The actress’s life story could have been the subject of several films. At 14 she became a film star, at 16 she was the lover and muse of Polish director Andrzej Żulawski, at 29 she starred in “Braveheart” with Mel Gibson, and at 49 she met a new love and started all over again…
It was by chance that she found herself on a film set: a friend had heard that Claude Pinototau was looking for teenage actors for his new film and decided to audition. Sophie went along and unexpectedly landed the lead role in “Boom”. The film was an incredible success and in 1982 they made “Boom 2” for which Sophie was awarded the “Cesar” in the category “Best Debut and Most Promising Actress”. At the age of 16, Sophie Marceau (the pseudonym was chosen after the name of the motorway that took her to the audition) starred in the film “Fort Sagan” alongside Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu.
At the age of 16, the actress terminated her contract with a major French film company. The 42-year-old Polish director Andrzej Żulawski, with whom she was romantically involved at the time, helped her pay the forfeit. She soon left France for Poland with him. At home, her reckless act was met with indignation: the French even suggested that the Polish director should be prosecuted for defilement of minors, and Sophie Marceau was advised to see a psychotherapist.
Sophie became the muse and companion of the director, who cast her in all his films. These were not as successful as the previous ones, but the actress had no regrets. The only thing that clouded her happiness was that Julawski did not want children. When Marceau went to Hollywood to shoot Bondiana, the director followed her, fearing that she would not return. The couple soon had a son, but this did not prevent them from separating. They lived together for 17 years.
Marceau’s Hollywood career began with the Mel Gibson film Braveheart, in which she starred. While filming, she wrote the screenplay for her first short film, Inside Out Dawn, which was shown at the opening of the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. In 1997, she played Anna Karenina in the American adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel of the same name.
In 2002, Sophie Marceau married the American producer Jim Lemley and had a daughter. The relationship did not last long and ended three years later. In 2002, Marceau made her first feature film, “Tell Me About Love”. During this time, the actress also tried her hand at painting – she painted oil portraits of her favourite writers.
On the set of her film Missing in Deauville, Marceau met Christopher Lambert, of whom she later said:
“I was hoping to find a good actor, but I found Christopher, my best friend and beloved husband.
Their marriage lasted 7 years, after which the actress found herself in an unusual state of loneliness:
“I’m not used to not having a man around. I have loved someone all my adult life, from the age of 17, and I have always been wonderfully lucky with reciprocity”.
At the age of 49, Sophie Marceau has unexpectedly found a new love… in the kitchen. The 38-year-old chef Cyril Lignac, the star of French cooking shows, is her latest love interest. The actress has not made the relationship public or commented on it, but she is not afraid to start again. Cyril isn’t one to talk either:
“Life has taken an interesting turn. Recently I’ve only been asked about Sophie. But I’d rather talk about cakes…”.
Sophie looks great and continues to act in films.
