Cécile de France is featured in the France 2 event series Abyss. The Belgian actress embodies the scientist Cécile Roche confronted with an unprecedented deadly pandemic. At the Séries Mania festival, where the miniseries was presented out of competition, Cécile de France, very committed to the environment, explained to 20 minuteswhy she wanted to take part in this brilliant anticipation thriller, which plunges the viewer into the mysteries of the ocean depths and alerts to the climate emergency.
What made you want to play in “Abyss”?
Lots of things ! I found it really exciting to participate in a thriller that literally immerses us in the great mystery of the depths of the oceans. This field really fascinates me, I watch a lot of documentaries on the new species that are discovered every year in the seabed. I really liked the intelligence of the series which questions our humility and our ancestral fear in the face of the unknown and the mysteries of nature, but also our ability to marvel at the beauty of nature. The key to our survival may depend on our ability to reconnect with her that we have broken. I found it exciting to play a scientist. They may not save the planet, but they provide us with solutions to do so. Visually, I loved the moodboard. And then, I had never done science fiction, it delighted the old little girl in me!
Tell us about your character?
Cécile Roche is a molecular biology researcher in a hospital in the south of France. She has a complicated family life: she has two children and she lives separated from a father who is not very present. We understand that it is not simple, and at the same time, appears a mysterious mutant bacterium which is in the process of infecting the French coasts. She will lead the investigation to elucidate this mystery with a doctor colleague. They will understand that the world is at the dawn of an unprecedented deadly pandemic. What interested me was that she is a character torn between her family life and science, between the lives of those she loves and those of billions of people.
Is it complicated to participate in a big international co-production like “Abyss”?
What was complicated was filming during the Covid pandemic. Cases broke out during filming and we lived a little isolated in our hotel rooms. A real headache for directors, assistants and production! Apart from that, I had the impression of being on a big boat with a team that does its job very well, it was enough to follow the movement!
There was a kind of collusion between life and fiction…
Effectively ! We were imbued with this reality. But very quickly, when we were shooting scenes related to the supernatural, we also had the chance to leave this sad reality behind. In this pandemic, it is scientists who, once again, have provided the solutions. With regard to global warming too, they are the ones who provide the technological solutions, the innovations and the way to take concrete action. Playing a scientist was galvanizing. For me, they are the heroes of modern times. We were also aware that we were in the process of making a thriller, it was not just the sad side of the deaths linked to the pandemic. Finally, there was the pleasure of working between artists, it’s a project that makes you think, but above all an artistic project.
And shoot in English with an international cast?
All the scenes in which the scientists are together are in English, and we speak a lot, with a very scientific vocabulary, so we had to prepare a lot. We were lucky to be able to have a coach if we wanted. I called him sometimes in the middle of the night to help me, it’s not always easy to have the right pronunciation. I found it interesting that there were scenes in their mother tongue for each character at some point, to have the pleasure of hearing these languages. There is for example a scene in Dutch, scenes in German, etc. It’s original. I highly recommend watching the series in its original version. And on the set, to work together, English was the common language.
Playing in a series like “Abyss” that is both entertaining and has a strong political subtext is one of your selection criteria as an actress…
Of course ! But I am also for films or series of pure entertainment, we need that too! But it’s true that when someone offers me an intelligent project, with meaning, which can have a resonance, here in this case, on our planet, I think that this chance should be seized because there has people who mobilize, who think… So, as an actress, just bringing her little brick to the building, that’s not nothing! This makes me active in my artistic process.
Aren’t you afraid that the disaster side of the series is counterproductive?
No way ! When we see the series until the end, we realize that it is a series that gives hope, awakens our ability to marvel, and highlights the good sides of human beings. . The human being is not just a monster, even if at the beginning of the series, he is presented as such because he is the trigger.
In 2018, you signed the appeal by Juliette Binoche and the astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau for “firm and immediate” political action in the face of climate change, do you consider yourself a committed artist?
It’s hard to position myself. I really want to stay in my place as an artist. I am not an activist public figure. There are people who take concrete action and do extraordinary things to save the planet. I also know that fiction has a very strong emotional power. Moralizing, making human beings feel guilty, is the worst thing to do! I will be more attracted to projects that make people think and advance mentalities: here, on the environmental crisis or on patriarchy. Abyss highlights the imagination, it is also the strength of the human being to have this ability to invent stories. This ties in with our ability to marvel at nature. I strongly believe in the emotional strength of human beings, in their predisposition to have empathy and to cooperate. I think maybe that’s how we can save our planet.
Do you think we can still save the planet?
It’s not for me to say that. I am neither a guesser nor a scientist. It is up to scientists to answer this question. But, we can intervene so that the governments really take action, that they stop postponing difficult decisions since generally national interests and those of lobbies mean that decision-making is always postponed. Public opinion must intervene in this action. It’s our planet!
Did this character teach you or make you aware of anything in terms of ecology?
This allowed me to better understand the damage that we inflict on the oceans. First of all, overfishing, since we consider that the oceans are a zone of lawlessness. We really have to move towards sustainable fishing by once again listening to the warnings of scientists. Then there is global warming which causes rising sea levels, the massive death of corals, the massive melting of sea ice, permafrost and ice caps. And finally, pollution, we really consider the oceans as open dumps by dumping sewage, oil, plastic, fertilizers and noise pollution there as well. I learned a bit about it.
Has this made you change your habits or your actions for the planet?
Obviously ! The idea is to reduce as much as possible. We must be aware, as a consumer of what we buy and as a citizen, be aware of the repercussions of each daily gesture on the planet. Knowing how the fish we eat was caught, getting a little information… The list is long and I invite everyone to open their minds and be more aware.
You are Belgian, you have lived in France, you shoot in international series, you feel like a citizen of the world?
Absolutely ! I feel rich in my Belgian culture, because it is my heart. It’s in France and in Paris in particular that I have the best roles and projects, and living from my passion is wonderful. On a project like Abyss, I also feel universal, and even beyond that, as part of the greater whole, of the cosmos. It goes from the heart to the universe.
Speaking of beautiful roles, you recently found the character of Isabelle in “Greek salad”, how did this reunion go?
I only made one entry. Greek salad is not the story of the aging characters, but that – and this is much smarter – of their children. It’s always a pleasure to take on the role of Isabelle that I adore. Above all, I was captivated by all these young actors, this new generation who have extraordinary acting strength. It was nice for me to be a bit of a benevolent auntie, which is a bit like a satellite around these new heroes.
We have never seen you in a Belgian series…
Yes, because I haven’t been offered yet! Flemish and Walloon fiction are quite separate. There is an extraordinary pool of Flemish actors. The Walloon talents are also exceptional. But since there is a language barrier, we don’t mix that much. As a French-speaker, we’re not going to go to France anymore, that’s what happened to me. Obviously, playing in a Belgian series would interest me!