Sylvie Testud is a breath of fresh air in the French artistic landscape. Actress, writer, director, she slips into her roles with disconcerting ease, defying expectations and dodging labels. But behind this actress with piercing eyes and a disarming smile, known for her remarkable performances in Les Blessures assassines and Stupeur et tremblements, lies another passion: real estate and the art of moving. Between Paris and the island of Oléron, where she retreats to escape the hustle and bustle of the capital, Sylvie reveals this parallel life with an almost nonchalant lightness.
An insatiable actress, never at rest
Originally from Lyon, Sylvie Testud leaves her hometown for Paris, where she fully blossoms. "Paris is a mosaic of small villages attached to each other, where you can get lost for hours," she confides. From her apartment not far from the Louvre Museum, she jokes about her "roommate with the Mona Lisa." Her role in Lourdes, where she portrays with rare depth a woman miraculously healed, testifies to this quest for demanding roles, capable of shaking up her daily life. For her, routine is a stranger. She much prefers to dive into the unknown rather than sink into monotonous comfort. "You don’t choose to be an actor to always stay the same."
As for her love of real estate, it goes far beyond the simple need for residence. It is for her a playground where she buys, transforms, and sells. "I buy, I renovate, and I move on," she sums up, adding that each project brings her the novelty she craves. After sixteen moves, she has become an expert in boxes and cartons, but above all in renewal, a trait she finds in her choice of roles.
The island of Oléron: her home port
Yet, the island of Oléron is her only anchor in this whirlwind of moves. For over twenty years, she has owned a longhouse there, which she describes as "the family home I never had." It is here that she retreats, far from the frantic pace of the capital, and finds a peace she finds nowhere else. On this enchanting island, she sometimes mingles with friends from the artistic world, but jealously guards this space for herself, away from the public eye and professional obligations.
Private life: a unique balance
In matters of the heart, Sylvie shares her life with Éric Elmosnino, also a renowned actor, especially known for Gainsbourg, vie héroïque. Their relationship, discreet but close, is a pillar in this perpetually moving existence. Before Éric, she was married to Fabien, with whom she has two children, Ruben and Esther. Mother and artist, Sylvie juggles with tenderness and a hint of orchestrated bohemianism in their Parisian pied-à-terre where she welcomes them each week.
She mocks conventions, asserting, with her usual mischievous air: "When you’re bored, you leave." Refusing clichés about eternal love or rigid family models, she advocates a philosophy of life that promotes freedom of choice and happiness beyond norms.
A career marked by bold choices – and a memorable encounter
With her two César awards – Les Blessures assassines and Stupeur et tremblements – Sylvie Testud is a respected, yet untamable figure. She humorously recounts: "I prefer to act naked than to sing in public," showing that she has never shied away from a demanding or uncomfortable role. Always daring, she has explored cinema in all its facets, including behind the camera.
Today, she returns to the small screen with Sur la dalle, a thrilling series broadcast on France 2. In this adaptation of a novel by Fred Vargas, she plays a dark and troubling character, a challenge she takes on with her usual fervor.
And then, there was that memorable encounter with Gérard Depardieu, which she recently mentioned on the show Le Figaro La Nuit. Filming together in La Môme, Sylvie didn’t miss the opportunity to humorously describe their relationship: "I laughed a lot with him, even if he flirted a bit heavily. But no, no wandering hands, no ‘if you want the role, you know what to do.’ Or maybe some roles slipped away from me, who knows!" Confessing that she was shocked by the recent accusations against Depardieu, she nevertheless jokes about the idea of a column in his defense. "When I read that some said he couldn’t be accused because he’s a good actor… It doesn’t work like that!" She might have signed a more nuanced support, advocating the presumption of innocence without making it a totem.
A free and elusive actress
Sylvie Testud is a woman without compromise, an actress now essential who refuses to stand still. In a world often frozen by conventions, she embodies absolute freedom, an insatiable thirst for renewal. Actress, mother, real estate enthusiast: she escapes everything, except herself and this freedom which is her true home.
