Best part of autumn: Snow and ski time approaching. … Half of my family comes from the French Alps. As a child, I almost skied before I walked! - Gaspard Ulliel

Biggest regret: Being compelled to stop my cinema studies to work as an actor. Even though I’m so passionate about acting today, after high school I was so eager to become a filmmaker. Still in my mind today...

I think I was around 17 years old when I had my first parts in feature films and that’s when I really started to get interested in all of cinema, not just acting. After high school, I went to film school for 2 years. That was a great moment for me because I discovered a lot of directors from around the world and a lot of different types of genre. It would’ve taken me a long time to make these kinds of discoveries on my own without school, so I’m really thankful. At the time, I wanted to express myself with my own films as a director, but as I was getting more and more offers as an actor, I had to stop those studies to focus on acting. I feel trapped now because I really enjoy acting. But it’s true, I wake up every morning with this idea stuck in my mind that I want to write and direct my own film one day. As I work more and more on different sets, I see how hard it is to be a director. It’s insane the amount of work and confidence that goes into it. I’m so respectful of filmmakers and I admire what they do. I hope that one day I’ll find the right subject and the confidence to try it. I’m still young.

It was terrifying. When they asked me if I wanted to do this project, I refused many times before finally agreeing to it. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to pick up this role after Anthony Hopkins because he did the most amazing job in creating this character. Also, working on this role with a French accent was a bit awkward. It was meeting with the director, Peter Webber, that really influenced my decision because he was really witty and had interesting thoughts on how he would make it. I really liked his first film, Girl with the Pearl Earring. Also, being able to work abroad with an American and British crew, shoot it in English, and work on such an amazing and mythical character was what convinced me to give it a try. It wasn’t easy.