Vanessa takes a flying jump

The Girl On The Bridge opens with a long monologue in which my character, Adele, recounts her misfortunes. Then we see that she is actually standing on a bridge about to jump when Daniel Auteuil, who plays Gabor, appears. What girl would still jump after Daniel Auteuil comes into her life?

Adele isn't unintelligent or naive. She's a woman who is ready to fight back and grab her destiny, and she deserves happiness, but the trouble is that she looks for it where she shouldn't. I would never put myself in as much danger as Adele does. I'm more suspicious by nature. I would never do as she does and follow Daniel's character, a circus knife-thrower who recruits suicidal women, from Paris to Istanbul, as his targets. They have a very bizarre relationship that leads to her becoming his target. Tiens! But she trusts him and they become a sensational touring act. And Adele eventually gives him a reason for living, too.

I think this film is funny and erotic. I took the part because I was fed up with playing dark and rebellious adolescents. I'm too old for that now that I'm a mother. Also, I love working with director Patrice Leconte, who knows exactly what he wants, which is reassuring for an actor. I'm hungry to learn and I wanted to do my best for him. I wanted to change my voice, the way I look, the way I walk. Patrice shot his film in monochrome and it looks stylish. I suppose you could say that The Girl On The Bridge is a sort of Gallic fairy-tale.