ated version of the providIsabelle Huppert: A Life Dedicated to Art
A scene from the play “The Cherry Orchard,” featuring Isabelle Huppert (first from the right in the front row). Photo by Christopher Renoud.
On April 25th, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China, the esteemed French actress Isabelle Huppert, at the age of 72, reflected on her role in “The Cherry Orchard.” She noted that this performance, with the same cast and crew, felt no different from their showing four years prior at the Avignon Theatre Festival in France. “I am still me,” she remarked.
While many of her contemporaries have retired or faded from the spotlight, Huppert continues to demonstrate an unwavering passion for her craft. From April 11th to 27th, she starred in eight performances of the French-language play “The Cherry Orchard” across Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. As early as 2001, the documentary “Isabelle Huppert: A Life Dedicated to Performance” captured her almost superhuman work ethic. With a career spanning 54 years, Huppert has appeared in over 120 films and nearly 30 plays, earning numerous accolades, including Best Actress awards at Europe’s top three film festivals. Today, she remains remarkably prolific, fueled by an enduring enthusiasm for acting. This is truly a life devoted to art.
A Return to China
Huppert’s on-screen presence often conveys a sense of calm, even detachment. Yet, through subtle and precise gestures – a fleeting glance, a delicate smile – she allows audiences to perceive the nuanced shifts in her characters’ emotions and states of mind. This precise and understated style has garnered her widespread acclaim, with critics hailing her as “one of the finest actors of our time.” In 2020, The New York Times ranked Huppert second on its list of “The 21st Century’s Greatest Actors.”
On April 25th, the French version of “The Cherry Orchard” premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, with Huppert portraying the lead role of Lyubov. “The Cherry Orchard,” Anton Chekhov’s final play, is also his most frequently staged, with countless interpretations. This French adaptation, directed by Portuguese director Tiago Rodrigues and created in 2021, remains faithful to the original text. The story revolves around an aristocratic family facing the imminent auction of their ancestral cherry orchard to settle debts. Despite a proposed solution from the merchant Lopakhin, Lyubov and her family fail to act, ultimately losing their home and being forced to leave. The three performances in Beijing were met with full houses and enthusiastic audiences.
This visit marked Huppert’s second performance in China within a mere four months. Last December, she performed Tennessee Williams’ autobiographical play “The Glass Menagerie” for three consecutive nights at the same venue. “I am delighted to return to perform in China,” Huppert stated. “This trip was largely made possible by the warm reception ‘The Glass Menagerie’ received from the audience!” She once again experienced the warmth and hospitality of the Chinese audience. At a pre-performance talk for “The Cherry Orchard,” a young audience member excitedly told Huppert that she had attended all three performances of “The Glass Menagerie” last year and would be attending all three performances of “The Cherry Orchard” in Beijing!
Huppert views both the screen and the stage as vital creative spaces. She likens filmmaking to entering a house, freely moving between the living room and the bedroom. “But theatre is different; it’s more challenging,” Huppert explains. “Rehearsing is a long journey, like climbing a mountain.” Through these ascents, she remains convinced that the theatre stage holds immense vitality and creativity. This is precisely why she performs in China – to share the magic of theatre with Chinese audiences.
“The Cherry Orchard” Within Us All
On stage, Huppert’s petite frame radiates immense energy. She alternates between piercing cries and hushed sobs, hopping and skipping on delicate high heels, her hands waving like a playful child.
Huppert’s performance appears effortlessly light, stemming from her ability to seamlessly inhabit complex characters and transition between intense and serene emotional states. This was evident in her portrayal of the strong-willed and obsessive Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie,” and equally so in her interpretation of Lyubov in “The Cherry Orchard.” For her, embodying these intricate characters is not a struggle, but rather a natural process of “feeling them, becoming them, and leaving them.”
In contrast to previous interpretations of Lyubov, which often emphasized emotional outbursts and tragedy, Huppert’s portrayal is restrained and detached. She casually interrupts conversations and dances gracefully in the cherry orchard while awaiting the auction results. Enveloped in a profound sense of alienation, Lyubov navigates between avoidance and evasion, ultimately succumbing to her predetermined fate.
In the final scene of the third act, Lyubov’s brother and Lopakhin return from the auction, announcing that the cherry orchard has been sold. Huppert delivers the play’s most poignant ten-minute performance. Amidst the boisterous music, Lopakhin excitedly proclaims his purchase of the cherry orchard, a symbol of prestige. Upon hearing this news, Lyubov is incredulous. She collapses beneath the giant chandelier at center stage, her lips trembling, her face etched with despair. She then weeps silently, her eyes tightly shut, unable to utter a word. In contrast to Lopakhin’s exuberance, Lyubov’s emotions are inward and subdued – she is silent, sorrowful, and helpless, the cacophonous music mirroring her chaotic state of mind. Huppert hopes that her performance will allow audiences to perceive the subtle shifts in her character’s emotions and state of mind. Therefore, she adheres to the play’s setting, striving to leave room for the audience to imagine, to connect with the character, and to resonate with her.
Rodrigues’ non-naturalistic staging of “The Cherry Orchard,” devoid of elaborate sets and opulent aristocratic costumes, employs a minimalist aesthetic, offering audiences an open viewing experience. This allows each individual to interpret Lyubov in their own way, constructing their own personal “Cherry Orchard.”
A Dialogue Through Art
Huppert’s connection with China began through film. Since the late 1980s, Chinese cinema has gained international recognition, and Huppert first encountered Chinese films through the works of Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige.
“China has produced many excellent films, many of which are very popular with European audiences,” Huppert noted, mentioning films such as “Black Coal, Thin Ice” and “Kaili Blues” as examples of Chinese films that have garnered international attention. These works have received significant awards at major international film festivals, opening windows for Western audiences to understand China.
Huppert mentioned that she had recently seen the film “Nice View,” describing it as “quite interesting.” The film has now been released in Paris, with Huppert’s eldest son, Lorenzo, involved in its distribution in France. “What French and Chinese films have in common is that they both express themselves through personalized, unconventional narrative styles.” On April 23rd, Huppert was invited to participate in a masterclass at the 15th Beijing International Film Festival, engaging in a dialogue with young director Bi Gan. She expressed her admiration for Bi Gan’s “Kaili Blues,” praising the film for its rich poetry that transports audiences to new realms. She added that “when poetry and philosophy enter the screen, film becomes more powerful, transcending time and space, and touching people’s hearts more deeply.”
For Huppert, film is a language, and so is theatre. “No matter where the creators come from, when we watch a film or a play, we communicate through this language, getting to know others and understanding each other.” The essence of film and theatre lies in how people connect with each other. Huppert hopes to engage in a dialogue with Chinese audiences through her film and theatre works, creating an emotional connection.
Huppert’s extensive filmography is woven together by a tapestry of diverse international collaborations: four collaborations with Austrian director Michael Haneke, starring in Dutch director Paul Verhoeven’s acclaimed work, and providing voice work for American director Wes Anderson’s animated film “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” She also looks forward to collaborating with Chinese directors such as Jia Zhangke and Bi Gan. When asked if she would consider working in China in the future, Huppert candidly replied, “I think it’s very possible. If I have the opportunity to work in China, or play a Chinese character, the first thing I would do is learn Chinese, and try to say a few more sentences.”