and of
course, some classics like "Shining" and "Rosemary's Baby". For me, it
was cool to discover these films again, because it was the films that I
saw when I was a teenager, but perhaps I changed the channel.


CS!: Which of those horror films was your favorite?


de France: "The Hitcher," because I knew that they had no money, and
when you have no money, you have to be very clever. You have to work
your mind a lot to think, how can I scare the audience with no
explosions and with no digital effects. It's only about tension. What
can I do with a little image and a little acting?


CS!: Are those types of movie popular in France?


de France: Yes, they are, but it's not like here. Here, it's more in the
culture. I don't know, perhaps in England or Belgium, in the north of
Europe, it's different, but in France, it's not really in the culture.


CS!: Considering how physical it was and that it was mainly done at
night, how was the film shoot?


de France: It was low budget film, so it was very hard conditions. Only
at night and in the cold. We were dirty and barefoot, and we must be
fast. It was very, very tough. We shot in Romania, but all the budget
went into the Gianetto de Rossi budget. He's a master of special
effects, and he's a real craftsman. I mean, he did the make up of "Dune"
and of "Once Upon a Time in America". All of the budget went to him,
because he's great! He did all of those scars by hand. I was very
interested and very excited to discover this part of this kind of
film--you know, the blood--and how he did it. Yeah, it's cool!


CS!: This role had a lot of physical challenges. Did you find it was
harder to do this than doing comedy?


de France: For this film, I was a bit nervous about acting out the real
fear, the confrontation with evil, because it's a feeling I had never
experienced. Of course, I wanted it to be as close to reality as
possible. I wanted the people to identify with me. It was very important
to play the fear in a strong way and in a real way. Mentally, it was
hard to concentrate on this. "Around the World in 80 Days" is comedic,
and that was hard too, because it's about rhythm.


CS!: Is it true that you've trained as a boxer?


de France: Yes, I did the physical work with an amateur Thai boxing war
champion. Alexandre wanted me to build up my stamina, because he knew
that the film would be hard with these conditions. And also, to lose my
healthy side and change my face to something more angular. To feel the
dark part of his mind and her craziness. For me, it was two months of
training every day, and to learn how to pass my limits.


CS!: After picking up the American distribution rights, Lions Gate
decided to dub parts of it into English. There were still a lot of
subtitled French bits, so how did they decide what to dub and what not
to?


de France: They decided that Marie goes to Alex's family to learn
English, so all of the Alex family members were speaking in English.
When I speak to the police and to the gas station man, it's in French.
That's it, no? I haven't seen the English version yet.
Translator: I'll explain, because I saw it. Basically, they changed the
story to make the dubbing work, so that Marie is going to her American
friend's house in the south of France, so she can practice her English,
but she's French, so anything that happens outside that family unit,
happens in French. That's why it goes back and forth that she speaks to
her friend Alex in English-Alex is American-but the other part, she
speaks to everybody else in French, and it kind of shows the duality of
Marie's character without giving anything away.


CS!: Did you insist on doing your own dubbing?


de France: Insist? No, they proposed it to me. That's better if it's me.
I like to play in English, because it's more dynamic.
Translator: The only person they proposed that to was Cécile.


CS!: Was the English script very different from the French one?


de France: There was not another script.
Translator: It was very well translated. She had to act it out.
de France: I went to the studio and they gave me the new lines in
English, and I said, "Okay, let's do it." I don't know if Alexandre had
a look at this translation. We trust Lions Gate.


CS!: Do you think that Alexandre had an advantage by being at such a
young age when directing this film?


de France: No, not an advantage. Perhaps because he's a part of this
kind of generation who are more interested in horror movies, because he
knows each scene and each dialogue, this film and this moment, so he has
a huge culture of that kind of film.


CS!: More French films like Gaspar Noe's Irreversible are incorporating
graphic violence into them. Is this film an answer to that in some ways?


de France: No, no..we knew that it was going to be a film more like the
'70s film. That's why the car is an old American car of the '70s. It's
like an homage to this kind of film. It's not "Irreversible". It's
different.


CS!: Had you heard any of the news stories happening in Belgium about
the guys that were capturing girls and keeping them imprisoned in the
basement? Did they have any impact on the movie?


de France: No, no, no, because this film is not made to state a morality
or to talk about homosexuality. It's only about thrill, about tension,
about this attraction and repulsion that we have for things that terrify
us. That's all. It's not about psychology; It's only for enjoying, for
people who like this kind of film.


CS!: In America, everyone assumes that a French film is going to be an
arty film involving sex and love. Do you think that's a fair assessment
of French cinema, or is it that Americans just don't see enough French
films to properly judge them?


de France: Yes, of course. It's a different culture. That's why it's
interesting to see an Indian film. Of course, it's a different way to
tell a story. It's only art, so it's more interesting to see how they do
it in other countries and cultures.


CS!: Is your hair normally as short as it was in this movie? You looked
very different from how you looked in Around the World in 80 Days.


de France: I change my hair for each film. Since "High Tension," I've
changed five times--brown, red, blonde, long, short. For each character,
I change my hair.


CS!: Some people might have a problem with the movie's twist. Without
giving it away, do you feel that it was believable or realistic?


de France: I had so much to do with my character that I couldn't think
about all that stuff. I had confidence in Alexandre and let him do what
he had to do. For me, it was more interesting to play this twist,
because that means my character is very crazy, and for me, it was very
interesting to play the dark part of my character. I like to do that.


CS!: Having played a couple of lesbian roles are you worried that you
will be typecast, that the public will see you that way?


de France: In America, I hope not. In France I am a very lucky actress,
because all the journalists say that I am used to playing such different
characters. I don't know what happens here, I am not calculating
something. I am so happy and so proud that "High Tension" will come out
here. I don't think about what's happening in the future.


CS!: A great tradition of American horror films are that they tend to
spawn multiple sequels. Would you come back for a High Tension 2?


de France: It depends on the script, and it depends on a lot of things.
It depends on my character and on the director. Because it was a low
budget film and Alexandre was very young, and because I was not famous,
it's like when you do cooking and something happens. If we do a sequel
with more money, I would like that.


High Tension opens everywhere on Friday, June 10.


Copyright 2005 Comingsoon.net.

Cool! Thanks so much for the interviews! :) Are you on livejournal? were you planning on joining the community? I hope you do! :)

ElvishOne

~~Chicks LoVe Me..Parents FeAr me~~*Don't be a GrOupiE, Keep it MoViN, ShaWTy you dUnNo me..*

Cool, I'm glad you like. help spread the word ;)

Eowy
~~Chicks LoVe Me..Parents FeAr me~~*Don't be a GrOupiE, Keep it MoViN, ShaWTy you dUnNo me..*