‘Bardot’ star Julia de Nunez had no intention of making such a fuss so early on. As a drama student, she was happy to hone her craft and planned to try out for the French National Conservatory one day, if they wanted her. But when she saw a casting notice for an upcoming series — and one that spoke to her in a personal way — she had to answer the call.
“Of course I knew Brigitte Bardot as an actress and singer,” says de Nunez Variety. “And funnily enough, I was often told that I looked like her. In fact, I noticed the resemblance myself as a young girl. So it was all the funnier to read for the role. It was right somewhere in my life.”
Suffice to say, the Franco-Argentine actress landed the role, embodying the midcentury icon in Daniele and Christopher Thompson’s limited series “Bardot,” which follows the iconic BB from adolescence to international stardom, which premiered last month in premiered in France.
“As an actress, it would have been very complicated if I had stuck to the myth,” says de Nunez. “I had to get past that public image and let myself go completely. Because Bardot is not just a myth – she is an ordinary person, a young woman who feels and lives like everyone else. And right away I had to tap into that side of things.
And perhaps in small part because of that familiar resemblance, she didn’t want to obliterate herself.
“You can’t just reproduce someone like Brigitte Bardot, who is so authentic and sincere,” the actress explains. “Firstly, because that is not possible, but I also think that the actress who plays her must also have something that emanates from her. Despite all this talk of vertigo and resemblance, I’m still Julia at the end of the day.
“That’s why I didn’t try to mimic her voice,” continues de Nunez. ‘And although she had brown eyes and I had blue eyes, I didn’t put in contact lenses. Because the filmmakers cast me for me, and in my body, my voice and my skin, I was able to capture something of Bardot, but without being some sort of copy and imitation.”
The series premiered last month and received a lot of attention, leading to an on-stage honor and an award for the most promising talent at this year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival. But overall, the Nunez doesn’t feel all that different.
“I’m still in my drama school, I’m still training, and I plan to stay there,” she says. “I still think about theater and still plan to audition for a place at the conservatory next year. So I really think about that, and those preparations. But I’m glad the show is finally here because it’s always fun to show our work to the general public. And maybe a little relieved that it’s outside and the pressure is a bit less!”