In terms of international cinema, in particular, you don’t find actors as popular and experienced as Julie Delpy. The French actress has appeared in films of all sizes worldwide, maybe most famously in the “Before” trilogy from filmmaker Richard Linklater. And she’s also an accomplished director of more than a half-dozen features, having recently helmed the film “My Zoe.” But even with all of this fame and acclaim, professional difficulties have made it so Delpy has considered retirement, though she does have at least one more film with a big-name star attached that she’d love to make. Unfortunately, don’t expect that film to be part of the ‘Before’ franchise.
In a new interview with French outlet, Telerama, Delpy talked about the status of her long-in-development feature, “A Dazzling Display of Splendor,” and why she’s “fed up” with trying to get films made in today’s industry, which led her to turn down an opportunity for a fourth ‘Before’ movie, which was recently discussed.
READ MORE: ‘My Zoe’: An Exciting New Direction For Writer/Director/Star Julie Delpy [TIFF Review]
“I have a wonderful screenplay, ‘A Dazzling Display of Splendor,’ about the pioneers of Hollywood. One of the best I’ve written,” she explained. “A talented and well-known English actress, Emilia Clarke, is attached to the project. And yet, I’m still struggling. Non-stop. I have so many movies in my drawers that will never be shot if you only knew! I’m fed up.”
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And it’s that frustration that has made it, so Delpy has even considered retirement and a new life as a doctor. (Not joking.) But it’s the exhaustion that she feels trying to get her own films made that led her to not want to be involved with a new ‘Before’ movie.
“I often think about it,” Delpy said about leaving the industry. “A year and a half ago, I was not far from it. The hell I went through to produce my film had exhausted me. I said no to Richard Linklater for the fourth part of the ‘Before’ films. I thought that maybe I could go back to school. I would make a very good doctor, for example! You give me three symptoms, and I tell you what you are suffering from!… But I like to create, to tell stories; it’s stronger than me.”
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While “A Dazzling Display of Splendor” is still in development without a release date or production date, it appears Delpy has her sights set on getting that feature made, at the detriment to fans who were hoping to see her combine forces with Linklater and co-star Ethan Hawke for a new installment of the long-running romance ‘Before’ series.
If you’d rather just watch a film that Delpy could get made, “My Zoe” is available now wherever you buy movies.
