Clemence Poesy Fan
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She played a witch (Fleur Delacour in the Harry Potter films) and a Queen (Isabella in The Hollow Crown) but today Clémence Poésy is seriously dressed down for Sky Atlantic crime thriller The Tunnel. Yet despite the baggy, shapeless jumper and skinny black jeans, the French actress still looks immaculate here in Dover. Given that season two had ended with her character in recovery after being injected in the eye with a pathogen, I’d half expected an eyepatch or dramatic scar.

‘Yeah, I really wanted that!’ she laughs, slinging her legs over a director’s chair. ‘I wanted her to have a patch or special glasses, or see her go through a routine every morning, but the writers were a bit worried it might be a distraction. But you can tell something’s not quite right with her. She grinds her teeth a lot and breaks a tooth in her sleep. If it seems to be under control, it probably isn’t.’

She’ is socially awkward but brilliant French copper Elise Wassermann, working alongside her earthier, pragmatic English counterpart Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane). While it began as an Anglo-French remake of beloved Nordic noir The Bridge, The Tunnel has since carved out its own identity. Nowhere is this clearer than in the big, contemporary issues tackled in the show. This time it’s the migrant crisis and the disappeared refugee children across Europe. But another key topic proved impossible to ignore: Brexit. For an actress who splits life with her young family (she had a son, Liam, in January) between London and Paris, the uncertainty of it matters a great deal — and she has, slightly to her surprise, fallen hard for the English capital.

‘BBC Radio 6! Pubs! Sunday papers!’ she smiles, counting the reasons on her fingers. ‘I love the variety, the cultural life, the food, the green spaces that are completely absent from Paris and the roughness of it as well, how different it can be from one side to the other. I lived in Italy and adored it but I always feel like I’m visiting. London can welcome you and make you feel at home even if you’re not from there.’ This is the final series of The Tunnel so Poésy’s future won’t feature Elise. And while she’s ready to call it quits, she’ll miss the characters and the storytelling. ‘I knew Elise was going to be an intriguing person to get to know,’ she says. ‘It’s lovely to be that frank and straightforward for six months of the year!’
Next, Poésy hankers after a comedic role, preferably in the UK. ‘Whatever Phoebe Waller-Bridge is writing!’ she laughs. ‘I have a deep love of English humour. I find that self-deprecation much gentler than French irony, which is very often about other people and seems quite mean now. In France it’s all about “me” and “how special I am”. I love the value in being humble in England.’

The Tunnel is on Sky Atlantic, Thursdays at 9pm

Posted on Dec 21, 2017  •  Comments Off on Metro Interview: Clémence Poésy is hoping for a role in an English comedy  •  Filed under Interview
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