- Nathalie Baye, La Balance, France, 1982. Cellier, Marlene Jobert, and Marie-France Pisier were also on casting director Dominique Besnehard’s wish list. His friend, Nathalie, took some persuading to even try as Philippe Léotard was already booked – and they’d just separated after a long affair. Finally, she gave in to Besnehard’s entreaties, and US director Bob Swaim’s great script. The ex-couple won best acting Césars (Baye’s third after two support wins).
- Catherine Deneuve, 8 femmes (8 women), France, 2001. After Charlotte Rampling in Sous le sable, 1999, auteur François Ozon wanted to film more impeccable actresses – a la Cukor’s The Women, 1938. Casting icon Dominique Besnehard recalled a creaky, 70’ whodunnit by Robert Thomas: 8 femmes. It proved a decent launchpad… now a la Douglas Sirk. At first, Ozon and Besnehard could only come up with 7 femmes, including Catherine Deneuve, who recalled Alfred Hitchcock giving up on another old-fashioned Thomas murder mystery, Man Trap. Ozon’s film became quite an Artmedia talent agency production when Deneuve joined Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Danielle Darrieux, Isabelle Huppert, Virginia Ledoyen, Firmine Richard, Ludivine Sagnier. Result: They shared the Berlin festival’s Silver Bear for “Outstanding Artistic Achievement” in 2002.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 2