My first reflex was to refuse.
I felt like it would be too big and that I wasnt the right person to do it.
I thought about it for a long time, before finally saying Id do it.
Fanny HerreroArno Lam
But aside from that, the canvas was blank and the only instructions were to capture the French spirit.
That day was seminal.
Everything came from this living backdrop.
Being on a river which flows and is in perpetual movement brings something.
It was a beautiful image for a portrait of countrys identity, which is constantly changing and being renewed.
The team also studied past opening ceremonies and in particular that of Danny Boyle for the 2012 London Olympics.
It was an extremely joyful and fertile experience, she recounts.
One of the reasons I accepted this adventure was to be in the room with people I admire.
We were all outside of our original disciplines.
Trying to write an opening ceremony had nothing to do with what wed done before.
Its complicated capturing the spirit of France.
Thomas would say it was like doing a puzzle.
Were lucky in France to have a motto which is Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
Herrero has been working on a number of other projects.
Ive nearly finished it, and it should shoot next year if everything goes to plan, she says.
Herrero says it has been a joy transposing the reoccurring characters from the series to the big screen.
I was over the moon to reconnect with them again.
It was real pleasure, she recounts.
Id finish a piece of dialogue and then Id rejoice in imagining each actor saying their lines.
I know them all by heart so when I am writing I know their comedic and emotional notes.
