Updates in this piece. It appears that Lea Seydoux is not playing the young Shosanna because that role doesn’t exist, but another small role entirely.
Casting for Quentin Tarantino’s WWII epic, “Inglorious Bastards” is wrapping up quick. Then again it has to; shooting starts in Germany in mid October so about a month from now.
So obviously yesterday, we thought that Léa Seydoux is playing the young version of the film’s main protagonist, Shosanna Dreyfus based on multiple sources both video and written that surely looked that way (it is all in French). Well, today the writer/interviewer of said source, our buddy Julien from French movie publication Allocine gives us a few more details by expertly translating for us (and then went back and did some deeper translations). Julien conducted the Allocine interview with Seydoux, and he notes a few things.
Seydoux confirms that Melanie Laurent is playing the main version of Shosanna in the movie in case anyone had any doubt. But it turns out that Seydoux’s role is one written after the script was finished. There’s a farmer in the beginning of the film and it appears that Seydoux has a more fleshed-out role as his daughter. “I play a farmer, and it’s in this farm that the main character is hidden [during the war]. I’m [the one] who keeps Shosanna out of sight,” Seydoux said. [ed. this is the part that was confusing in the original translation. The last sentence in this quote was missing originally].
And apparently, this new role was written after Tarantino met her and only two weeks ago. She told Allocine, “French actresses inspired [Quentin], and he wrote bit parts that weren’t in the script before.” Seydoux notes that she only has a total of 8 days of shooting (which is kind of a lot compared to how small her role in the script is) and that Ridley Scott cast her for his postponed “Nottingham” film, but she doesn’t know when shooting will be scheduled.
Julien also tell us that a little-known actor, even in France, Denis Menochet has also been cast, but its unknown what his role is and considering the script, we have to assume it’s a very small part.
Meanwhile, the final piece of the major casting puzzle has been solved. French actor Jacky Ido has been cast as Marcel, the Cinematheque projectionist and lover of Shosanna, according to Tarantino Archives (who’ve done a stellar job of leading the casting reportage news). We’re being slightly disingenuous. There is one more piece of big casting left: Madame Mimieux, the original Cinematheque owner and the de facto adoptive parent of the younger Shosanna. Only appearing in the first act, the older woman is ideally played by someone like Emmanuelle Seigner, or even Nastassja Kinski who was up for another role originally. Our original pick was Catherine Deneuve, but it seems like QT is finally staying away from bigger names. At this stage in the game, don’t be surprised if it’s another relative unknown which we’re totally cool with. The late-game casting of this film has really redeemed its potential in our eyes.