Interview with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou de Laâge, stars of the series Étoile

by Violaine Schütz.

Publié le 22 april 2025. Modifié le 24 April 2025.

From Black Swan, Flashdance, Climax, Houria, Fame, Showgirls, La La Land, La Danseuse…dance has often inspired great cinematic moments with its rigorous discipline and sensual aesthetic. Now, Prime Video steps up by placing this art form at the heart of an ambitious new series: Étoile, available from April 24.

Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Gilmore Girls fame), the show spans New York and Paris, and is inspired by a true story.

Étoile, a gripping series about the ballet world in crisis

The story follows two ballet companies (one French, the other American) that decide to exchange their star dancers due to financial difficulties (the classical dance world has struggled post-COVID).

With snappy, sharp dialogue, realistic dance scenes, a thrilling soundtrack, and endearing characters, the series quickly becomes addictive.

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou de Laâge, two Inspired Actresses

The cast is particularly compelling. Lou de Laâge (Black Box, The Mad Women’s Ball) stuns as a rebellious, impulsive ballerina, while the iconic singer and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg impresses as the interim director of the Paris Opera and National Ballet, elegant and shrewd in business. Numéro met with both of them.

Interview with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou de Laâge

Numéro: Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou de Laâge. What made you want to be part of Étoile?

Charlotte Gainsbourg: It was reading the first four scripts that convinced me. We only had four out of eight episodes, so committing without knowing the whole story was strange. I was nervous, not knowing what would happen to my character. During filming, I felt I had to charm the directors so they’d write me a good arc, which was a mindset I had to push away. What drew me in were the personalities of the two creators, whom I met at the very start. And I liked my character. Also, it was my first time doing a comedy, and in English, which intrigued me.

 

Lou de Laâge: Funnily enough, just a few months before the audition, I was asked in an interview what kind of new role I’d like to play. I usually struggle with that question. But this time, I said: “I’d like to play a very physical role. Someone with a bad temper…”

Charlotte Gainsbourg: Really?

Lou de Laâge: Yes. And someone later brought up that interview and said to me, ‘It’s kind of crazy because that’s exactly what you said and that’s exactly what happened with your role as a ballerina in Étoile.’ So there was a kind of alignment between a wish and real life.”

“I never wanted dance to be my career.” Lou de Laâge

Were you familiar with the dance world before joining the series?

Lou de Laâge: I did a lot of dance as a kid and teen in a specialized program. I trained with girls who truly wanted to make it their life and who worked incredibly hard. They were so talented. But I never wanted to do it professionally. Dance wasn’t my passion in that way. Still, I had a decent sense of that world, and the series allowed me to dive back in.

Charlotte Gainsbourg: I knew very little about classical dance. My mother (Jane Birkin) steered me more toward Pina Bausch-type choreographies, but that was later in life. As a child, I remember being around Zizi Jeanmaire and Roland Petit because my parents were close with them. Zizi was such a striking figure, very modern but also a classical dancer. I didn’t see her perform much, just during vacations. But I saw one of Roland Petit’s ballets as a child, my only visit to the opera back then.

“I’m fragile on the outside and strong on the inside, Geneviève is the opposite.” Charlotte Gainsbourg

Lou de Laâge: Funny enough, my mom used to call me “Zizi” throughout my childhood, in reference to her.

Charlotte Gainsbourg: Really? That’s sweet. My father (Serge Gainsbourg) wore Zizi Repetto shoes, and I think my mom got them for him after meeting Roland Petit and Zizi Jeanmaire.

How would you describe your characters? Any similarities between them and yourselves?

Charlotte Gainsbourg: I was hoping for a more dance-involved role. Not as a dancer, obviously, but with a dancer’s background so I could take some classes and prepare. But Amy didn’t want another dancer. She wanted someone passionate about dance, but from the outside, more of a strategist than an artist. I play Geneviève, someone fascinated by the artists around her and with a vision for what the opera needs. She clashes with the Culture Minister, who prefers tradition. Geneviève constantly feels under threat, afraid of being fired, and hides many vulnerabilities. I liked that. But she’s the opposite of me. I’m fragile outwardly and strong inside, whereas she’s the reverse.

“Dance is a live performance. So it can’t be replaced that easily… With cinema, for me, it’s more the fear of being replaced by technology that I’ve felt.” Charlotte Gainsbourg

Lou de Laâge: My character, Cheyenne, is one of the top star dancers of the moment. She’s passionate, a bit rough, and has a strong personality. She’s not about charm, she just wants to honor the art of ballet. That’s what I like about her: she’s anti-seduction yet totally committed. She can be annoying but also deeply sympathetic. I don’t see many similarities between us, except that I play her.

Do you see parallels between the dance world and cinema, both struggling to attract young audiences post-COVID?

Charlotte Gainsbourg: Yes, but dance is live, it can’t be easily replaced. In cinema, I fear being replaced by tech or that people will only watch the first 15 minutes. It’s a different kind of attention. For dance, the threat is being seen as old-fashioned or too traditional.

Lou de Laâge: It’s hard to imagine live art disappearing, unless humanity disappears altogether.

Charlotte Gainsbourg: (laughs) They’ve already used holograms in concerts!

“Filming wasn’t just physically demanding on the body, it was demanding on the jaw, too. I had to be able to get all that dialogue into my mouth.” Lou de Laâge

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou de Laâge, how did you prepare for your roles?

Lou de Laâge: I danced a lot, especially because the U.S. strike extended my prep from three to nine months. So I had time to really train and work on the script. It wasn’t just physical but also verbal. The English text had to be spoken at a certain rhythm, and I had to get comfortable with that.

Charlotte Gainsbourg: I didn’t work physically like Lou, but I worked on my memory, which is terrible. Amy was very strict about the lines; we were warned, but I didn’t take it seriously enough (laughs). With the speed she wanted, I was overwhelmed at first. I studied the script throughout the nine months of prep, but since we didn’t shoot in order, I couldn’t learn it like a play.

Étoile, created by Daniel and Amy Sherman-Palladino, is available on Prime Video from April 24.