ADELE ÈXARCHOPOLOUS COMMANDS
Her Roles Since Blue Is The Warmest Color
Adèle Exarchopolous has been a PROVOKR favorite since we can remember. Her breakout role in Blue is the Warmest Color alongside Lea Seydoux was revelatory. From her husky voice and the seduction it carried, to the way her emotions were captured so perfectly, Exarchopolous performs with a rawness that is quiet yet powerful.
Since Blue is the Warmest Color — which was a worldwide sensation — Exarchopolous has been working mostly on smaller French productions. She’s taken time to work with the likes of Justine Triet for Sybil before the director went on to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Anatomy of a Fall. (By the way, Exarchopolous and Seydoux still hold the record as the youngest people to have been awarded the Palme d’Or.)
Exarchopolous has a knack for picking roles that demonstrate her ability to quietly command the screen. She doesn’t need to be the loudest person in the scene, but she will be the most memorable. The passing glances. The internal struggles. She bares it all in the most captivating ways.
One of our most recent favorites was in Passages, a film where a man in a marriage to another man has an affair with Exarchopolous. She actively grapples with the complexity of the dynamic she’s entering — we see it all over her face. Though she’s not the lead, she still steals the movie.
Even more recently, Exarchopolous was nominated for a César Award for her role in Beating Hearts. The romantic drama tells a love story spanning two decades that’s cut short when one of them goes to prison. Exarchopolous also has the film Another Day, which came out this year. She portrays an alcoholic who goes on an 8-year journey of transformation. The performance is much more visibly taxing and flashy. It shows off her chops in a way we’ve rarely seen before, but she doesn’t lose that tenderness.
Exarchopolous is one of the most raw actresses. The way she commands the screen without uttering a word brings shivers down our spines. If you thought she left, look again. She’s been here the whole time, waiting for us to watch what she has in store next.