Why resilience was key to Camille Razat and Melanie Robert in filming Prodigieuses
French film is based on a true story about twin piano prodigies whose careers are threatened by a debilitating disease.
Camille Razat (left) and Melanie Robert star in Prodigieuses, a film based on a true story. Photo: Jonathan WongEvery week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written.
Twin piano prodigies face the greatest challenge of their lives when they are hit with a disease that weakens their hands – and threatens their chances at a prestigious music university.
Released in November, the French film Prodigieuses is based on a true story. Camille Razat and Melanie Robert portray the twins, Claire and Jeanne respectively, as they search for a way to continue their passion for playing the piano.
The two actors visited Hong Kong in December for the Hong Kong French Film Festival, where they spoke to Young Post about this recent project.
“If it were not a real story ... maybe I would not have understood the importance of that disease and the impact that it had on their lives,” said Robert, 31.
Razat, 30, added: “It’s a lot of pressure, but ... also perhaps you have more empathy towards the character you’re playing.”
The actress, famous for her role in the Netflix hit series Emily in Paris, explained that she understood the characters’ challenges in performing at a high level.
“Being a musician at that level can be very tricky, and it ... [takes] a lot of work, as well as being an actor and trying to succeed in your career,” she said.
Getting their start
While Robert and Razat were not prodigy child actors, they both got a taste of the limelight at a young age.
Robert took up theatre when she was about eight years old, acting in skits and plays by famous French humorists.
“I realised that I liked to make people laugh ... [but] I was not really conscious that I wanted to be an actress,” Robert said through a translator.
“It’s kind of almost like a dream where the little kid would say, ‘Oh, I want to be a footballer or I want to be a comedian.’”
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As for Razat, she started modelling at the age of two. But acting wasn’t on her mind – she wanted to study journalism to become a reporter.
That changed after taking an acting class as a teen.
“I did my first class, and I am like, ‘That’s it.’ That’s what I wanted really,” she said. “[While acting], it was the first time in my life where I was not thinking about anything else, so I was fully in the present. And that’s really a gift.”
But a harsh reality awaited the budding actress. The job required her to deal with many rejections and to wait patiently, hoping a show or film would one day air.
While Prodigieuses was Robert’s big break, Razat rose to fame thanks to the globally popular series Emily in Paris, in which she plays her namesake Camille. But Razat does not want to be boxed in by this character.
“I know people want to ... put a label of Emily in Paris. And I love Emily, but that’s not my life, and that’s not my final destination. I will say I’m more than that absolutely,” she said.
From friends to sisters
Razat and Robert felt they were perfect to play the main characters in the film because they had already been close friends before being cast for the roles.
The two hailed from the same city in the south of France, just two villages apart.
“Our families were quite intertwined,” Razat said. “It’s like we were sisters in real life already.”
Robert added: “The friendship that we had made the filming easier.”
Resilience in the face of illness was a theme both in the film and outside it, as one of the directors was diagnosed with cancer right before shooting began.
“This movie definitely told us about resilience ... even in real life. It was very difficult to do that movie,” Razat said, adding that the film was postponed several times because of the director’s illness.
“Despite the disease, [he] was coming every day on set. He was so courageous and very resilient ... It’s really moving and humbling.”
Reflecting on the characters they portrayed, the actors shared similar thoughts on prodigies, agreeing that success was not an easy path for these children.
“It’s fascinating to see kids doing things that I wouldn’t be able to do right now,” Robert said.
“But they should be careful about the fact that the kid still needs to remain a kid. So parents must be careful, and kids need to enjoy their childhood.”
Razat added: “It’s a lot of pressure for a kid. It’s not normal that a kid has to work. I think it has to be done in a very healthy way. It has to have a balance between work pressure and remaining a kid.”
Both women expressed gratitude for the opportunities they had in the entertainment industry, and during a press conference, they shared advice with a young French student, who asked for tips for aspiring actresses.
“Buy some gear like a microphone. Make your own movies,” Razat told her. “Exercise [the skill] like a sport – every day. You really have to put yourself out there.”
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