HKFFF 2024: Camille Razat & Mélanie Robert Unveil Magic Behind Prodigieuses

Camille Razat from "Emily in Paris" and rising star Mélanie Robert are bringing Parisian glam and cinematic brilliance to Hong Kong for their new film “Prodigieuses," which premiered at the 53rd edition of The Hong Kong French Film Festival in November.
Directed by Valentin Potier and Frédéric Potier, Prodigieuses is a touching biopic of the Pleynet sisters Audrey and Diane Pleynet, two 18-year-old piano prodigies.
Camille Razat and Mélanie Robert play Claire and Jeanne Vallois, whose music careers are derailed by a rare disease. Refusing to give up, the sisters invent a groundbreaking piano technique that redefines their legacy and cements their place in music history.
During their visit to Hong Kong, Camille and Mélanie shared exclusive insights on what it was like playing twin sisters, the rigorous piano training they underwent, and their relationship off-screen.
What was it about Prodigieuses that first caught your attention?

Camille: When we first read the script, I thought it was very captivating. It's pretty rare for women to have these kinds of complex roles, as well as this depth to the story. And I think Mélanie and I were drawn to it because it's based on a true story.
Mélanie: The script is so well written. We were lucky to have the chance to receive this proposition from a true story, which tells the story of sisters, and the opportunity to play this role together with Camille, because we have been really close friends for a long time.
In the film, it appears that you both have fantastic musical talent. Were you musicians before being cast? What was the preparation process like for you?
Camille: Well we weren't pianists or musicians, so we were [not] off to a good start. We had eight months of training, learning the traditional way of playing piano. We had to learn every movement [in] each track by heart- it was like air piano. And then we had to learn the Pleynets’ technique, which is very specific and hard to reproduce, because it’s not natural to be that soft with your hands when you're playing piano. Specifically, the rhythm is pretty fast, and it's hard to be on the correct note, at the right time. It was very tricky, precise work. That's where we realized that the Pleynet sisters were truly geniuses, learning everything by heart without playing. It was definitely challenging, but very interesting.
Mélanie: Even though we are not twins and even though we couldn’t see each other because were back-to-back, we were [still] able to connect with each other back-to-back.
You were close friends before making this fillm, how did you embody the intensity of the twin sisters so effectively?

Mélanie: Camille and I have been really, really close friends [for] more than 10 years already. So, we [mainly] needed to invest time in learning to play the piano. We were lucky because we were able to do a lot of rehearsals. The closeness of our friendship [made] filming easier because we were able to save some time between the filming and directors' discussions.
Camille: We are like sisters in real life.
Clare and Jean are faced with immense obstacles in their journey to becoming musicians. What challenges have you faced and overcome in your careers?

Mélanie: Because this job is really complicated, there is a lot of competition, for myself and Camille. We support each other, even though we are competing with each other.
Camille: The movie is a bit like a mirror for our careers, because being an actor can be very tricky, and trying to succeed in your career demands a lot of work. You have to do so many castings and auditions in order to get maybe one job. And even when you get the job, really often, the movie is not shooting because of a lack of financing. They can even change their mind last minute and pick someone else. Until you have done two days of shooting, it’s totally out of your control.
Do you feel any relief or escapism portraying someone else and being in a different world?

Mélanie: Personally, I love the opportunity to do different jobs. This morning, I could be a lawyer, and the next day I could be a psychopath. I love my job. If the role is interesting, like this one [Jeanne in Prodigieues], I like to stay in character for a longer time, even after I go back home, I like to play a bit of piano thinking that I'm Jeanne, and I'll contact Camille, and say it's great that we're twins!
Camille: Yeah, it's good to be someone else and not just yourself with all your problems. Being able to be someone else, to be with so many people on set, it's like a family. It's a relief to be someone else, and it's very interesting to explore different feelings and emotions in a character.
What projects are you currently working on or would like to welcome?

Mélanie: We are promoting this movie, so I don’t have many projects in Paris yet. But I hope this might give us the chance to do Prodigieuses 2 (a sequel). I just hope to be able to continue in this industry because it’s not an easy job, but I would love to be able to work in film every day.
Camille: I was working on a couple of projects earlier this year – two TV series – one is going to be on Disney+, and the other on Netflix.
Both are French, and one of them is a thriller based on a true story. I'm playing the main investigator in that series. And in the other series I play a witch, which I love. It’s very challenging because I know people want to pigeonhole me in a way and put a label on me [because] of Emily in Paris. I love Emily, but that's not my life or final destination. I would say I'm more than that.
How does it feel having Prodigieuses featured in the Hong Kong film festival?

Mélanie: It’s my first time in Asia and I’m very happy to be here. It’s an honor to have the film in HKFF, we are very pleased. Although the director is not here, he is also very happy and grateful. So, thank you so much.
The film was shown for the first time, and the feedback was incredible. It’s extraordinary to have a French film like this based on a true story featured internationally. It's just amazing, and that means that it works in the market.
Camille: I hope everybody will buy tickets!
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