Movie making is a strange profession. You become very close to a group of people..cast and crew members..and then it’s over and everyone goes their separate ways. I’ve learned that one has to be intentional if friendships formed on a movie set are to continue. Geraldine and I have pledged to remain friends. I find her fascinating with off-beat taste in all things. A true bohemian who still fits in to any situation with any assortment of people. She’s intelligent, talented, curious, generous.

My friends from Georgia, Sharon, Howell and Megan Ferguson with Richard standing behind

A mother, father, child head stone

rehearsing my French dialogue with Christine Dejoux

a pensive scene with Daniel

detail of grave site arbor

My character works with Daniel's character to plants roses and jasmine around a small bench at the site of my grave

It was a wonderful surprise to have Rosanna Arquette show up unexpectedly with her beau, Todd. And Jackie Bisset was there too!!!  

With the wonderful film director, d'Euzhan Palcy

My friends from Georgia, Sharon Maxwell Ferguson and Howell Ferguson. They won the Paris trip which includes visiting the set, dining out with me and attending the film festival events. The Scissor Sisters concert was thrown. For good measure

Jackie Bisset and Charlotte Rampling...two beauties, huh?

Todd, Rosanna (Arquette), me, Jackie Bisset, Charlotte Rampling, Richard

Then we all boarded a bus to go to the Scissor Sisters concert

Paula talking to Megan

Nathalie Lafaurie talking to Vania Vadim and behind is Daniel Bruhl, Patrizio and Geraldine

Megan and her mother, Sharon Maxwell Ferguson, who is a G-CAPP board member

Ooops, missed the top of Ana's head but the legs are worth it and she was amazing.

still dressed

whew!!! People went wild

Jason and Ana

It was hard to believe Jason had just done a show in what must have been 105 degree heat. We all could ring our clothes out afterwards. As Richard said, the music was first rate, one of the best rock concerts he’s ever been too. The new album. “Night Work” is fantastic, and perfect to dance to and workout to. Jason sings like a hot angel, looks like Greek God an dances like nobody’s business!

Jason (AKA Jake) Sellards with Richard at dinner after the concert

Jason wih Vania Vadim

Jeremie Imbert, Olga Plemianikov, Philippe Caland

Hannah, Paula, Megan, Sharon and Howell

A group of Jason's friends and fans joined us. They were very sweet people. I love how they adore him.

Jeremie, Olga and Philippe

Tonight many of my French and American friends who are in Paris (including Paula Weinstein and Hannah, her daughter who is my goddaughter), and the Fergusons and Charlotte Rampling and Geraldine and her husband Patrizio, and Vadim’s family and Daniel Bruhl, and on and on—will come to a cocktail reception in my honor given by the Paris Film Festival. After that I introduce “Klute” (the festival has shown 13 of my films…yesterday I introduced “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”) and after that introduction we will board a bus I have rented and we’ll all go to the Scissor Sisters concert. I am soooo excited to see them live. The lead, Jason (aka Jake) Sellards is my friend—you’ve seen him in some of my previous blogs– and I have never seen him perform live and I hear they are totally amazing. After that we will all go to dinner!!

I have only 3 more days on the film. The last 2 are the most difficult. 8 scenes of heavy dialogue all with Daniel. It’s going to be fun and intense.
Monday night all the actors are throwing a “pot”–French word for happy hour with drinks and food for cast and crew. Different crews (camera crew, sound crew, set design crew) have been doing it every Friday. I have missed them all. Last Friday they danced till 3am I heard! Now why did I have to go and miss that? Oh yes…well, I was having fun too.

I will remember to take photos tonight. Maybe even Twitter!

The pool getting ready for us to have dinner at the bottom

Pierre and Guy moving the dinner table into pool

Script supervisor Nancy Rivas

Richard came to the set for lunch with his friend, filmmaker Philippe Caland

What a fun time we had as the wine and vodka flowed!!! You’ve got to understand, 3 of our male stars—Claude, Guy and Pierre—are comedians, and not for nothing. They are seriously funny and we laughed till we cried…at least I did. How therapeutic laughter is!! Pierre told me there is a “Laughter Clinic” in Paris to help cure ill people.

It was especially nice to meet and get to know the wives of our co-stars—Jo Bedos, Ceyla Richard, and Catherine Rich.

Enjoy the photos.

Today, Sunday I have stayed in all day to write…actually, early this morning, I went out to walk Tulea and ran into Jo who was walking her puppy. She had on a down parka. I didn’t stay out long because I have no warm clothes. I hope this cold spell will pass before Richard gets here.

Stephane, our director, Guy Bedos, Christophe, our producer, Guy's PR rep, Claude Rich's wife, actor Catherine Rich

We also celebrated Daniel Bruhl's birthday with a cake

Jo Bedos, with the new puppy she gave Guy for his birthday.

Pierre and his wife, Ceyla, with the puppy.

presenting Guy with his cake

Claude being his usual dramatic self. Actually, I think he was singing a raunchy song that he sings in the movie, only not leaving out the final and most raunchy verse.

Geraldine and her husband, the Chilean cinematographer, Patricio.

Geraldine with actor Catherine Frot. Geraldine was so overcome when Frot arrived (she thinks she's one of the greatest actor's)

Pierre and Ceyla--she is Brazilian and fabulous!

Guy with his daughter, Victoria

Daniel came with several friends who came from Berlin and Spain to celebrate with him

He is 31 years old and has made more than 30 movies. He started as an adolescent. Pierre told me today that he has really loved every single scene he has filmed so far on this movie—which, he said, is unusual.

After shooting (I got off early) I took Tulea for a long walk. So long I had to carry her back cause it was hot.

In this scene my husband and I are interviewing Daniel Bruhl (he plays a German student of ethnology in Paris) as a possible dog walker because the impetuous dog keeps pulling on his leash and has caused my husband to fall. After much hemming and hawing and objecting to the fact that the young student is German (my husband’s father was shot by the Nazis in 1941) he agrees to try him out. Many of my longest and loveliest scenes are when Dirk—the character’s name is Dirk—and I walk in the park with the dog. The characters have a real affinity. He is the only one who knows that I am dying and he helps me prepare my grave.

Pierre, Daniel, and the dog--photo of Simone de Beauvoir behind!!

me, Pierre and the director Stephane

Kesso Andrau, my lovely assistant who helps with Tulea while I shoot

The three Germans on the set--

dig that tongue

Kesso and Tulea

poor Tulea, she attracts every dog

...and lovers

Lots of musicians along the Seine

houseboat restaurant on the Seine

i am totally transfixed by the structure of Notre Dame

I love that the underneath of the bridges are made of wood.

coal being transported on the Seine

A wedding on board a Bateau Mouche

There are more and more modern buildings in Paris.

The parks along the Seine have lots of statues. interesting ones.

I am waiting to start another rehearsal here in the apartment with Daniel Bruhl and Christine Dejoux, the dialogue coach who is really wonderful. This time I’ll take a photo.

Daniel Bruhl

The dialogue coach, Christine Dejoux

Rehearsing with Daniel Bruhl who plays a young ethnology student studying the aging population in Europe

Rehearsing with Daniel Bruhl

This morning I took Tulea to the French dog groomer. Didn’t they do a terrific job? Very Francaise, n’est ce pas?

Tonight I am having dinner with Richard’s brother, Andrew. In the 1940s, their mother, the feisty Sylvia Perry, started a company called Peripole, that makes musical instruments, especially percussion instruments like drums, tambourines, triangles– for school children. I remember them well as a child growing up. Sylvia cares about young people learning music, how to play it and how to appreciate it. She is 91 now and still runs the company out of her office which she created in the garage of her cottage in the retirement home outside of Portland, Oregon, where she lives. Andrew, one of her four sons, now lives close by and helps her run the company. The factory that makes many of the specialized instruments, Bergerault, is in France, in the Loire Valley. They have been partners for 37 years . Every year for many decades Sylvia would come to visit the Bergerault factory and it’s owners—Colette and Gilbert Fergeau. Colette’s father founded the company and was a hero when, while a prisoner in a Nazi camp during WWII, made his unique percussion instrument out of cans and rubber. She will receive the French Légion d’honneur in August for her work in protecting the ‘patrimoine’—the family name and skills. Now Andrew Perry comes each year to visit the factory. This year he comes with his daughter Erin, 16 years old (and featured previously in my blog), and Cak Marshall, the educational director for Peripole . We all had dinner tonight at Brasserie Lipp.

We had a good dinner and a good time.

Colette and Andrew

Colette and Gilbert Fergeau

Me, Tulea, Erin and Cak

See you next time.

At 3pm, the French dialogue coach and German actor, Daniel Bruhl, came to my apartment and we rehearsed our scenes for 2- hours. We have series of wonderful scenes together, about 6 or 7 of them, which will all be shot the last 2 days in July, but we need to start now to get familiar with the dialogue which, for both us foreigners, is challenging. I learned during our rehearsal that Daniel is half Spanish—his mother is from Barcelona, one of my favorite cities, and he is writing a book—a personal journey through Barcelona. So that makes 2 of us working on a book while making this movie.

And right now I am about to leave to see the photographic exhibit of Vania Vadim followed by dinner with his mama, Catherine Schneider. I will try not to forget to take pictures that I will post with this blog.

me with Vania Vadim at his photo exhibit in Paris

me with Vania Vadim at his photo exhibit in Paris

me, Vania and his mother, Catherine Schneider

The director decided the dance Claude and I do will not be the Tango—too formal and “prepared”–but, instead, just a dance that is easier to improvise. I’m a little sad because I was enjoying learning the tango steps. Oh well.

I was so enthralled with meeting everyone and being in front of the camera that I forgot to take any pictures for this blog. Dang! I think, I felt and everyone said, that we all looked great together…very familiar and at ease. Dominic, the hairstylist, cut my hair a little shorter which looks good for the character. I like the way he and the makeup artist, Fabienne (I got her name wrong on my last blog), are making me look. Not glamorous but right. I decided I will not go to the rushes. I don’t want to become self-conscious with how I look. I’ve got enough to worry about with the French dialogue.

Last night a friend from Atlanta, Mark Benerofe, called and asked me to dinner. Actually, he invited me to go to the French open Tennis tournament with him but I had to decline cause we were working but I wish I could have gone. My friend, Martina Navratilova was doing the commentary and I could have seen her.

Anyway, Mark and I and his friend, Perry Cantarutti (Senior VP of my favorite airline, Delta, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa) had dinner at Café Flore on Blvd St Germain on the left bank. I hadn’t been there for such a long time. I’m going to take Richard there for lunch when he comes mid June.

That’s Perry on the left and Mark on the right...Tulea in the middle.

I just finished rehearsing with Pierre Richard and our director, Stephane, here in my apartment and now I am going to look for a hotel near me for Troy and Simone who are coming June 8th for 3 days before we go to St Tropez for my daughter, Vanessa’s, wedding to Paul Van Winkle, whom I like a lot. I am very happy for them. The wedding will take place in the home of Catherine Schneider, whom Vadim (my first husband) married after me. She and I are good friends and I look forward to seeing Vadim’s family at the wedding—his sister, Helene, his niece and nephew and other children, including his son with Catherine, Vania Vadim. Tomorrow Catherine and I will go to Vania’s photo exhibition and have dinner after.

See you next time.

It has been 50 years since I made a film in French. Fortunately I have remained fluent though on the days when I have several scenes with a lot of dialogue I will be tested, for sure.

I am staying in the beautiful, sunlit apartment of a dear friend, Eve Ensler, on an island in the middle of the scene. I took Tulea walking awhile ago and took these photos of Notre Dame Cathedral which is on an adjacent island.

See You Next Time.

I wanted very much to take advantage of my first-class round trip ticket provided generously by UNESCO to stop by Paris. I am going to be making a French film in Paris in June and I had hoped the cast and director could arrange their schedules to have an introductory dinner together—give us all fantasies and mental images of our playmates between now and June. This will be my first film in French in almost 50 years!! It is a challenge I am greatly looking forward to and, I know, Vadim (my first French husband), will be very much with me during the shooting. It is a tender, humorous, charming story about two couples and another dear friend with whom the two women had once been lovers who, because of the financial and physical challenges of age, decide to all move in together. (As many seniors are doing these days) A young sociologist who is doing research on the lives of older people is invited to live with them as well. I play an American who has lived all her life in France and is a Professor of Philosophy at the Sorbonne.

Before the dinner, the author and film director, Stéphane Robelin and producer, Christophe Bruncher came to my hotel for drinks. I was startled by how young they both are, Stéphane is 39 and Christophe is 35. Just about the age of my children. This will be Stéphane’s first film but he has an air of confidence and creative vision that made me feel I will be safe. I think it’s fair to say we felt very comfortable together by the time we left for dinner.

Christophe, our producer, and Stéphane, our writer/director

We drove up the hill to the top of Montmartre where the iconic church, the round-domed Sacre Coeur, sits imposingly.

Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur

The first person I saw when I entered the dining room was Geraldine Chaplin who, with her Chilean cinematographer husband had come in from Switzerland for the evening. I was so excited when I learned she was going to be in the film as I have always wanted to meet her. I was on stage with her father the night he made his triumphant return to Hollywood to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars—the same night I won mine for “Klute.” I am really looking forward to getting to know Geraldine during the filming. I like the way she has done her life.

Daniel Bruhl, the new German star who appeared most recently in Quentin Tarrantino’s film with Brad Pitt, was able to fly in from Germany to be with us. Daniel will play the young researcher who moves in with us and with whom I develop a close friendship. I found Daniel’s presence sweet, attentive and soulful. Perfect for the role.

German star, Daniel Bruhl

Guy Bedos, the renown French actor, came to the dinner right from the theatre where he is performing a one-man show. The beloved French comedian, Pierre Richard, was there looking appropriately hirsute, sweet and bohemian to play the role of my husband. Only Claude Rich was not able to join us because he is touring in a play. This experienced, international cast brings heft and deep talent to our small, independent film. Most importantly, we could all tell that the seeds have been planted for real camaraderie and fun…and a lot of fine red wine.

Pierre Richard drove away in the rain on his motor bike and I went “home”“ for a few hours sleep before making the final trek back to Richard.

Guy Bedos and Pierre Richard...what handsome guys!

Pierre Richard, my 'husband'

I took a fancy to Geraldine's sneakers