{"id":673019,"date":"2025-07-23T11:37:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T09:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/numero.com\/non-classifiee\/zita-hanrot-the-powerful-pro-choice-heroine-of-annie-colere-back-on-france-3\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T15:18:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T13:18:39","slug":"zita-hanrot-the-powerful-pro-choice-heroine-of-annie-colere-back-on-france-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/numero.com\/en\/culture-en\/movies\/zita-hanrot-the-powerful-pro-choice-heroine-of-annie-colere-back-on-france-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Zita Hanrot, the powerful pro-choice heroine of Annie Col\u00e8re"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Zita\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Zita Hanrot in Chanel at the season opening gala at the Op\u00e9ra Garnier (Paris), September 24, 2021. Photo by Stephane Cardinale \u2013 Corbis\/Corbis via Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Radiant, sensitive and consistently true, Zita Hanrot<\/strong> has stood out since Fatima<\/em> (2015), for which she won a C\u00e9sar<\/strong>, as one of the most endearing faces in French cinema. Selective in her choices, she\u2019s just as compelling in sharp generational comedies (Plan c\u0153ur<\/em><\/strong> on Netflix<\/strong>) as she is in social dramas (La Vie scolaire<\/em>).<\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

The 35-year-old actress beautifully balanced depth and lightness in the feminist gem Annie Col\u00e8re<\/em><\/strong>, which premiered in cinemas in 2022 and now airs on France 3 this Monday, May 5, 2025.<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Zita Hanrot, a compelling actress, from Plan c\u0153ur<\/em> to Annie Col\u00e8re<\/em><\/h2>

<\/p><\/h2>\n\n

Alongside Laure Calamy<\/strong> and India Hair<\/strong>, Hanrot plays a defiant nurse performing illegal, safe abortions in the early 1970s, just ahead of the Veil Law.<\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

A film more urgent than ever, as the U.S. Supreme Court rolls back abortion rights and, in France, parliamentarians recently voted to enshrine this fragile right in the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n

We meet an artist recently seen in the fashion series La Maison<\/em><\/strong> (2024), who has a gift for making us laugh, cry, and think.<\/p><\/p>\n\n

\"Zita\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Zita Hanrot at the Chlo\u00e9 Spring-Summer 2025 show, September 26, 2024, Paris. Photo by Marc Piasecki\/WireImage via Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Interview with Zita Hanrot, powerful pro-choice heroine of the movie Annie Col\u00e8re<\/em><\/h2><\/h2>\n\n

Num\u00e9ro: What drew you most to this film: the story (about the MLAC, the Movement for the Freedom of Abortion and Contraception, whose activists openly performed safe abortions in 1974) or the constant interplay of gravity and joy?<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Zita Hanrot<\/strong>: It was definitely the subject. Making a film about abortion is a political act. For me, it meant standing up for something I believe in. I’m pro-choice. It’s a right we must cherish and protect, like a fragile little plant, especially at a time when it\u2019s being eroded in parts of the world. So when Blandine Lenoir, the director, told me about the MLAC film and asked me to join, it was a no-brainer.<\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Num\u00e9ro: The film captures strong sisterhood between the women performing the abortions and those seeking help. Did that carry over into your experience with the cast?<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Absolutely. Everything I imagined while reading the script, this tight-knit chorus of women, came to life. The set was filled with women, big ensemble scenes, and a lot of kindness, trust, and laughter. Even though there are men in the film, we were sometimes ten women in the frame, which is rare in cinema. Laure Calamy<\/strong> plays the lead, and I felt like we were all behind her, lifting her up. Those scenes have incredible energy. It sometimes felt like we were in a Beyonc\u00e9 video (laughs).<\/p><\/p>\n\n

\"La\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Zita Hanrot in
Annie Col\u00e8re<\/em> (2022).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cJust like Fatima<\/em>, it\u2019s a social film, so I\u2019m associated with roles involving care and activism.\u201d Zita Hanrot<\/h3>

<\/p><\/h2>\n\n

Did being among women transform the set into a kind of \u201csafe place\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Hanrot: Definitely. Since we shared the experience of being women\u2014and of having faced violence or harassment, whether a lewd comment on the street or a sexist remark at work, it created a deep connection. It was comforting to be among women. We could talk about intimate things, share our bodily experiences, and how our bodies exist in society. When you accept a film like this, it\u2019s for very specific reasons. We were all aligned with the story it tells. We also knew it would be a space where we could speak freely.<\/p>\n\n

Did the film make you reflect on anything personally?<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Yes, absolutely. Because the subject matter is so intimate, it immediately pushed us into deeper, more essential conversations. There was no room for superficiality. And I like that, diving straight in, getting to the heart of the matter, and being able to speak openly about anything.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Zita Hanrot, Laure Calamy, Rosemary Standley, and India Hair in Annie Col\u00e8re<\/em> (2022).<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cI gave the team photos of Halle Berry in Kings as a visual reference.\u201d Zita Hanrot<\/em><\/p>

<\/p><\/h2>\n\n

The film features many different activist archetypes: Annie (Laure Calamy), a factory worker turned activist after a traumatic experience, and your character, H\u00e9l\u00e8ne, a bold, politically engaged nurse who stands up to male doctors\u2026<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

What I love is how the film offers a gallery of characters with different yet complementary energies. They\u2019re all activists, but in their own way. It shows that activism can take many forms, there\u2019s no single mold. My character is assertive, with strong convictions. She doesn\u2019t look away. She\u2019s deeply engaged and gets a kind of satisfaction from challenging authority. That made her incredibly enjoyable to play, she never backs down, like a predator facing off with her target.<\/p>\n\n

Annie\u2019s activism is rooted in a personal experience. But we don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the case for H\u00e9l\u00e8ne\u2026<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

As a nurse, I think she\u2019s witnessed women being left to die of sepsis, of hemorrhaging. That\u2019s probably where her drive comes from. I didn\u2019t imagine she had an abortion herself, but as a woman in that era, she likely endured invasive gynecological exams that filled her with anger. And she probably wasn\u2019t given a voice. So her activism is intimate in its own way , born of empathy and a refusal to stay silent after what she\u2019s seen.<\/p>\n\n

\"Sabrina\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Sabrina Ouazani, Zita Hanrot, and Jos\u00e9phine Dra\u00ef in Plan c\u0153ur<\/em> (2019). Photo by Emmanuel Guimier\/Netflix.<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cAs an actress, we\u2019re defined by the gaze others cast upon us, starting with the director\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 Zita Hanrot<\/em><\/p>

<\/p><\/h2>\n\n

How did you shape the role?<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

I wanted to understand the mindset of the time. I watched One Sings, the Other Doesn\u2019t<\/em> (1977) by Agn\u00e8s Varda, which I adored. It\u2019s about female friendship and women\u2019s rights, and it\u2019s so free. I loved the vibe: \u201cWe\u2019re hitting the road, putting on roadside shows\u2026 and oh, here\u2019s a kid, I\u2019ll breastfeed him\u201d<\/em> (laughs). H\u00e9l\u00e8ne\u2019s character is cool, even in her styling: leather jacket, wild curly hair.<\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Did you have any visual references?<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

Yes, I shared photos of Halle Berry<\/strong> from Kings<\/em> (2018), directed by Deniz Gamze Erg\u00fcven, who also made Mustang<\/em><\/strong> (2015). In Kings<\/em>, Berry fights for her beliefs. I wanted the same hair, unruly\u2014to reflect how committed my character is, how things “spill out” from her, even in her appearance.<\/p>

<\/p><\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>
Voir cette publication sur Instagram<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/a>

Une publication partag\u00e9e par Zita Hanrot (@zitahanrot)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>