Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino cast a fair share of familiar faces (like Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s Luke Kirby and Gideon Glick) in in their new Prime Video series, Étoile. But they have Paris to thank for their perfect leading ladies Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou de Laâge.
In an unexpected but delightful twist, the legendary Gainsbourg (Melancholia, Nymphomaniac, Antichrist) replaced Camille Cottin amid scheduling conflicts as Geneviève Lavigne, director of French ballet company Ballet National. And de Laâge (The Innocents, Jappeloup, Coup de Chance) learned English and had nine months of ballet training to prepare for the role of étoile Cheyenne Toussaint, a star dancer who Geneviève trades to New York’s Metropolitan Ballet Theater director Jack (Kirby) in a temporary swap designed to raise ticket sales.
“It was my first time being on a comedy style [show],” Gainsbourg told Decider over Zoom ahead of Étoile’s premiere. “Having so much fun with [the Palladinos’] dialogues was so new. It was like entering a family, which was very, very cool.”
“For me, everything was challenging,” de Laâge added. “Speaking in English was challenging, because I didn’t speak English at first. Playing a ballet dancer, also, because I have done a lot of ballet for this series. And all of that in English with a very fast and comedic tempo, it was new!”
When we first meet Cheyenne, she’s on the deck of a boat braving a storm and butting heads with fellow environmental activists. The scene, which de Laâge told Decider is her favorite, ends in Cheyenne’s arrest and swiftly solidifies her bold, complex, at times hostile demeanor. “I like this character because she has such different things to play,” de Laâge explained. “She’s not one thing. She’s free on everything.”
On the other hand, Gainsbourg’s Geneviève gives the impression of a strict, by-the-books director who believes that upholding her professional responsibilities is the best way to support the arts. But Gainsbourg loves the fact that her character is a free spirit at heart, something that’s showcased when she kicks her heels off any chance she gets.
“When she’s with an audience — whether doing her work, or with the Ministry of Culture — she is in her heels. She’s trying to be this character that inside, she’s not, really. So as soon as she can be herself, she kicks them off,” Gainsbourg explained. “She loves her work, so she’s completely dedicated. But that’s a real battle inside her. I thought it was a very comical, and at the same time, very touching thing about her.”
On top of the already speedy Palladino pace, Étoile is filmed in two languages on two continents, with scenes shot in New York and Paris. Amidst the chaos and newness of it all, Gainsbourg found great comfort in fellow French stars like de Laâge and Gilmore Girls alum Yanic Truesdale, who plays Geneviève’s right-hand man, Raphael.
“What I love with Lou is that we understand each other. It’s so immediate. We didn’t know each other, but there was a connection straight away,” Gainsbourg said. “And I have to say, when I told my daughter that [Yanic] was on the show, she collapsed in emotion. So it was great to be with him. There’s an immediate connection with the French, because he’s Canadian. And he’s so sweet. All the people surrounding us were sweet people who have worked with Amy and Dan for years. So everyone really wanted to be there.”
“They all were so nice,” de Laâge echoed, piling on praise for the cast and shouting out “good scene partners” like David Alvarez, Simon Callow, and David Haig for “taking their time to speak with me in English, slowly.” Both leading ladies also share significant screen time with Kirby, ultimately forming what Palladino calls, “the perfect love triangle.”
“Luke was the first person I met after Amy and Dan. We had a dinner in New York and he was so charming, so sweet, just very easy and fun. Always open to whatever was going on. He’s a real treat to work with,” Gainsbourg explained.
“He’s a beautiful human being to work with,” de Laâge added. And though she was tight-lipped about her character’s monumental finale kiss with Jack ahead of Season 1’s premiere, Palladino told Decider, “We knew that we were eventually gonna land on them at some point. We just didn’t exactly know where until we got a little deeper into the process.”
“Lou and Luke are so good together. The thing is, Luke and Charlotte are so good together, that it does make it hard,” Palladino continued. “They’re both smart, sharp women. They’re both difficult in their relationships, in their own way. And he’s both the right and the wrong man for both of them. So it’s kind of like the perfect love triangle, where none of them should be together.”
Kirby agreed, making sure to pay tribute to his character’s two love interests and the talented women who play them.
“Lou and Charlotte are just formidable actors and really cool people… Boy, they are really exceptional,” he told Decider weighing in on the Jack/Cheyenne/Geneviève love triangle. “I think they’re both worthy relationships. They’re friendships. Everyone in this story is drawn to one art form and is driven by trying to keep its vitality present. I don’t know where it’s going. I have ideas for sure, but nobody’s gonna listen to me.”
Regardless of where Season 2 takes their characters, Gainsbourg and de Laâge are just grateful their induction into the Palladino-verse serves as such an uplifting love letter to the arts.
“I think it’s beautiful to be part of a show that speaks about believers,” de Laâge told Decider. “It’s not about the ugly side of humanity. It’s about the beautiful side of humanity and how art can change your life and can create a purpose in your life. I think we have enough series and movies about the dark side.”
Étoile Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.