Sabine Azéma has just reunited with her "screen husband," André Dussollier, in N'Avoue Jamais ("Never Tell"), a comedy by Ivan Calbérac, released in French cinemas on Wednesday, April 24. Winner of two Césars for Best Actress, the widow of Alain Resnais, who gave her some very memorable performances (Mélo [1986], Smoking/No Smoking [1993], On Connaît la Chanson (Same Old Song) [1997]), has never stopped touring. At the age of 74 and still bubbly, she is working on a comic strip and will soon be starring in an Italian film.

I wouldn't have got here if...

... If I hadn't loved acting so much. For as long as I can remember, I've always acted. As a child, I'd invent stories, write them down, distribute the roles to my school friends or, at home, to my two little sisters. I'd build sets from whatever I could get my hands on, and make costumes from scraps of fabric. I spent my life putting on shows. I charged the audience, in other words, my family. I've always felt like a sheep that's escaped from the herd, and at the same time I love coming together with people. I've always wanted to put life on stage; I find it more interesting that way. Acting isn't necessarily being an actor, it's a way of being in the world, of wanting to surprise others. It could be, for example, hiding behind a tree to surprise someone and make them jump.

An actress from birth, then?

My parents and grandparents always told me I was a performer, a comedian, even before I could speak. I'm very emotional, and acting lets me get all those emotions out that sometimes overwhelm me. Acting has always been part of me. But I never said to myself, "I want to be an actress." But in junior high, when my parents suggested horse riding, I said I'd rather join an acting class. There was one at the Lycée Carnot [her high school]. I remember the teacher's comment when she saw me: "But she's still got milk on her lips, that one!" I was really very young. That's when it all started. I took part in inter-school competitions, which are wonderful memories. One day, my parents said to me: "That's all very well but get your high school diploma, then we'll see."

What were your parents like?

My father was a lawyer, and my mother looked after us, as was the custom in those days. They were both artistically inclined. My mother would have dreamed of being a pianist; she was gifted, but played in secret so that no one would listen to her. My father took us to the Louvre every Sunday, introducing us to painting and art. We had one foot in the city, as I was born near the Eiffel Tower, and one foot in the country with my grandparents who lived in Sologne [south of Paris]. I adored them; they were very funny, playful and cultured. My grandfather taught us to sing, he was a veterinary surgeon and also had a highly developed artistic side. He had written a book and was passionate about song.

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