Juliette Binoche, Award winning French actress

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Binoche is known for her roles in films such as The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The English Patient (1996) and Chocolat (2000) as well as Three Colors: Blue (1993) and Caché (2005). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1997 for The English Patient, becoming the second French cinema actress to win an Oscar.

Juliette Binoche's favorite books:

1. Talking With Angels By Gitta Mallasz
   
   
   (health, religion and spirituality)
   
   "During the difficult shoot, however, Juliette discovered a book, "Talking with Angels," which got her through the rough spots, reading being another passion of hers. "I've been carrying that book with me for a long time now, and I was really shocked when I found out that Los Angeles meant 'City of Angels.' " She added with a laugh, "I thought, if that's true, why do they have all those earthquakes and other horrible things?" As far as her impressions of the U.S., Juliette professes a love for San Francisco, but admits that L.A.'s car-driven culture is not quite to her taste. "I think you have to have a purpose to be (in L.A.). You have to work. If you're out of work and you just hang around, it must be the worst thing ever, because then you can lose yourself. L.A. has always struck me as a place with no center, making that much more difficult, I think, for a lot of the people here to find a center inside of themselves. This is especially important if you work in film, because it allows you to go into uncharted areas of yourself, but in order to get "home," you've got to have that center inside yourself." "
   
   


2. Chocolat By Joanne Harris
   
   
   (literature and fiction, fantasy)
   
   "Joanne Harris, the author of Chocolat (2000), was stunned one weekend when she opened the front door of her small little house in Barnsley, Yorkshire. On her doorstep was French actress Juliette Binoche, who had landed the lead role for the Film version of Joanne's book. Juliette loved the book and wanted to meet Joanne and she spent the weekend at the house as they discussed the book and the film to come. Juliette met Joanne's young daughter and she borrowed her bedroom to stay over for the weekend. Juliette returned the favour by inviting her to the States as a guest of Miramax films for the Oscars."
   
   


Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.imdb.com

Why should you listen to her?

Juliette Binoche won an Oscar as best supporting actress for the 1996 movie The English Patient. (Binoche, playing a French Canadian nurse in the midst of a love affair with a Sikh bomb specialist, co-starred with Naveen Andrews, Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott-Thomas.) Binoche had already been a star in France for nearly a decade, known for her quiet intensity, ethereal beauty and shy smile. Her most prominent roles internationally include the innocent Tereza in The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988, with Daniel Day-Lewis) and the wandering shopkeeper Vianne in Chocolat (2000, with Johnny Depp). By 2006 Binoche had been eight times nominated for the César Award as best actress in France -- she won once, for the 1993 movie Bleu -- and she was again nominated for an Oscar as best actress for Chocolat. Her other roles include a nervous wife in Caché (2005), a Mary Magdalene-obsessed actress in Mary (2005) and Steve Carell's object of desire in Dan in Real Life (2007).

Recently, Juliette Binoche launched her latest book "Portraits - In Eyes" at the State Library of NSW (Sydney 16 February 2009). The stunning hard-cover art book comprises 68 portraits created by Miss Binoche of the directors she has worked with during her successful career, and self-portraits of the characters she brought to life, including ‘Hana’ from her Oscar-winning performance in The English Patient. Some of the major directors include : Anthony Minghella (The English Patient), Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat), Krzysztof Kieslowski (Bleu) and Louis Malle (Damage). Portraits – In-Eyes also features original poems dedicated to the directors, reflecting the actress’s personal encounters with each of them.

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