'Jeanne du Barry' trivia and fun facts
The role of Louis XV was not originally written for Depp
The film's director, Maïwenn, revealed that she originally wrote the role for a French actor who later refused to read the script. Although it was difficult for her to overcome the disappointment, she finally opted for Depp as a replacement because she said he seemed like the ideal actor for a type of casting that was very far from the archetypes and also because she is a great fan of his work.
Depp had to work with a coach to speak French
The actor revealed that to act in French he had to work with a coach who helped him be precise in his pronunciation. His goal was to get rid of these problems so he could act as natural as possible.
Karl Lagerfeld and Maïwenn
Karl Lagerfeld set his sights on Maïwenn for her original style and remarkable personality and recruited her as an ambassador for Chanel, to make her the image of the brand's fall-winter 2012/2013 eyewear collection, a campaign he himself photographed.
The actress who plays Jeanne du Barry is also the director of the film
The french actress who plays Jeanne du Barry is Maïwenn and and she is the director too.. Regarding this, the director commented that it would have been very painful to see someone else play the role, although there were other actresses who could have done it. "I knew the character too well, I felt too close to her to hand her over to anyone else. Directing and acting in the film was a vital and inseparable matter," he acknowledged.
Madame du Barry existed in real life
The character of Madame du Barry is based on a french prostitute who was chosen as a favorite courtesan during the reign of Louis XV.
Dresses by Chanel
Maïwenn and Virginie Viard, with the help of costume designer Jürgen Doering, revisited some pieces from Chanel's haute couture collections to adapt them to Jeanne Du Barry's wardrobe. As a result, six period costumes signed by Chanel emerged.
The character of Jeanne du Barry was previously represented in film by Sofia Coppola
The director said that she discovered the character of Jeanne du Barry in 2006, when she saw the film 'Marie Antoinette' directed by Sofia Coppola. The role was played by Asia Argento. After this, Maïwenn became interested in biography and, for the next ten years, read her passages until she felt she was ready to take her life to film.