Solène Delinger 07:00, 01 November 2023

It's a movie we've been waiting for months..."Thieves", the new action comedy by Mélanie Laurent, is finally available on Netflix this Wednesday, November 1st. The director plays the role of Carole, a genius thief who pulls off all her tricks with her sidekick Alex, played by the brilliant Adèle Exarchopoulos. Together, the duo must carry out, under the orders of the "Godmother", a final mission to hope to regain their freedom and "settle down". With their backs against the wall, Carole and Alex recruit a third partner, Sam, played by the young nugget Manon Bresch. For the film's release, Europe 1 met these three funny, luminous and ultra-badass actresses.

What a joy to see Mélanie Laurent and her two acolytes Adèle Exarchopoulos and Manon Bresch on screen, three "thieves" who are accomplices, sharing giggles between two ultra-dangerous missions that would frighten any human being, except Tom Cruise... And this was Mélanie Laurent's ambition with Thieves, her new film finally available on Netflix: to show modern women, very funny good friends, sometimes a little blue flower, but above all very intelligent, strong and sporty. Super chicks capable of shooting at drones and riding at high speed on a motorcycle with their knees on the ground.

An enjoyable action film, a refreshing comedy, a feminist buddy movie set against the backdrop of the magnificent landscapes of Corsica... Thieves is all of these things at the same time, a unique film, never before seen in French cinema... And who better to talk about it than its heroines Mélanie Laurent, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Manon Bresch? Stunts, sisterhood, laughter... They tell us everything.

Adele, I see you're doing better. Because I read that you broke your nose during the shoot. So what happened?

Adèle Exarchopoulos: We were in rehearsals with Félix Moati (editor's note: the actor plays the role of Clarence) for a fight scene. It wasn't filmed and I completely forgot there was a huge right hand at one point.... I took it in my nose and fainted right away. When I woke up, I had a broken nose, so I had to go to the hospital and have surgery. We slept the shoot for 15 days.

© Netflix

Melanie, did you panic?

Mélanie Laurent: No, it's completely normal, it happens all the time with action movies (laughs). No seriously, it was horrible, there was blood everywhere and she fell into the apples. When we resuscitated her, she said, "Baby, tell me you have the catch at least" (laughs).

Mélanie and Adèle, you hadn't worked together for 14 years (editor's note: they both starred in the film La Rafle). How was your reunion?

Adèle Exarchopoulos: It was like a first meeting. Of course, we already knew each other and I remember shooting with Mélanie very well. But at the time, I was a 14-year-old kid. We really met at a time in our lives when we grew up and realized how lucky we were to do what we loved. Mélanie wanted to get me involved in this very free project, which talks about sisterhood and in which there is also a mix of genres, only very exciting ingredients! When we saw each other again, we left for dinner and it almost ended in an all-nighter (laughs).

Mélanie Laurent: Yes, and I wrote this film for Adèle. We wouldn't be here if she'd said "no" to me.

And why did you choose Manon Bresch?

Mélanie Laurent: I met a lot of actresses and I fell in love with Manon. I really loved his essays. It's always very moving when you see something different in someone and you're like "oh that's her, she's really good".

© Netflix

And you, Manon, what made you want to embark on this project?

Manon Bresch: When I read the script, I was lucky enough to be able to imagine the scenes in the film because I knew the cast. I knew the actresses' faces, their phrasing and their facial expressions. And it's because it was Adèle and Mélanie who formed this duo that I wanted to go to the auditions, I was super excited!

© Netflix

Were you hazed by Adèle and Manon, like your character Sam is in the film?

Manon Bresch: No, quite the opposite. I felt pampered.

Mélanie, in your last film, Le bal des folles, you told a totally different story, but you were already filming women. Why is it so important for you to tell women's stories and show sisterhood on screen?

Mélanie Laurent: I don't ask myself these questions, but that's always where I naturally go. I never say to myself, "I'm going to make a film about women." I always have topics that come to mind and these topics are always carried by women.

© Netflix

You film your actresses with a "female gaze" (editor's note: a female gaze that refers to the perspective that a female director brings to a film, a different point of view from a male vision on the same subject), is it natural?

Mélanie Laurent: That was the idea behind this film. I wanted to get rid of the cliché of the badass woman in stilettos, in a very light dress, who gives leg movements that are not believable. You can't five guys in pumps, it doesn't work! I was also a little tired of seeing these gorgeous, awesome girls, but still a bit harsh and icy. I wanted them to be my friends. A bit like in Ocean's Eleven where we see a bunch of actors who are happy to get together and improvise things, but this time with women. We improvised a lot. With Adèle, you have to be on the edge of your seat on that point because she's very funny.

© Netflix

Mélanie, you actually died laughing during the whole movie...

Mélanie Laurent: That's what happens in real friendships. If I don't laugh when I spend time with my friends, I don't really see the point... Thieves is one of those films where you let yourself go a little. I kept all the giggles between scenes and it was great not to cut that in the edit!

Showing badass women, shooting drones and fighting... Is it feminist?

Mélanie Laurent: I especially wondered why we never read this kind of scenario in France. Because women are totally capable of doing stunts. For a motorcycle sequence, I was obsessed with getting down on one knee like Tom Cruise. It was very complicated, the guys couldn't do it and the girls, Manon and Adèle's understudies, who were two on the bike, did it.

Manon, you're the pilot of the film... but you don't have the license in real life!

Manon Bresch: You're cash (laughs). Yes, it's true, but I had great trainers and understudies too, especially for the motorcycle scenes.

Adele, you loved shooting. Was it an unexpected passion?

© Netflix

Adèle Exarchopoulos: Absolutely! I worked with a gunsmith in Paris and it was quite exciting because he taught me the history of weapons since the dawn of time. And then, I'm ashamed to say it, but I learned shooting and I really loved it... At first, there's a bit awkward because there's this notion of power and danger, but once it's ultra square, it's great!

Mélanie Laurent: She didn't blink at all... It's crazy! She did the gesture as well as her character, it was beautiful. In fact, I never doubled her and she would yell at me if I told her: "It's okay, we've got the catch". She was asking me to give her one last hold with her submachine gun (laughs).