Interview with Emma de Caunes - March 7th, 2007

Promoting: Mr Bean's Holiday
Venue: St Martin's Lane Hotel
Interview type: One-on-one


Question (Q): Who do you play in the film?

Emma de Caunes (EdC): I play Sabine (Bean, Sabine, you see?). I become his friend because I drive a Mini, like his Mini in London, the same, so he is astonished by my Mini. His only goal is to see the beach in Cannes and I play an actress who is just starting out, she’s doing commercials and she has a small part in a movie in Cannes so she gives him a lift with the Mini and then the adventure starts.

Q: So there’s no romance?

EdC: You can’t talk about romance really with Mr Bean, you know? He’s such a child trapped in an adult body but he’s not really comfortable with love. It’s more about friendship.

Q: Were you aware of Mr Bean before you signed on to the movie?

EdC: Of course, of course. I’ve been a big fan for a long time. As you know, maybe, my dad (Antoine de Caunes) did a TV show here and he so when I was younger he brought back tapes of Mr Bean and I liked it a lot.

Q: What was it like working with Rowan? I hope he didn’t spend the whole time in character?

EdC: Um, he was really concentrating the whole time and I really understand that, it’s so difficult and I was so amazed by his work. It has nothing to do with normal acting, it’s physical, his body is his real instrument. And also, with this kind of comedy, it’s all about rhythm, you have to catch the perfect rhythm because the joke won’t work if it’s one second too late or too early.

Q: Does he come to the set as Mr Bean or does he come to the set in the clothes and switch on the character when the cameras roll?

A: Oh, no, he’s Rowan Atkinson and then action! And then suddenly…it’s amazing to see the way he splits the two. I guess he’s had Mr Bean in him for a long time and he knows him perfectly. Sometimes he was improvising and it was hard for me not to laugh.

Q: In the paper today there was a picture of Rowan promoting the film on a beach in Sydney and you’re here in London. Does that seem fair to you?

EdC: (Laughs) Yeah, that’s not fair! I want to go to Sydney too.

Note: I've posted notes on further questions that didn't make the published version of the interview in the comments section below.