Serge [Gainsbourg] knew what he wanted. A perfectionist. We rehearsed a lot, we only spoke in verlan. I hardly have much fun with a man, but we were … - Anna Karina

J'imaginais que j'allais voyager avec des gitans et que j'allais chanter dans la rue. Un peu comme Piaf. Je connaissais toutes les chansons des chanteuses réalistes, Damia, Berthe Sylva, Fréhel. Je me rappelle aussi que je voulais me marier avec Louis Armstrong

I imagined that I was going to travel with gypsies and that I was going to sing in the street. A bit like [Edith] Piaf. I knew all the songs of the [chanson realist] singers; Damia, Berthe Sylva, Fréhel. I also remember that I wanted to marry Louis Armstrong.

We did not see ourselves as remaking cinema at the time, at least not in my view. Myself and the other actors were not part of the industry; we weren’t inside the star system. We were running around, shooting in the streets, hiding behind trees to do our makeup. It was a very simple way of working.