Binoche has appeared on stage intermittently, most notably in a 1998London production ofLuigi Pirandello'sNaked and in a 2000 production ofHarold Pinter'sBetrayal onBroadway for which she was nominated for aTony Award. In 2008, she began a world tour with a modern dance productionin-i devised in collaboration withAkram Khan.
Binoche was born in Paris, the daughter of Jean-Marie Binoche, a director, actor, and sculptor, and Monique Yvette Stalens (born 1939), a teacher, director, and actress.[2] Her father, who is French, also has one eighth Portuguese-Brazilian ancestry; he was raised partly inMorocco by his French-born parents.[3][4][5] Her mother was born inCzęstochowa, Poland.[6] Binoche's maternal grandfather, Andre Stalens, was born in Poland, of Belgian (Walloon) and French descent, and Binoche's maternal grandmother, Julia Helena Młynarczyk, was ofPolish origin.[7] Both of them were actors who were born inCzęstochowa; theGerman Nazi occupiers imprisoned them atAuschwitz as intellectuals.[6][8][9]
Her great-uncle wasLéon Binoche, who won a gold medal in rugby at the 1900 Paris Olympics.[10]
When Binoche's parents divorced in 1968, four-year-old Juliette and her sister Marion were sent to a provincial boarding school.[11] During their teens, the Binoche sisters spent their school holidays with their maternal grandmother, not seeing their parents for months at a time. Binoche has stated that this perceived parental abandonment had a profound effect on her.[12]
She was not particularly academic[13] and in her teenage years began acting at school in amateur stage productions. At seventeen, she directed and starred in a student production of theEugène Ionesco play,Exit the King. She studied acting at theConservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique (CNSAD), but quit after a short time as she disliked the curriculum.[13] In the early 1980s, she found an agent through a friend and joined a theater troupe, touring France, Belgium and Switzerland under the pseudonym "Juliette Adrienne".[14] Around this time, she began lessons with acting coach Vera Gregh.[15]
Her first professional screen experience came as an extra in the three-partTF1 television seriesDorothée, danseuse de corde (1983) directed byJacques Fansten, followed by a similarly small role in the provincial television filmFort bloque directed by Pierrick Guinnard. After this, Binoche secured her first feature-film appearance with a minor role inPascal Kané'sLiberty Belle (1983). Her role required just two days on-set, but was enough to inspire Binoche to pursue a career in film.[13]
Binoche's early films established her as a French star of some renown.[11] In 1983, she auditioned for the female lead inJean-Luc Godard's controversialHail Mary, a modern retelling of the Virgin birth.[16] Godard requested a meeting with Binoche having seen a photo of her taken by her boyfriend at the time.[17] Although she said she spent six months on the film's set in Geneva, her presence in the final cut is confined to just a few scenes.[17][18] Further supporting roles followed in a variety of French films.Annick Lanoë'sLes Nanas gave Binoche her most noteworthy role to date, playing opposite established starsMarie-France Pisier andMacha Méril in a mainstream comedy,[19] though she has stated the experience was not particularly memorable or influential.[20] She gained more significant exposure inJacques Doillon's critically acclaimedFamily Life cast as the volatile teenage step-daughter ofSami Frey's central character. This film was to set the tone of her early career.[21] Doillon has commented that in the original screenplay her character was written to be 14 years old, but he was so impressed with Binoche's audition he changed the character's age to 17 to allow her take the role.[22] In April 1985, Binoche followed this with another supporting role in Bob Decout'sAdieu Blaireau, apolicier thriller starringPhilippe Léotard andAnnie Girardot.Adieu Blaireau failed to have much impact with critics or audiences.[23]
It was to be later in 1985 that Binoche would fully emerge as a leading actress with her role inAndré Téchiné'sRendez-vous. She was cast at short notice whenSandrine Bonnaire had to abandon the film due to a scheduling conflict.[24]Rendez-vous premiered at the1985 Cannes Film Festival, winning Best Director. The film was a sensation and Binoche became the darling of the festival.[25]Rendez-Vous is the story of a provincial actress, Nina (Binoche), who arrives in Paris and embarks on a series of dysfunctional liaisons with several men, including the moody, suicidal Quentin (Lambert Wilson). However it is her collaboration with theater director Scrutzler, played byJean-Louis Trintignant, which comes to define Nina.[26] In a review ofRendez-Vous inFilm Comment,Armond White described it as "Juliette Binoche's career-defining performance".[27]
In 1986, Binoche was nominated for her firstCésar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film.[28] FollowingRendez-Vous, she was unsure of what role to take next. She auditioned unsuccessfully forYves Boisset'sBleu comme l'enfer andRobin Davis'sHors la loi,[26] but was eventually cast inMy Brother-in-Law Killed My Sister (1986) byJacques Rouffio opposite the popular French starsMichel Serrault andMichel Piccoli. This film was a critical and commercial failure.[29] Binoche has commented that Rouffio's film is very significant to her career as it taught her to judge roles based on the quality of the screenplay and her connection with a director, not on the reputation of other cast members.[30] Later in 1986, she again starred opposite Michel Piccoli inLeos Carax'sMauvais Sang. This film was a critical and commercial success, leading to Binoche's second César nomination.Mauvais Sang is an avant-garde thriller in which she plays Anna the vastly younger lover of Marc (Piccoli) who falls in love with Alex (Denis Lavant), a young thief.[31] Binoche has stated that she "discovered the camera" while shooting this film.[32]
In August 1986, Binoche began filmingPhilip Kaufman's adaptation ofMilan Kundera's novelThe Unbearable Lightness of Being, portraying the young and innocent Tereza.[33] Released in 1988, this was Binoche's first English language role and was a worldwide success with critics and audiences alike.[34] Set against theUSSR's invasion ofPrague in 1968, the film tells the story of the relationships a Czech surgeon, Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis), has with his wife Tereza and his lover Sabina (Lena Olin). Binoche has stated that at the time her English was very limited and that she relied on a French translation to fully grasp her role.[35] After this success, Binoche decided to return to France rather than pursue an international career.[36] In 1988, she filmed the lead in Pierre Pradinas'sUn tour de manège, a little-seen French film oppositeFrançois Cluzet.[37] She has stated that her attraction to this film was that it gave her the opportunity to work with close friends and family.[13] Pradinas is the husband of her sister Marion Stalens who was set photographer on the film and appeared in acameo role.[13] In the summer of 1988, Binoche returned to the stage in an acclaimed production ofAnton Chekhov'sThe Seagull directed by Russian directorAndrei Konchalovsky atThéâtre de l'Odéon in Paris.[38]
Later that year, she began work onLeos Carax'sLes Amants du Pont-Neuf.[39] The film was beset by problems and took three years to complete, requiring investment from three producers and funds from the French government.[22] When finally released in 1991,Les Amants du Pont-Neuf was a critical success. Binoche won aEuropean Film Award[40] as well as securing her third César nomination for her performance. In the film Binoche portrays an artist who lives rough on the famous Parisian bridge where she meets another young vagrant (Denis Lavant). This iconic part of the city becomes the backdrop for a wildly passionate love story and some of the most visually arresting images of the city ever created.[41] The paintings featured in the film were Binoche's own work.[22] She also designed the French poster for the film which features an ink drawing of the eponymous lovers locked in embrace.[22] During a break in filming in 1990, Binoche spent five days shootingMara forMike Figgis, based onHenry Miller'sQuiet Days in Clichy. This 30-minute film was part ofHBO's anthology seriesWomen & Men 2.[42] The film became somewhat contentious when, according to Mike Figgis, HBO altered it once he had completed it.[43] The film premiered on HBO in the U.S. on 18 August 1991.[44]
At this point, Binoche seemed to be at a crossroads in her career. She was recognized as one of the most significant French actresses of her generation.[45] However, the long production ofLes Amants du Pont-Neuf had forced her to turn down several significant roles in international productions includingThe Double Life of Véronique byKrzysztof Kieślowski,Cyrano de Bergerac byJean-Paul Rappeneau,Night and Day byChantal Akerman, andBeyond the Aegean, an aborted project withElia Kazan.[46] Binoche then chose to pursue an international career outside France.[22]
In the 1990s, Binoche was cast in a series of critically and commercially successful international films, winning her praise and awards.[47] In this period, her persona developed from that of a young gamine to a more melancholic, tragic presence.[48] Critics suggested that many of her roles were notable for her almost passive intensity in the face of tragedy and despair.[37] In fact, Binoche has nicknamed her characters from this period as her "sorrowful sisters".[49] Following the long shoot ofLes Amants du Pont-Neuf, Binoche relocated to London for the 1992 productions ofEmily Brontë's Wuthering Heights andDamage, both of which considerably enhanced her international reputation.[50] Yet, from a professional and personal point of view, both films were significant challenges for Binoche; her casting oppositeRalph Fiennes's Heathcliff inWuthering Heights, instead of English actressesHelena Bonham Carter[51] andKate Beckinsale,[52] was immediately contentious and drew derision from the British press, unimpressed that a uniquely English role had gone to a French actress.[53] The film had its world premiere at the1992 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Reviews were poor, with Binoche being cynically dubbed "Cathy Clouseau" and derided for her"franglais" accent.[54] Both Binoche and directorPeter Kosminsky distanced themselves from the film, with Binoche refusing to do any promotion for the film or to redub it into French.[55]
Damage, a UK and French co-production, is the story of a British Conservative minister played byJeremy Irons who embarks on a torrid affair with his son's fiancée (Binoche). Based on the novel byJosephine Hart and directed by veteran French directorLouis Malle,Damage seemed to be the ideal international vehicle for Binoche; however the production was fraught with difficulties and dogged by rumours of serious conflict. In an on-set interview, Malle stated that it was the "most difficult" film he had ever made, while Binoche commented that "the first day was one big argument".[56]Damage opened in the UK late in 1992 and debuted early in 1993 on US screens. Reviews were somewhat mixed.[57] For her performance, Binoche received her fourth César nomination.
In 1993, she appeared inKrzysztof Kieślowski'sThree Colours: Blue to much critical acclaim.[58] The first film in a trilogy inspired by the ideals of the French republic and the colors of its flag,Three Colors: Blue is the story of a young woman who loses her composer husband and daughter in a car accident. Though devastated she learns to cope by rejecting her previous life in favor of conscious "nothing"; rejecting all people, belongings and emotions.[59]Three Colours: Blue premiered at the 1993Venice Film Festival, landing Binoche the Best Actress Prize. She also won aCésar, and a nomination for theGolden Globe. Binoche has said her inspirations for the role were her friend and coach Vernice Klier who suffered a similar tragedy, and the bookThe Black Veil byAnny Duperey which deals with the author's grief at losing her parents at a young age.[60] Binoche made cameo appearances in the other two films in Kieślowski's trilogy,Three Colours: White andThree Colours: Red. Around this time, Steven Spielberg offered her roles inJurassic Park andSchindler's List. She turned down both parts.[61] After the success ofThree Colors: Blue, Binoche took a shortsabbatical during which she gave birth to her son Raphaël in September 1993.[62]
In 1995, Binoche returned to the screen in a big-budget adaptation ofJean Giono'sThe Horseman on the Roof directed byJean-Paul Rappeneau. The film was particularly significant in France as it was at the time the most expensive film in the history of French cinema.[63] The film was a box office success around the world and Binoche was again nominated for a César for Best Actress. This role, as a romantic heroine, was to influence the direction of many of her subsequent roles in the late 1990s.[64] In 1996, Binoche appeared in her first comedic role sinceMy Brother-in-Law Killed My Sister a decade before;A Couch in New York was directed byChantal Akerman and co-starredWilliam Hurt. This screw-ball comedy tells the story of a New York psychiatrist who swaps homes with a Parisian dancer.[65] The film was a critical and commercial failure.[66]Three Colors: Blue,The Horseman on the Roof andA Couch in New York all gave Binoche the opportunity to work with prestigious directors she had turned down during the prolonged shoot ofLes Amants du Pont-Neuf.[22]
Her next role inThe English Patient reinforced her position as an international movie star. The film, based on the novel byMichael Ondaatje and directed byAnthony Minghella, was a worldwide hit.[67] Produced bySaul Zaentz, producer ofThe Unbearable Lightness of Being, the film reunited Juliette Binoche with Ralph Fiennes, Heathcliff to her Cathy four years previously. Binoche has said that the shoot on location in Tuscany and at the famedCinecittà in Rome was among the happiest professional experiences of her career.[11] The film, which tells the story of a badly burned, mysterious man found in the wreckage of a plane during World War II, won nineAcademy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Juliette Binoche.[68] With this film, she became the second French actress to win an Oscar, followingSimone Signoret's win forRoom at the Top in 1960. After this international hit, Binoche returned to France and began work oppositeDaniel Auteuil onClaude Berri'sLucie Aubrac, the true story of a French Resistance heroine. Binoche was released from the film six weeks into the shoot due to differences with Berri regarding the authenticity of his script.[69] Binoche has described this event as being like "an earthquake" to her.[11]
In 2025, during an interview with the Independent she refers to this period as dreamlike, saying: "I definitely enjoyed the attention [The English Patient] was getting, and myself as well," she says. "And I felt like I needed to give something back to Anthony [Minghella]." Going on to add that: "I was trembling all the time. I was so insecure. I was aware of the chance I'd received by getting to play that part, and I would find myself just crumbling. But he helped me become more comfortable, more creative. He [Minghella] took such care of me, so when the Oscars happened, I played the game for him."[70]
Binoche at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
Next, Binoche was reunited with director André Téchiné forAlice et Martin (1998), the story of a relationship between an emotionally damaged Parisian musician and her younger lover who hides a dark family secret. The film failed to find an audience in France, although it was critically acclaimed in the UK.[71] In February 1998, Binoche made her London stage debut in a new version ofLuigi Pirandello'sClothe the Naked re-titledNaked and adapted byNicolas Wright. The production, directed byJonathan Kent, was very favorably received.[72] Following this acclaimed performance, she returned to French screens withChildren of the Century (1999), a big budget romantic epic, in which she played 19th-century French proto-feminist authorGeorge Sand. The film depicted Sand's affair with the poet and dandyAlfred de Musset played byBenoît Magimel. The following year saw Binoche in four contrasting roles, each of which enhanced her reputation.La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (2000) byPatrice Leconte, for which she was nominated for a César for Best Actress, was a period drama which saw Binoche appear oppositeDaniel Auteuil in the role of a woman who attempts to save a condemned man from the guillotine.[73] The film won favorable reviews, particularly in the U.S.[74] where it was nominated for aGolden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.[75]
Next, she appeared inMichael Haneke'sCode Unknown, a film which was made following Binoche's approach to the Austrian director.[76] The film premiered in competition at the2000 Cannes Film Festival.[77] This critically acclaimed role was a welcome change from playing the romantic heroine in a series of costume dramas.[78] Later that year, Binoche made her Broadway debut in an adaptation ofHarold Pinter'sBetrayal for which she was nominated for aTony Award. Staged by theRoundabout Theatre Company and directed byDavid Leveaux, the production also featuredLiev Schreiber andJohn Slattery.[79] Back on screen, Binoche was the heroine of theLasse Hallström filmChocolat from the best selling novel byJoanne Harris. For her role Binoche won aEuropean Film Audience Award for Best Actress and was nominated for an Academy Award and aBAFTA.[80]Chocolat is the story of a mysterious stranger who opens achocolaterie in a conservative French village in 1959. The film was a worldwide hit.[81]
Between 1995 and 2000, Binoche was the advertising face of theLancôme perfumePoème, her image adorning print campaigns photographed byRichard Avedon[82] and a television advertising campaign,[83] including an advert directed byAnthony Minghella and scored byGabriel Yared.[84] By the end of this period and following roles in a number of prestige productions, critics were wondering if Binoche wastypecast as the tragic, despairing muse. In a feature article titled "The Erotic Face" in the June 2000 edition of British film criticism magazineSight and Sound, Ginette Vincendeau pondered Binoche's persona; Vincendeau suggested that the fixation of numerous directors upon her face had led to an erasure of her body, and to her being perceived only as a romantic icon rather than a versatile actress.[37]
After the success ofChocolat, Binoche was internationally recognized as an A-list movie star in the early 2000s, but as an actor her persona became somewhat fixed following a series ofperiod roles portraying a stoic heroine facing tragedy and desolation.[37] Keen to try something new, Binoche returned to French cinema in 2002 in an unlikely role: she played a ditsy beautician inJet Lag oppositeJean Reno.[85] The film, directed byDaniele Thompson, was a box office hit in France and Binoche was once again nominated for a César for Best Actress.[86] The film tells the story of a couple who meet at an airport during a strike. Initially the pair despises each other, but, over the course of one night, they find common ground and maybe even love. This playful spirit continued when Binoche featured in a 2003 Italian television commercial for the chocolatesFerrero Rocher. The advertisement played upon herChocolat persona featuring Binoche handing out the chocolates to people on the streets of Paris.[87]
In a more serious vein, Binoche traveled to South Africa to makeJohn Boorman'sIn My Country (2004) oppositeSamuel L. Jackson. Based on the bookCountry of My Skull byAntjie Krog, the film examinesThe Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings following the abolition of Apartheid in the mid-1990s.[88] Although the film premiered at the2004 Berlin International Film Festival, it received much criticism for the inclusion of a fictional romantic liaison and for its depiction of black South Africans.[89] Despite the negative reception, Binoche was extremely enthusiastic about the film and her connection with Boorman.[90][91] Her sister, Marion Stalens, also traveled to South Africa to shoot a documentary,La réconciliation?, which explores the TRC process and follows Binoche's progress as she acts in Boorman's film.[23] Next, Binoche re-teamed with Michael Haneke forCaché. The film was an immediate success, winning best director for Haneke at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival,[92] while Binoche was nominated for a European Film Award for Best Actress for her role.[93] The film tells the story of a bourgeois Parisian couple, played by Binoche andDaniel Auteuil, who begin to receive anonymous videotapes containing footage shot over long periods, surveying the outside of their home.Caché went on to feature in the number one position on the "Top 10 of the 2000s" list published by The Times at the end of the decade.[94]
Binoche's next film,Bee Season, based on the celebrated novel byMyla Goldberg, cast her oppositeRichard Gere. The film was not a success at the box office taking less than $5 million worldwide.[95] For many critics the film, although intelligent, was "distant and diffuse".[96]Bee Season depicts the emotional disintegration of a family just as their daughter begins to win national spelling bees.Mary (2005) featured Binoche in a somewhat unlikely collaboration with the controversial American directorAbel Ferrara for an investigation of modern faith andMary Magdalene's position within the Catholic Church.[97] FeaturingForest Whitaker,Matthew Modine andMarion Cotillard,Mary was a success, winning the Grand Prix at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Despite these accolades and favorable reviews, particularly from the cultural magazineLes Inrockuptibles,[98]Mary failed to secure a distributor in key markets such as the US and the UK.[99]
The Cannes Film Festival in 2006 saw Binoche feature in theanthology filmParis, je t'aime appearing in a section directed by the Japanese directorNobuhiro Suwa. Suwa'sPlace des Victoires is the story of a grief-stricken mother who manages to have a final brief moment with her dead son. The segment also featuresWillem Dafoe andHippolyte Girardot.Paris, je t'aime was a popular success, taking over $17 million, at the world box-office.[100] In September 2006, Binoche appeared at theVenice Film Festival to launchA Few Days in September, written and directed bySantiago Amigorena. Despite an impressive cast includingJohn Turturro,Nick Nolte and up-and-coming French starSara Forestier, the film was a failure.A Few Days in September is a thriller set between 5 and 11 September 2001, in which Binoche plays a French secret service agent, who may, or may not, have information relating to impending attacks on the U.S.[101] The film was the recipient of harsh criticism from the press for its perceived trivialisation of the events of 11 September 2001.[102] While promoting the film in the UK, Binoche told an interviewer she believed the CIA and other government agencies must have had foreknowledge of the11 September attacks, as depicted in the film.[103]
Next, Binoche traveled to the2006 Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere ofBreaking and Entering, her second film with Anthony Minghella in the director's chair, based on his first original screenplay since his breakthrough filmTruly, Madly, Deeply (1991). InBreaking and Entering, Binoche played a Bosnian refugee living in London, whileJude Law co-starred as a well-to-do businessman drawn into her life via an act of deception. In preparation for her role, Binoche traveled toSarajevo where she met women who had survived the war of the 1990s.[104] Lushly photographed byBenoît Delhomme,Breaking and Entering portrays intersecting lives amongst the flux of urban renewal in inner-city London.[105] Despite the fact that Binoche was praised for her performance, the film did not ring true for critics and failed to find an audience.[106] In a review inVariety, Todd McCarthy writes that, "Binoche, physically unchanged as ever, plays Amira's controlled anguish with skill".[107]Breaking and Entering also featuredRobin Wright,Vera Farmiga,Juliet Stevenson,Rafi Gavron andMartin Freeman.
Although Binoche began the decade on a professional high with an Academy Award nomination forChocolat, she struggled at the beginning of the 2000s to secure roles that did not confine her to the tragic, melancholic persona developed in the 1990s.[108] Despite the huge success ofCaché, other high-profile films such asIn My Country,Bee Season andBreaking and Entering failed critically[109] and commercially.[110] Binoche again seemed to be at a crossroads in her career.[108]
2007 was the start of a particularly busy period for Binoche, one that would see her take on diverse roles in a series of critically acclaimed international movies giving her film career a new impetus, as she shed the restrictions that seemed to have stifled her career in the early part of the decade.[108] The Cannes Film Festival saw the premiere ofFlight of the Red Balloon (2007) by the Taiwanese directorHou Hsiao-hsien. It was originally conceived as a short film to form part of a 20th anniversary tribute to theMusée d'Orsay, to be produced bySerge Lemoine, president of the museum. When that idea failed to find sufficient funding, Hou developed it into a feature-length film and secured the necessary financing.[111] The film was well received by international critics and went on to debut around the world early in 2008. Paying homage toAlbert Lamorisse's 1957 shortThe Red Balloon, Hou's film tells the story of a woman's efforts to juggle her responsibilities as a single mother with her commitment to her career as a voice artist. Shot on location in Paris, the film was entirely improvised by the cast.[112] The film was number one on the influential critic J. Hoberman's "Top 10 List" for 2008 published inThe Village Voice.[113]
Disengagement byAmos Gitai premiered out-of-competition at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Co-starring Liron Levo andJeanne Moreau,Disengagement is a political drama charting the story of a French woman, of Dutch/Palestinian origin, who goes in search of a daughter she abandoned 20 years previously on the Gaza strip. She arrives in Gaza during the 2005 Israelidisengagement.[115] The film won the prestigiousPremio Roberto Rossellini[116] and was critically acclaimed, particularly by the eminentCahiers du cinéma.[117] However the film proved more controversial in Israel where state television stationChannel 1 withdrew financial support for the film citing the "left-wing nature of Gitai's films".[118]
In stark contrast,Peter Hedges co-wrote and directed theDisney-producedDan in Real Life, a romantic comedy featuring Binoche alongsideSteve Carell. It was released in October 2007, becoming a popular commercial success in the US, before debuting around the world in 2008. The film grossed over $65 million at the worldwide box-office.[119]Dan in Real Life is the story of a widowed man (Carell) who meets, and instantly falls for, a woman (Binoche), only to discover she is the new girlfriend of his brother. The film also featuresDane Cook,Emily Blunt andDianne Wiest.[120]
Back in France, Binoche experienced popular and critical success inParis directed byCédric Klapisch.Paris is Klapisch's personal ode to the French capital and features an impressive ensemble of French talent, includingRomain Duris,Fabrice Luchini andMélanie Laurent.Paris was one of the most successful French films internationally in recent years, having grossed over $22 million at the world box office.[121] Binoche and Klapisch had originally met on the set ofMauvais Sang in 1986, where Klapisch was working as a set electrician.[122]
Also in France,Summer Hours (2008), directed byOlivier Assayas, is the critically acclaimed story of three siblings who struggle with the responsibility of disposing of their late mother's valuable art collection. The film premiered in France in March 2008 and had its U.S. debut at the2008 New York Film Festival, before going on general release in the U.S. on 19 May 2009. Widely acclaimed, the film was nominated for thePrix Louis Delluc in France and appeared on numerous U.S. "Top 10 lists", including first place on David Edelstein's "Top 10 of 2009" list inNew York magazine, and J. R. Jones's list in theChicago Reader.[123]Summer Hours also featuresCharles Berling,Jérémie Renier andÉdith Scob.
In the autumn of 2008, Binoche starred in a theatrical dance production titledin-i, co-created with renowned choreographerAkram Khan. The show, a love story told through dance and dialogue, featured stage design byAnish Kapoor and music byPhilip Sheppard. It premiered at theNational Theatre in London before embarking on a world tour.[124]The Sunday Times in the UK commented that, "Binoche's physical achievement is incredible: Khan is a master mover". The production was part of a 'Binoche Season' titledJu'Bi'lations, also featuring a retrospective of her film work and an exhibition of her paintings, which were also published in a bilingual bookPortraits in Eyes.[125] The book featured ink portraits of Binoche as each of her characters and of each director she had worked with up to that time. She also penned a few lines to each director.[126]
In April 2006 and again in December 2007, Binoche traveled to Tehran at the invitation of Abbas Kiarostami.[127] While there in 2007, she shot a cameo appearance in his filmShirin (2008) which he was shooting at the time. Binoche's visit proved controversial when two Iranian MPs raised the matter in parliament, advising more caution be exercised in granting visas to foreign celebrities which might lead to "cultural destruction".[128] In June 2009, Binoche began work onCertified Copy directed by Kiarostami.[129] The film was an Official Selection in competition at the2010 Cannes Film Festival.[130] Binoche won the Best Actress Award at the festival for her performance. The film went on general release in France on 19 May 2010 to very positive reviews.[131] Her win at the 2010 Cannes Film festival makes Binoche the first actress to win the European "best actress triple crown": Best Actress at Venice forThree Colors: Blue, Best Actress at Berlin forThe English Patient and Best Actress at Cannes forCertified Copy. The September 2010 UK release of the film was overshadowed when French actorGérard Depardieu made disparaging comments about Binoche to the Austrian magazineProfil, "Please can you explain to me what the mystery of Juliette Binoche is meant to be?" he said. "I would really like to know why she has been so esteemed for so many years. She has nothing – absolutely nothing".[132] In response, while promotingCertified Copy, Binoche spoke to movie magazineEmpire saying, "I don't know him. I understand you don't have to like everyone and you can dislike someone's work. But I don't understand the violence [of his statements]... I do not understand why he is behaving like this. It is his problem."[133]Certified Copy proved to be controversial in Kiarostami's homeland when Iranian authorities announced on 27 May 2010 that the film was to be banned in Iran, apparently due to Binoche's attire; Deputy Culture Minister Javad Shamaqdari is quoted as saying, "If Juliette Binoche were better clad it could have been screened but due to her attire there will not be a general screening."[134]
David Cronenberg, Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche at the premiere ofCosmopolis at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Following the success ofCertified Copy, Binoche appeared in a brief supporting role inThe Son of No One for American writer and directorDito Montiel. The film also starsChanning Tatum,Al Pacino andRay Liotta.The Son of No One premiered at the2011 Sundance Film Festival to fairly negative reaction.[135] It was acquired byAnchor Bay Entertainment for distribution in the US and other key territories arriving in selected US cinemas on 4 November 2011.[136] As of December 2011[update], according to film review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,The Son of No One is Juliette Binoche's least critically successful film, with only 18% of critics giving it a positive review.[137]
In June 2010, Binoche started work onElles for Polish directorMałgorzata Szumowska.Elles, produced under the working titleSponsoring,[138][139] is an examination of teenage prostitution with Juliette Binoche playing a journalist forELLE. The film was released in France on 1 February 2012.[140] On 12 January 2011, Variety announced that Juliette Binoche would star inAnother Woman's Life loosely based on the novelLa Vie d'une Autre by Frédérique Deghelt.[141] Released in France on 15 February 2012, the film is the directorial debut of the French actressSylvie Testud and co-stars actor/directorMathieu Kassovitz.Another Woman's Life is the story of Marie (Binoche) a young woman who meets and spends the night with Paul (Kassovitz). When she wakes up, she discovers that 15 years have passed. With no memory of these years she learns she has acquired an impressive career, a son and a marriage to Paul which seems headed for divorce. The film met with generally mixed reviews in France.[142]
On 17 February 2011, Screendaily announced that Binoche had been cast in David Cronenberg's filmCosmopolis withRobert Pattinson,Paul Giamatti,Mathieu Amalric, andSamantha Morton.[143] Binoche appeared in a supporting role as a New York art dealer, Didi Fancher, who is having an affair with Pattinson's Eric Packer. The film, produced by Paulo Branco, began principal photography on 24 May 2011 and was released in 2012, following a competition slot at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[144]Cosmopolis received mixed reviews from critics.[145] August 2012 saw the French release ofAn Open Heart oppositeÉdgar Ramírez and directed byMarion Laine. Based on the novelRemonter l'Orénoque byMathias Énard, the film is the story of the obsessive relationship between two highly successful surgeons. The film depicts the consequences of an unexpected pregnancy and alcoholism upon their relationship.[146] The second film directed by Laine,An Open Heart met with tepid reviews in France and poor box office receipts.[147]
Released at the 2013Berlin International Film Festival,Bruno Dumont'sCamille Claudel 1915 is a drama recounting three days of the 30 years French artistCamille Claudel (Binoche) spent in a mental asylum though she had not been diagnosed with any malady. The film examines Claudel's fight to maintain her sanity and find creative inspiration while awaiting a visit from her brother, the poetPaul Claudel. The film received excellent reviews with Binoche in particular gaining praise for her performance.[148]
In 2015, Binoche starred on stage in a new English language translation ofAntigone. Directed byIvo van Hove, the production had a world premier in Luxembourg at the end of February. Then, it embarked an international tour to London, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Paris, Recklinghausen and New York.[151]
Binoche narrated the new documentary film titledTalking about Rose about theChad soldierRose Lokissim who fought againstHissène Habré's dictatorship in the 1980s.[152]
In 2016, Binoche reunited withBruno Dumont for the comedy filmSlack Bay.[153] The 2016 Cannes Film Festival saw the première ofSlack Bay (Ma Loute), also starringFabrice Luchini andValeria Bruni Tedeschi, which is a burlesque comedy based in the Ambleteuse region of Northern France. Set in 1910, the film tells the unusual story of two families linked by an unlikely romance.Ma Loute won much praise from French critics and was a popular success at the French box office.[154]
Following the success of her reunion with Bruno Dumont, Juliette Binoche next made a special appearance inPolina, danser sa vie (2016) directed by Valérie Müller and Angelin Preljocaj, focusing on the story of a gifted Russian ballerina, Polina (Anastasia Shevtsoda). From Moscow to Aix-En-Provence and Antwerp, from success to disillusion, we follow Polina's incredible destiny. Binoche portrays a choreographer, Liria Elsaj, who awakens a desire in Polina to move away from classical ballet to explore more contemporary dance.[154] In October 2017, she performedBarbara's autobiographical prose in thePhilharmonie de Paris, accompanied by the French pianistAlexandre Tharaud.[155]
Telle mère, telle fille (Like Mother, Like Daughter) (2017) is a comedy from Noémie Saglio and features Binoche as a free-wheeling 47-year-old who falls pregnant at the same time as her uptight daughter Avril (Camille Cottin). The film also featuresLambert Wilson, reuniting with Binoche 32 years after they were a sensation at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival in André Téchiné'sRendez-Vous. In May 2017 Binoche and Cottin appeared together again, this time on the small screen in the final episode of the second season ofDix Pour Cent (Call My Agent) where Juliette Binoche played herself in a tongue-in-cheek episode centering on the Cannes Film Festival.
Returning to the big screen, Binoche next appeared in a supporting role in Rupert Sanders's big screen adaptation of the cult mangaGhost in the Shell (2017). Binoche played Dr Ouelet, a scientist with the Hanka organization responsible for creating the ghost in the shell, Major, portrayed byScarlett Johansson. Binoche, Sanders and Johansson did extensive promotion for the film in the US, Japan, Europe and Australia.
Binoche attending the Málaga French Film Festival in October 2024
May 2017 saw the première of Claire Denis'sUn Beau Soleil Intérieur (Let the Sunshine In) (2017) at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs selection at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is the story of a middle-aged Parisian artist, Isabelle (Binoche), who is searching for true love at last. The film depicts her many encounters with a number of unsuitable men. The film also featuresXavier Beauvois,Nicolas Duvauchelle,Josiane Balasko,Valeria-Bruni Tedeschi andGérard Depardieu.Un Beau Soleil Intérieur was a success with audiences and critics around the world.
Next, Binoche appeared inNaomi Kawase'sVision (2018). Following that, she reunited withClaire Denis for the English languageHigh Life (2018), Olivier Assayas forDoubles Vies (2019) and Patrice Leconte forLa maison vide (2019).
In 2024, the Board of theEuropean Film Academy unanimously elected her President of the Academy, replacingAgnieszka Holland, the Polish director, who decided to devote her time to filmmaking.[156]
On February 4 2025, Binoche was named as jury president for that year's Cannes Film Festival.[157]
Binoche has two children: son Raphaël (born on 2 September 1993), whose father is André Halle, a professional scuba diver, and daughter Hana (born on 16 December 1999), whose father is actorBenoît Magimel, with whom Binoche starred in the 1999 filmChildren of the Century and the 2023 filmThe Taste of Things. Her sister, Marion Stalens, born 1960, is a professional photographer withCorbis, as well as a director of documentary films, including:La réconciliation?, a documentary shot on the set of John Boorman's filmIn My Country;[23]The Actress and the Dancer, which explores the genesis of Binoche's dance showIn-I;[158] andJuliette Binoche – Sketches for a Portrait, a documentary which follows Binoche as she paints the portraits that would later appear in her bookPortraits in Eyes.[159] Marion is married to stage director Pierre Pradinas.[13]
Her half-brother Camille Humeau (born 1978) is a musician and has been part of the line-up of Oncle Strongle,[160][161] before top-lining the group Artichaut Orkestra.[162] In 2007, he appeared in a stage production ofCabaret directed bySam Mendes.[55]
Since 1992, Binoche has been a patron of the FrenchCambodian charityEnfants d'Asie (previously ASPECA). Through this charity, she is godmother to five Cambodian orphans, and has funded the construction of a children's home inBattambang.[163] Starting in 2000, she has been involved with the organizationReporters Without Borders. In 2002, she presided over "Photos of Stars" withThierry Ardisson. Nearly 100 French stars were given disposable cameras, which were then auctioned, the buyer then having the exclusive photos taken by the star developed.[164]
On 7 February 2006, Binoche attended a high-profile demonstration organized byReporters Without Borders in support ofJill Carroll and two Iraqi journalists who had been abducted in Baghdad.[166]
In 2009, she commented on theSeptember 11 attacks during the shooting ofQuelques jours en septembre, a spy film in which interest groups, including the American secret services, were aware of an imminent attack on the United States. She talked with a secret agent, who was a consultant for the film, and was reported in an English newspaper saying: "He couldn't tell me everything, but he told me a lot. I was surprised by some things."[170]
Binoche and numerous other French personalities, includingIsabelle Adjani,Yvan Attal,Jane Birkin, andJosiane Balasko, joined Réseau Éducation Sans Frontières (RESF) on 7 January 2010 with a symbolic "cake of solidarity" to highlight the taxation and legitimacy issues being faced byundocumented workers in France.[171]
Binoche was a signatory to a June 2010 petition organized by Reporters Without Borders andShirin Ebadi to protest against the detention of numerous people, including members of the press, who were protesting the occasion of the first anniversary of the disputed re-election of Iran's presidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad.[172]
At the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Binoche spoke out against the detention of Iranian directorJafar Panahi, incarcerated in Tehran'sEvin Prison since 1 March 2010 without charge or conviction. At the press conference following the press screening ofCopie Conforme, Binoche was informed that Panahi had begun a hunger strike.[173] The following day, Binoche attended a press conference called especially to demand the release of Panahi. Also in attendance wereAbbas Kiarostami,Mohsen Makhmalbaf, andGilles Jacob. Binoche read a letter that said that Panahi's detention was "unwarranted and intolerable". When Binoche was awarded the Best Actress award at the festival, brandishing his name on a placard, she used her speech as an opportunity to raise Panahi's plight once again.[174] On 25 May, it was announced that Panahi had been released on bail. It was generally agreed that the publicity Binoche and Kiarostami elicited for his case was a strong factor in his release.[173] On 20 December 2010, Panahi, after being prosecuted for "assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country's national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic", was handed a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media, as well as leaving the country. Binoche continued to lobby on his behalf.[175]
In May 2018, she co-authored a tribune in the newspaperLe Monde, in which she opposed the lawsuit brought by the French judiciary to three people who had helped migrants, and said she had already helped migrants in need and intended to continue to do so.[176]
In February 2019, during a press conference at theBerlin International Film Festival, Binoche said thatHarvey Weinstein was a great producer and "we shouldn't forget, even though it has been difficult for some directors and actors, and especially actresses".[178] Binoche also said: "I almost want to say peace to his mind and heart, that's all, I'm trying to put my feet in his shoes. He's had enough, I think. A lot of people have expressed themselves. Now justice has to do its work."[179]
Binoche is a Christian and reads the Bible daily, stating in a 2025 interview withThe Independent: "I believe there is a God up there, but it cannot just be belief. It needs to be concrete for me – real, embodied. Otherwise it is just ideas."[70]
^abQuoted in feature articlePremière No 222, 09/1995
^McFerran, Ann (22 January 1993)."Father-In-Law of the Bride".Entertainment Weekly.Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved2 August 2011.
