Luxembourg-born actress Vicky Krieps has carved her own path in cinema, from her breakthrough role in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Phantom Thread" to her acclaimed performances in "Corsage" and now "Love Me Tender."

Known for her thoughtful approach to acting and life, Krieps has consistently chosen artistic integrity over industry expectations. In this candid conversation, she discusses her role as Clemence in "Love Me Tender"&mdash;a lawyer who abandons her wealthy lifestyle and faces custody challenges as a result&mdash;while reflecting on authenticity, motherhood, and the evolving landscape for women in film.
In "Love Me Tender," you play Clemence, a woman who chooses to leave behind her comfortable life as a lawyer. What drew you to this character?
It's about a woman who will have her custody denied. She is not very friendly, but she is just human&mdash;we are all human. She chooses to leave a life with lots of money. It's like a video game that you play only once and choose what you want to do, and she gets punished for it. Her child comes to visit her in a much smaller apartment, and society judges her: "If you are a mother, how can you not want more money for the child?" But it doesn't have to happen that way. She makes her choice to leave behind what we are supposed to want. We're all expected to want more, to have the biggest apartment. But it's not what she wants, and she was punished for it.

Have you ever felt forced to follow societal expectations in your own career?
I felt it, but I never followed it. I was 27 and I had children, and I was told I'd never have a career. I was supposed to do networking and dress up and talk to people, and I refused that. I said, "I'll maybe do movies that no one is going to see, but that's what I want to do and I will do it." I did one small film that nobody watched in Germany, and someone saw it on his iPad, and he asked the casting director to invite me as I wasn't on the list. Yes, the list exists in everything in your life. But you have a choice, and if you believe in what you're doing, you'll always find your way.
When did you first know you wanted to be in the film industry?
When I was 16-17, we were a group of kids making movies, but I never wanted to play in them. We were smoking&mdash;let's leave it there. I was preparing food. It was a horror film, and we were filming with real blood because we didn't have fake blood. So we went to a farmer and asked for blood. Then we went to a coffee shop and drank wine to discuss films we just watched. That's when I knew I wanted to be a part of telling stories, sharing stories. I wanted to be in this industry but not as an actress, as a filmmaker. So it's interesting I ended up as an actor. I dared to do an acting school before I embarked on something else in Luxembourg.
You've worked with many women directors. Is that a conscious choice?
It's absolutely by choice. I love working with women. With "Corsage" and Marie Kreutzer, there is something that clicks as if we both want to solve the enigma, the mystery: "What is it to be a woman? What is it that we are trying to produce?"
You're also moving into producing. How did that come about?
Until recently, there were only men producers, and until recently I was told you can't do production because you need to be accepted by a circle of producers. And I said, "No, I'm just doing it." I'm trying to help filmmakers find the money, sometimes put people in touch together. Maybe in the future, I would like to work on something I write. The first time I was in Cannes, I was told I must do some directing because "you already direct in the way you talk." I've had it in my mind, but it's a lot of work and with children, it's hard to combine making money for everyone and not feeling guilty. I noticed I had to start running twice as fast as men to make it.

Does the film industry make it easier for women who want both family and work?
Hard to say. I love Cannes. Last year I was in the jury. So we are heard, and we can exist. Someone like me can exist. Cannes is a very important thing. At the same time, it's like we have a disease&mdash;Instagram&mdash;that came like a tumor and eats us from the inside, and we can't get rid of it. The image takes too much space and it's not very interesting, so why do we do it? I really don't care about Instagram. We do have ego. What's important is what I think. I don't find people taking photos of me interesting.
Do you think there's still a wage gap in the industry?
I believe that we are still paid less. It has become possible for someone like me to exist, and that's important. Before, someone like me would have had to do things to get ahead, and I never made compromises as a woman, and before we would have had to.
You've spoken about representing women who remain unseen. Is that a responsibility you feel?
Yes, I always think practically only about the audience. Is what I'm saying the truth? Is it fair to these people? Because we don't tell our story but theirs. Is it fair to their truth? When I speak about women in plural terms, I also mean women who you don't see, who are in the shadows and nobody knows they are there&mdash;we need to include them. I was very moved by that, and I think that's what's changing the focus.
Have you ever encountered the stereotype that outspoken women are "hysterical" or "authoritarian"?
When I speak, I speak with a lot of love, infinite love for this earth and for the people, so I was never attacked for that. I felt it once when I was a student, at the end of my Bachelor degree. I was in line waiting to get the paper in my hand, and I thought I couldn't just pick it up without saying a word. I grabbed the microphone from my teacher and said, "Thank you very much, learn my stuff, copy, and stay silent." It rapidly turned into a scandal. It was hard to be attacked in the press. It was very, very nasty.
What does the concept of "sorority" that emerged after the #MeToo movement mean to you?
I just discovered this word; I love it. Fraternity never struck me as a typically masculine word&mdash;I thought it applied to both genders. The sisterhood was always there. My grandma was sitting at the table and men were shouting, and when they left, I heard all the women start to speak. It was like a secret society that had been hidden. I realized then that it's women who had the last word. It's always been there, women supporting each other.

Is there still competition among actresses in cinema?
A bit. It's fading away, but I felt it with some other actresses&mdash;sometimes physically. If she said, "I'll leave the movie," it was pure competition, vanity: "I need to be the most beautiful one." There is no "most beautiful." It's like a plague, but you know in the bottom of your heart it's not about beauty. The beauty is the contact, the connection. Appearance is just a lie and a way to put women in a prison so that they can jeopardize themselves.
Do you believe in cinema's power to deconstruct stereotypes?
Yes, I see it more in movies now. I wanted to shoot without makeup, and I was told I didn't understand and it's about the light. But in "Phantom Thread," I decided to dare. I approached Paul Thomas Anderson to ask if he would allow me to shoot without makeup, as she's a young girl. I said, "I don't want any makeup, not even a no-makeup makeup." He promised, and they didn't have the right to touch me. I came to the set, and everybody was commenting that my skin was getting red. And that's exactly what it was all about&mdash;a face that changes. It was a bit of a shock for people around me.
We shouldn't be hiding and should show ourselves as we are. When we do that in a movie, we show what real people look like. Same on social media&mdash;the faces are not real, all touched up. They look the same, like an army of faces that look the same. It's a shame and not really interesting. So boring. We say about an actress who shoots without makeup that she is "bold"&mdash;what does it matter? We should allow people to be who they want. Men could do what they wanted, but a woman had to be something specific.

Tamara Orlova&nbsp;is a journalist, screenwriter, and producer based in London, originally hailing from Estonia. As a journalist and critic, she provides insightful commentary on the film industry and cultural events for various publications. Her production work includes the award-winning thriller "Escape" (Best British Thriller 2024), "The Hook," and the short film "Ivanko's Childhood," starring Sandra Dickinson and Tom Goodman-Hill. Since launching her career in 2014, Tamara has earned recognition for her ability to craft compelling narratives through journalism, screenwriting, and production, bringing a unique perspective that bridges the worlds of media and filmmaking.
@<a href="https://www.instagram.com/tamaraoaikon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tamaraoaikon</a>

Vicky Krieps: Choosing Authenticity in a World of Expectations

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