Marion Cotillard was in an older section of Paris, France, drinking Bollinger champagne, when she found out about her Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – which she would go on to win. The French actress spoke English slowly and carefully while she expressed her exhilaration and gratitude for the momentous occasion: “This is a very unique thing for a French girl,” Cotillard said. She was recognized for her brilliant work in “La Vie en Rose” (2007), a remarkable biopic that followed the life of French singer (and Bollinger aficionado) Edith Piaf, and a movie that had already earned her awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics and Boston Society of Film Critics, to name a few. Cotillard’s performance in the movie cemented her place as one of 2007’s breakout stars, even though she had starred in over 40 French movies since the mid-1990s. Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote the actress’ take on Piaf was “the most astonishing immersion of one performer into the body and soul of another I’ve ever encountered in a film.” Driving home the point even further, the actress also won the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
Born on Sept. 30, 1975, Marion Cotillard grew up in a highly artistic household in Orleans, France, a town very close to her birthplace of Paris. Her father, Jean-Claude Cotillard was an actor, teacher, director, and mime, while her mother Niseema Theillaud was an actress. She had two younger identical twin brothers named Quentin – a sculptor and painter, and Guillaume – a writer. Cotillard’s parents traveled frequently with their acting troupe, often bringing back exotic gifts from places like Hong Kong or Peru to their children. It all served to inspire their talented daughter to follow in their footsteps. She wanted to be an actress as early as she could remember, even appearing onstage in plays her father wrote, but at the same time, managed to have a normal childhood. Cotillard later said that part of being an actor is going through normal joy and normal pain to be able to evoke genuine feelings onscreen and onstage.
When Cotillard was 16, she moved to Paris and began her acting career. She was cast in Luc Besson’s action comedy “Taxi” in 1998 as Lilly Bertineau, a role she reprised in the subsequent films “Taxi 2” (2000) and “Taxi 3” (2003). Cotillard earned even more raves for her dramatic performance as twins Lucie and Marie in the 2001 film “Les Jolie Choses,” resulting in a Cesar Award (France’s equivalent to the Oscars) nomination in 2002 for Most Promising Actress. Cotillard said she would have been a singer if she were not an actress. Thankfully, she had the chance to do both, co-writing and performing the song “La Fille De Joie” for the movie. It was only a matter of time until Hollywood took interest in casting the French star in a big budget project.
American audiences were first introduced to Cotillard’s acting in director Tim Burton’s “Big Fish,” a 2003 fantasy and drama film that starred a Who’s Who of independent film thespians who eventually became box office draws, including Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup and Helena Bonham Carter, as well as screen legends Jessica Lange and Albert Finney. The success of “Big Fish” fueled Cotillard’s career into high gear, but none more so than in her home country. She spent some time in New York to study English for a few weeks, before heading back to France. She starred in 2004’s “A Very Long Engagement” with Audrey Tatou – another mainstream French star who had made big waves in the U.S. with the exquisite film “Amelie” (2001) ¬– as femme fatale Tina Lombardi, with a performance that won Cotillard a Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2005. She described her role as a dream, and although she was happy for getting recognition for her hard work, awards took a back seat for her pure love of acting.
In 2006, Cotillard filmed her second American movie, the Ridley Scott-directed “A Good Year,” where she played opposite award-winning actor Russell Crowe. Around the same time, a movie about iconic French singer Edith Piaf was in the works. Named after Piaf’s signature song, “La Vie En Rose” (“Life In Pink”), the story followed her turbulent life from her teenage years and into her late forties. Cotillard was picked out of hundreds of candidates to portray the fallen chanteuse, in what was France’s most awaited film of 2007. The actress felt the pressure of a nation placed upon her, but she wasted no time capturing the volcanic essence and heartbreaking fragility of the late singer. Cotillard said the most rewarding part of playing Piaf was getting to know the woman she portrayed. “It took over my life,” she said. “I even dreamt about Piaf – we had some night meetings. Seven months of my life for the greatest pleasure I ever had doing my job.”
In effect, she delivered the performance of a lifetime, captured in scenes such as the one set at the Olympia Music Hall in Paris. Cotillard – even though she was lip-synching to Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” – was magnificent as she eerily transformed herself into her role. The actress said Piaf’s best friend was in the audience when she performed that scene, and was overwhelmed by the performance. “La Vie En Rose” was also a commercial success, beating the opening week sales of “Amelie.” Fellow actors were in awe of Cotillard’s performance as well, including Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett. “As much as inhabiting Piaf, she was also creating a creature, and I thought that was astonishing and inspiring,” Blanchett remarked. Cotillard’s gifted turn as Piaf earned her a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Her win at the Golden Globes paved the way for an Oscar nomination and win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
When she was not making films and winning multiple awards, Cotillard often used her celebrity status to promote environmental awareness. The actress was an ecologist and spokesperson for Greenpeace, getting involved with multiple projects like the organization’s 2005 album, Dessins pour le climat. Back to business, in 2007, Cotillard was in talks to play the role of Luisa Contini in the film version of the musical “Nine,” the 2003 revival musical that starred Antonio Banderas, Jane Krakowski, and Chita Rivera.