The actress is gaining awards buzz for the Paul Verhoeven-directed drama
Isabelle Huppert is a mystery.
The film is Frances official 2016 Oscar submission, and it could earn Huppert her first Academy Award nod.
But even Verhoeven couldnt begin to explain how she did it.
Credit: Guy Ferrandis
I have no idea about Isabelle, he says in his thick Dutch accent.
There is something about her work that you feel is authentic, that its based on something.
But you cannot say what.
In her acting, she is certainly mysterious.
And of course when you talk to her, you dont get too in-depth, either.
The contrast fascinated Huppert.
Shes a prototype, the actress says.
You have no reference with her.
Shes not a victim.
She doesnt react like a victim.
But she also doesnt react as a predictable avenger kind of a woman.
She is somewhere else.
Verhoeven had tried to makeEllein America.
Now its impossible to picture anyone else in the role.
By the end of shooting, Huppert had one final surprise for Verhoeven.
It was one of the most exhilarating experiences in my actors life, Huppert recalls.
When it ended, it was a particular explosion of relief, joy, and happiness.
Ask Verhoeven about this moment, and he still laughs at the memory.
It was like she was exorcising the demon of her character that had possessed her, he says.
I had never seen anything like that.
