Credits: Harald Krichel / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sara Forestier is making her big return to the movies. After several years away, she is back in front of Emmanuel Mouret’s camera in the film Three Friends, alongside Camille Cottin and India Hair. This Monday, November 4, the French actress came on Quotidien to talk about this project and the ordeals that kept her away from sets. Behind her dazzling smile and radiant presence, there are still cracks. She shares the dark moments that led her to take a necessary break to find herself again.
A Dazzling Debut And Rapid Recognition
Born on October 4, 1986, in Copenhagen, Sara Forestier made her name in France in 2004 thanks to her performance as Lydia in The Esquive by Abdellatif Kechiche. This role as a girl from a working-class neighborhood earned her the César Award for Most Promising Actress. At just 18, she was embraced by critics and audiences alike, establishing herself as a rising star with sharp, uncompromising talent. One standout role followed another: in Hell, an adaptation of Lolita Pille’s novel, she played a young heiress battling her demons, confirming her gift for psychologically intense characters. In 2011, her performance in The Names of Love by Michel Leclerc won her a second César, for Best Actress. She is now an essential face in French cinema.
A Personal Wound And Private Tragedies
In 2020, while promoting Working Girls, Sara Forestier revealed that she had been the victim of domestic violence. This film, which deals with violence against women, resonated especially strongly with her personal story. She said that, while reading the script, she painfully recognized her own life. "I was reading this character and recognizing my own story," she said, moved, on C à vous on France 5. This painful experience left deep scars, and she gradually stepped away from cinema to heal.
The final blow came in 2017, on the set of Bonhomme, when she was involved in an altercation with Nicolas Duvauchelle. She says the actor slapped her in the middle of a scene. A rumor circulated that it was actually she who slapped him before walking off set, but she firmly rejects that version. Shaken by the incident, she made the drastic decision to step away from sets for an indefinite period. "I kept filming while pretending everything was fine, but it wasn’t fine at all," she says, her voice shaking, describing sleepless nights and dark thoughts that overwhelmed her.
Rebuilding To Come Back Stronger
Far from the spotlight, Sara Forestier begins a deep period of self-reflection. "Trauma involves things like not sleeping, imagining the unthinkable," she says. She also describes the stigma faced by women who are victims of violence: "People like to say damaged women are crazy. But that’s not true; they’re just marked." This three-year break gave her time to regain some inner peace and prepare for a calmer comeback.
She wants to return surrounded by kindness. This new project, Three Friends, directed by Emmanuel Mouret, is a bittersweet comedy that explores friendship and the subtle bonds between three women. In this soothing setting, she rediscovered her love of acting, alongside her co-stars Camille Cottin and India Hair. "I really waited to find a project with kind people. And I was so right to wait," she says with palpable emotion.
A Career Full Of Nuance
At 38, Sara Forestier has already left a deep mark on French cinema. Beyond The Esquive and The Names of Love, she has delivered powerful performances in Suzanne by Katell Quillévéré and Standing Tall by Emmanuelle Bercot. In 2017, she also turned to directing with M, a film she wrote, directed, and starred in, revealing her desire to fully control her artistic vision.
Also known for her outspoken views, she supported Adèle Haenel during the César controversy in 2020, denouncing the flaws of an industry she believes is still too reluctant to protect women. Her commitment goes beyond art, reaffirming her attachment to respect and listening. Today, Sara Forestier seems to have found a place where she can combine her passion for cinema with a certain peace of mind.
Three Friends: A Return Under The Sign Of Solidarity
In Three Friends, Sara Forestier plays one of the three friends, moving between love and friendship as their lives intertwine in a nuanced story. This project marks a new chapter for the actress, who now hopes to work in an atmosphere of mutual respect. More than just a comeback, this return signals a rebirth. For her, cinema is a space for expression where she continues to explore her own cracks and those of the characters she plays. Her search for truth, shaped by resilience, resonates with an audience that is increasingly attentive to her sincerity.
Video unavailableFor French cinema, getting Sara Forestier back is an invaluable gift. As for the actress, she returns transformed, but with that singular intensity that makes her one of the defining figures in the cinema of her time.