We talked for hours about the script and why he wanted to make this movie.
DEADLINE: Are you a fan of his movies?
KRUGER: Yeah, very much so.
Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger in David Cronenberg’s ‘The Shrouds.‘Gravetech Productions/Sbc productions
I remember as a kid watchingThe Flyand being completely terrorized.
So, I feel like hes always been part of my subconsciousness.
Any actor would drop everything to get the chance to work with someone like that.
Diane Kruger with Denis Moschitto (second from left) inIn the Fade.Magnolia Pictures/Everett Collection
DEADLINE: What can you say about the part, or parts, that you play?
KRUGER: I play Vincent Cassels deceased wife, who you see in various stages of her illness.
Shes passing away from breast cancer.
You also see me as her sister.
And then Im also playing an avatar that Vincents character has created in her memory.
DEADLINE: How did that work out for you?
But the sister was very fun to play.
Shes very eccentric, as youll see in the film, and very, very, very different.
DEADLINE: What conversations did you have with David about the film?
That really struck me.
The movie, in a very Cronenberg way, talks about that.
Its also very funny because at moments its kind of absurd.
Especially, the sister character has true moments of absurdity.
So, for me, it was kind of a fun balance.
DEADLINE: Was it a dark part to play?
Did it weigh heavy on you?
KRUGER: It did, whether he meant that for me to carry that or not.
Obviously, its very personal to him, and maybe I made more of it than I needed to.
But David is a very…
DEADLINE: And how was Vincent Cassel as your husband?
KRUGER: Vincent was a wonderful partner.
DEADLINE: Would you describeThe Shroudsas a genre film?
KRUGER: Yeah, but its the Cronenberg genre, right?
Its less gory than the last one he did, but it definitely has that tone.
Its kind of hard to define what genre it is.
Its not a horror movie by any stretch.
DEADLINE: Its hard to identify themes and genres in your work.
Although, who knows, it might be fun to do one.
I think I tend to do a lot of films that are satire.
I love a comedy.
I havent done many, but theyre really fun to make.
I feel like Ive done one and a half.
I always like to find roles for myself that sort of have an undertone of something light and comedic.
DEADLINE: Which are the one and a half?
Hes the king of comedy in France, so it was kind of easy to do that with him.
And then theres a part of me that feels likeInglourious Basterdsis very funny.
There are definitely funny scenes in there.
DEADLINE: Speaking of which, you came to Cannes withInglourious Basterdsin 2009.
How many times have you been to the festival now?
KRUGER: I havent counted but Ive been a few times.
Really, my career started in Cannes.
In fact, the very first time I went to Cannes was probably the most extravagant one.
I just remember it being absolute craziness.
Ive never had that experience again.
DEADLINE: What do you remember of that year at the festival withInglourious Basterds?
KRUGER: Being very nervous, because no one had seen the movie, right?
Quentin was cutting it, literally, I think, until the day before it screened.
So, were all super energized for the premiere [laughs].
But it made for the best premiere party that Ive ever been to, for sure.
That wouldve been too obvious for him.
And I was right, because he immediately cited a different actress, Zarah Leander.
But for me, it was always Hildegard Neff.
She had a very specific voice, especially her singing.
For me, I grew up with those kinds of films.
My grandparents would watch them.
It was all on the page.
But, having said that, Quentins dialogue is not easy for a non-English language native speaker.
So, its not easy to learn.
But I just remember that because I did [audition], we got to meet.
And that look in Quentins eyes, Ill never forget it.
I love him so much.
Hes such a geek about filmmaking and movies.
You just want to c’mon him.
Theres something about him.
You want to see him happy.
Hes just such a big teddy bear when hes on set.
DEADLINE: Do you still remember now why you wanted to become an actress?
KRUGER: I was a ballet dancer before.
I studied with the Royal Academy.
I dont come from an artistic family at all; Im from a very small place in Germany.
I just didnt see it.
I was completely lost as to what it was that was expected of me.
I always loved reading, and I loved performing, and…
I dont know, I just loved being a better, more exciting version of myself, I guess.
She was my favorite actress growing up.
Study for three years and see?
Smoking way too many cigarettes, discovering Victor Hugo, and feeling very, very French.
Those were my college years, I guess, and I never looked back.
DEADLINE: How long did you stay in Paris?
KRUGER: Im still kind of in Paris.
I moved there when I was 16, and Ive kept a place there ever since.
DEADLINE: Is it really true thatIn the Fadewas your first ever German-language performance?
KRUGER: Yeah, I mean, I speak a little bit of German inInglorious Basterds.
But I left Germany when I was very young.
I dont even have an agent in Germany.
I dont know a lot of people in the German film industry.
I started in France.
DEADLINE: What attracted you to that project?
Its a really tough part.
Did Fatih have to convince you?
I was a huge fan of Fatihs work.
Hes a big, big star in Germany, even outside the film industry.
When you walk with him in Hamburg, people stop him all the time for autographs.
Its kind of crazy.
DEADLINE: How did you meet?
I love your films.
I think youre awesome.
It took him five years to call me back, but I was completely starstruck by him.
And when I read the script…
It was the role of a lifetime.
DEADLINE: What do you remember about the night you won the Best Actress award forIn the Fade?
KRUGER: We were still in Cannes, because we screened on the Friday before closing night.
I was getting ready to leave when they called to say, yo stay.
We knew we were gettingsomething, but we didnt know what.
It was a very emotional time for me, because I hadnt seen the movie prior to Cannes.
Fatih had only just finished it.
My stepdad passed away; my grandmother passed away…
I was just emotionally emptied out.
I couldnt take on any more work.
I signed on to projects only to pull out the day after.
So, that was all happening.
All this stuff came back.
Id been seeing people grieve for so long that it was like an endless black tunnel of people grieving.
So, when they called my name, I was truly, truly overwhelmed.
I almost didnt even go up.
It was a total blur.
But also, in a way, a relief.
A relief to feel like, Well, somebody saw it.
Somebody appreciated the work and appreciated the movie.
Theres no studio that spends thousands of dollars in advertising.
It felt very spontaneous and just… real.
Its a real moment.
Ive been on that jury myself, and I know what happens in that room.
So, I was very, very appreciative.
DEADLINE: Did you enjoy your time on the jury or was it stressful?
Its amazing how heated things get.
Its a veryemotionalpoint of view, in a way.
So, to be in a group of people that are producers, directors… Its a very interesting thing to be part of.
It was also really cool to be in Cannes and only do that.
Youre so protected from all the other things that are happening.
Youre not supposed to read anything.
I didnt even really go out anywhere.
I just got up every morning and watched three movies.
So, yeah, it was an awesome time.
DEADLINE: Youre working on Fatih Akins new filmAmrum.
What can you say about that?
KRUGER: Im just doing a very small part, because its really a movie about a young child.
Im going to go right after Cannes to do it.
Its a very emotional, sweet story.
Im just really doing a four-day part.
DEADLINE: Do you have a favorite place in Cannes?
Youve obviously been there a lot…
KRUGER: No.
Its tough when youre there.
You cant go anywhere.
My favorite place is probably the backstage area of the Palais.
And you meet the people that work there.
Theyre all cinephiles, right?
All they want to do is talk about movies.
DEADLINE: Whats your favorite memory?
KRUGER: Ill share it with you.
One of my first films in Cannes wasJoyeux Noel[2005], and we screened out of competition.
In Europe, obviously, everybody has a story about World War I.
Most of our great-grandparents had someone who was in the war.
Its the most amazing memory that I have of Cannes.
I cannot evenbeginto tell you what a feeling that was.
So, Cannes truly can be magic.
Cannes is magic that way.
I hope itll never change.
