Diane Kruger reveals how therapy made her a better actor, the draw of her latest iconic role and her grief for Karl Largerfeld
The actor on filming in fabulous frocks, female power and her friendship with Karl Lagerfeld.
Since its publication in 1782, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses has been adapted many times, including the 1988 Stephen Frears film, Dangerous Liaisons starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich and, just over a decade later, Cruel Intentions with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe.
This decade’s version, The Seduction, helps to launch the new streaming service HBO Max, and is a “freely adapted” prequel that places the secondary character of Madame de Rosemonde, played by German model-turned-actor Diane Kruger at the centre of the drama.
RT spoke to Kruger to find out more about her new role and more.
An American critic claimed that you were “too beautiful to play a role of any substance”. How did that make you feel?
I let that go a long time ago. It was devastating as a young girl to be judged on my exterior rather than the work I was doing. But, you know, life went on!
Your first acting job was with Dennis Hopper on the 2002 film The Piano Player. Did he give you any advice?
Dennis taught me everything – I’d never been in front of the camera before, and he was incredibly kind. I also acted with Ed Harris [in Copying Beethoven] and he taught me that you have to stick to your guns and defend your character. I was young – I didn’t want to get fired. I also worked with Brad Pitt on Troy and on Inglourious Basterds, when I at least had some experience! He’s very dedicated.
You were good friends with the late Karl Lagerfeld – what bonded the two of you?
I met him when I was 16 and I thought he’d always be around. His creative force never dimmed. He was my neighbour, too, so I’d come home from filming and he’d invite me for dinner. We always spoke German together, which made our friendship more intimate. He wasn’t afraid of anyone and was so cultured. There won’t be another Karl Lagerfeld. I really miss him.
Now, you’re in The Seduction — which version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses do you recall enjoying the most?
I read the book in school, but the Stephen Frears film is pretty perfect. When I was first sent the script, I wasn’t sure there needed to be another adaptation. But I was hooked by the way Madame de Rosemonde is more present than in the novel – and I also loved the idea of a sorority between the women, a sort of birth of feminism, if you dared speak that word in the 18th-century!
The show focuses on three generations of women, including one story that’s arguably the #MeToo of its time. Was it confusing being in a period drama that’s still relevant today?
It really was. When I became a mother, stories about women started to interest me again; I want to make smarter decisions for my daughter and give her better tools. For example, when I started acting, I swore I’d never make a film about the Nazis. But I’ve just finished a film called Each of Us, directed by four female European film-makers, which is about the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp. I felt like we hadn’t looked at that story through the female gaze. I’m curious to know about the women who came before me.
How much do you relate to Madame de Rosemonde?
I relate to the fact that she has her own wealth and could, to an extent, choose not to marry and to take lovers as she pleased. She could live pretty much as a man would have done. Equally, she’s very much confined by the golden cage of society that was built by men for the enjoyment of men.
You speak fluent German, English and French – but was it hard to speak 18th-century French?
That specific French was incredibly difficult for me to master. I can only think of comparing it to Shakespearean English. It has a certain rhythm to it, but it’s also very flowery.
The Seduction is sumptuous. Did you enjoy dressing up or is it a pain to spend hours in costume and make-up?
A mix of both! It’s great for the first month, and then you’re over it. Having said that, being in a period drama is on a checklist for every actor. It’s unusual but here, the costumes were made from scratch. Each female character had six or seven beautiful gowns and matching shoes made to measure. It really did feel like we were living in this fairy tale, with two people dressing us each morning.
You’ve said that therapy made you a better actor. How so?
I haven’t done it in a couple of years, but I looked for it at a time when I needed tools to access, analyse and resolve the discontent and disconnect that I felt within myself. Afterwards, I felt aligned with my feelings for the first time in my adult life. I felt heard and seen. I highly recommend it.
Other than Each of Us, what’s next for you?
I’m currently in production in an Apple TV series called La Décision, a French thriller where I play the First Lady of France, who is also a political adviser. The scripts are like House of Cards, and we get to shoot in Versailles! It’s a look behind the closed doors of power and it’s great fun.
The Seduction is available on HBO Max from 26 March.
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