Welcome to Friday Club. Insider, our series of conversations with artists and innovators who are shaping how we see the world. For this edition, we sit down with French film star Garance Marillier during her first visit to Hong Kong for the 54th Hong Kong French Film Festival.
Garance first made waves with her breakout role in Julia Ducournau’s ‘Raw,’ a haunting coming-of-age film that earned her a César nomination and marked her arrival as an unflinching new voice in French cinema. Since then, she has crafted a career through deeply human stories, bringing emotional intensity and nuanced subtlety to each role. She arrives in Hong Kong with her latest project, ‘Couture’ – a graceful drama from director Alice Winocour, starring Angelina Jolie, which brings together art, expression, and endurance against the whirlwind backdrop of Paris Fashion Week.
We caught up with Garance during her stay in Hong Kong to discuss stepping into the role of a seamstress, the craft and discipline behind her character’s world, and how one of her favourite films transformed some of the city’s most iconic spots into must‑see stops on her itinerary.
Editor’s note: Responses have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
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Many of your scenes feature your character doing her craft, was there any type of training or research you did before filming?
I had the chance to visit the Atelier CHANEL to see how everything works, and I learned how to sew and all those things. It was truly incredible.
Your films span such a wide range of subject matter, what draws you to new projects?
It’s about the people – getting to meet visionaries.
I also work with my instincts; sometimes I just read something and think, ‘Okay, I have to go there – I don’t know why, but I have to.’ And I really like to explore different genres and characters – that’s important to me in the process.
In what ways did ‘Couture’ in particular catch your eye?
I was very interested in exploring the fashion world, and I also wanted to work with Alice for a very long time. She was my ‘godmother’ when I was nominated for the César – you have to choose one godfather or godmother, and I chose Alice because I’ve loved her work since ‘Augustine,’ her first feature.
And with that whole cast, I was obviously so happy to be part of it and to be with Ella, too.
Although you didn’t share many scenes together, how was the experience of working on a movie with Ella Rumpf again – almost 10 years after ‘Raw’?
It was obviously amazing to be with her again. We’ve been very close friends since ‘Raw’ – we really grew up together.
We’re used to being together, but being on stage or on set is another thing, and it’s so amazing to experience that again. We haven’t had a scene together, but we were on set at the same time sometimes. Now, doing the promo with her reminds us of a lot of good memories while also creating new ones, so it’s very cool.
From lead roles to supporting ones, does your approach to the character differ depending on what you see in the script?
I think when you play characters, even if they’re super different, you always put something about yourself into them – even if it’s not very conscious.
But I would say it really depends on what the director has in mind, so we have a lot of discussions to shape the role and bring it closer to what they imagined.
How are you finding Hong Kong? Is there anything that you definitely want to do before you leave?
It’s very special for me to be in Hong Kong because I’m the biggest Wong Kar-wai fan and ‘Chungking Express’ is one of my favourite movies ever.
I don’t have much time here, but I went to see the escalator and Chungking Mansions because, for me, that was the most important thing to do. I only wish I had more time to explore the city.
Follow Garance Marillier on Instagram to stay updated on her latest work.
Born in Korea and raised in Hong Kong, Min Ji has combined her degree in anthropology and creative writing with her passion for going on unsolicited tangents as an editor at Friday Club. In between watching an endless amount of movies, she enjoys trying new cocktails and pastas while occasionally snapping a few pictures.
