Did they get you guys all together, the whole family together in the house early to get used to each other?

Juliette: Yeah we did that. 

So was that crazy?  Was it actually like a big party or were there fights?  What happened?

Juliette: No I love my directors and the production and I  understand it because it’s like theatre.  You have to make a family and take the time for it and play around.  So we had to write one another’s stories and we had to sing together and dance together again and there were games made because I had to learn all the games.  I didn’t know.  It’s very American.  You know,  the bowling, the pancakes, the – you know, so it was a process of me becoming an American. 

Where did the actress in you come from?  What fuelled that particular passion for you to become an actress?

Juliette: I think it comes from being at school and not belonging in the school system.  I felt very, very unhappy in having to do the right thing and being – I don’t’ know.  I felt that I didn’t belong to this kind of system so very early on.  And also I was in a boarding school very, very early, when I was four years old.  So I had to invent a sort of surviving system, which was fine.  I played and played and played, and played and played and played, and played and played and played and the space that I gave myself in order I think to prepare myself for life and I think the imagination is really what made me survive. 

Do you still feel like that in a way?  Do you still feel a bit like the survivor or like the outsider or …?

Juliette: I always felt an outsider and it feels quite alright I have to say because for me you have to be independent in order to be with the others.  I don’t like being dependent. 

Are you surprised at the international success that you’ve attained or are you …

Juliette: Yes I am.  But at the same time when I was eighteen I felt like ‘(gasps)  I’ve got to go away from my country.  (gasps) I can’t breathe here.  (gasps) let’s get out the country and learn a new language where I can travel and to go somewhere else.  That’s really what in my guts, I felt I’ve got to expand and express myself around the world.  And it wasn’t especially American and it wasn’t a specific country.  I just wanted to meet great minds, people with visions and integrity and authenticity and go in the world.  But expressing it could acting, it could be directing, it could be designing, it could be – I’m going to do a dance show next year.  And for me that’s part of it.  It’s the same movement.  I think we’re all about movement and so acting is one of them because you’ve got to do that, you know, you have expose something of yourself but it’s so deep inside and so hidden and intimate and in dance it’s another way of reaching something of yours that is, you haven’t – I don’t know.  I think life gives us so much and we’re just exploring a tiny little bit of ourselves instead of trying new things and painting and writing, but it wasn’t an artistic layer I had to go because I can – it’ like my choices have now related to business, you know, and I see here that business comes first sometimes and when I got all the questions that I’ve been doing for two days now, I feel sick. I feel like ‘Oh it’s terrible to be a woman here’. 

Why?

Juliette: Well because they tell you ‘Do you still get parts?, you know.  And I feel ‘Well in ten months I did five films so yeah I still do get parts. 

Really?

Juliette: No I tell you, ‘And so what’s your role about?’ ‘The role?  You haven’t seen the movie?’

Would that be the TV journalists?

Juliette: Yeah.  Oh my God. 

Everyone complains about the ….

Juliette: But I’ve never felt that before.  And I think because I’m doing this film with Steve Carell so I have to promote Steve Carell’s career the whole day.  Because it’s very male oriented.  Sorry.  But it’s very male oriented.

But in Europe you don’t get treated that way?

Juliette: I don’t feel that.  No it’s true.  It’s shocking. 

You just mentioned you did five movies in ten months.  Can you talk about the other films that you’ve done?

Juliette: Well …. We were just talking about one which is the Hou Hsiao-hsien film called The Flight of the Red Balloon.  He’s a Taiwanese director.  He’s one of the most talented and interesting directors.  I did a film with Cédric Klapich.  He’s a French director.  We did a film called Paris.  And I did a film with Amos Gitai, he’s an Israeli director.  It’s called Disengagement.  It’s about the Gaza pull out you know.  And the relationship between brother and sister.  And I did a film with Olivier Assayas, he’s a French director, called Heure d’été, L’ (Summer Time). 

And the dance film that you’re going to be doing?

Juliette: It’s not a film.  It’s a show.  Yeah.  We’re going to tour. 

Will it be in Paris?

Juliette: No we’re going to start at the National Theatre in London.  And then we’re going to go to different places?

Will you go here?

Juliette: We will come to LA at UCLA theatre. 

Really?  When do you think that will be?

Juliette: January 2009.

What is the nature of the dance show.  I mean what’s the …

Juliette: We don’t know yet because we haven’t stated the rehearsal and the idea is to improve and start from the unknown which is very scary but it’s where you have to find your true belonging things.  So I’m going to do that with Akram Can.  He’s an English, Indian dancer, of Catak. 

Does it have a title.

Juliette: Inside Eye. 

Inside Eye, E-Y-E- or in side I?

Juliette: Both. 

And you’re going to perform in it?

Juliette: Yeah. 

A whole run?

Juliette: I hope so. 

How will it feel to you to get back – I mean when’s the last time you were on stage?

Juliette: That was in New York in Betrayal, I did on Broadway. 

That was a while ago. 

Juliette: A while ago.  About six years ago. 

Are you looking forward to getting back into …?

Juliette: Yeah, I do, yeah. 

And this dance show is at the Royal National Theatre?

Juliette: No it’s not the Royal.  It’s a National London theatre.  But there’s the three theatres, the little ….

Well that’s the National Theatre.  And that’s the one that Richard Eyre used to run.

Juliette: Absolutely.  Yeah. 

What’s the Richard Eyre movie you’ve done?

Juliette: Oh The Other Man? 

Yes. 

Juliette: I’m not sure I’ll be able because I’ll be rehearsing for the show so I don’t know yet whether I will be able to do his film because we were supposed to do it next month and it was postponed because of money problems.  So I’m not sure …