ABOVE: Nora Arnezeder
France at their feet
NORA ARNEZEDER actress and singer, age 20
As Nora Arnezeder glides down the red carpet outside the Ciné Lumière in London and poses for the paparazzi, she looks every bit the movie star. It’s only when she sits down for a chat, in an upstairs room away from the flashbulbs, that you realise just how new she is to the fame game.
“My heart was going boom, boom, boom, all the time when I was out there,” says Arnezeder with a nervous smile. “I don’t have much confidence when it comes to doing movie premieres. All the attention is still a bit strange to me because things have happened so fast.”
Arnezeder’s rise to prominence has indeed been rapid. She was just 18 when director Christophe Barratier cast her as 1930s musical hall performer Douce in drama Paris 36. The rising star’s angelic singing voice and acting ability so impressed Barratier, he has praised her as a “special talent”. French film critics agreed and awarded her the Étoile d’Or for best newcomer, while she also picked up a Lumière award for most promising actress.
Arnezeder fell in love with performing while growing up in Aix-en-Provence. “My dad used to sing a lot of jazz songs to me,” she recalls. “We would sing every day at home. And my mother loved classic movies so we used to watch films together every day. I guess something rubbed off.” At the age of 12, Arnezeder really found her voice as a performer when she relocated to Bali with her family for a year.
“In Bali, if you are 12 and can sing they think you are special,” she says with a chuckle. “People wanted to see me perform on stage so I actually sang in clubs over there. It was a wonderful time.” While attending an international school in Bali, Arnezeder was encouraged by a teacher to improve her skills as an actress by taking dancing lessons.
“I didn’t understand why she would say that,” the star explains. “But when I returned to France I went to Paris and did comedy musical classes and dancing lessons and it really helped me a lot with my confidence. The teacher knew what she was talking about.”
Arnezeder’s all-round skill as a performer has made her hot property in France, something she admits is a bit intimidating.
“I am very happy that people loved the work I did in Paris 36 but it does increase the pressure on me,” she says. “People will be looking at what I do next, whether it’s a film or an album. It’s a bit scary but I really want to prove myself, especially to people in France. I think if I follow my heart when I make career choices, I should be fine.”
Read the full article on pages 58-61 of this month's issue.
Click here to buy the latest issue of France Magazine online