Acclaimed actress and filmmakerJulie Delpyrecently delved into her career in a new interview, and has talked about turning down the fourth installment inRichard Linklater’sBeforeseries. Speaking withMathilde BlottièreandHélène Marzolfof the French outletTelerama(with select parts translated into English byCharles BarfieldofThe Playlist), she talked about her upcoming filmA Dazzling Display of Splendorand how she’s still struggling to get it funded.
“I have a wonderful screenplay,A Dazzling Display of Splendor, about the pioneers of Hollywood. One of the best I’ve written,” she said. Although she has yet to receive funding for the project, she does have one major name already attached. “A talented and well-known English actress,Emilia Clarke, is attached to the project,” she revealed, “And yet I’m still struggling. Non-stop. I have so many movies in my drawers that will never be shot, if you only knew! I’m fed up.”
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It is these issues that have led her to turn down a possible fourth entry inRichard Linklater’s belovedBeforetrilogy and even consider retirement. “A year and a half ago, I was not far from [retiring],” she revealed. “The hell I went through to produce my film had exhausted me. I said no to Richard Linklater for the fourth part of theBeforefilms.”
Anyone who has watched the series knows how integral of a role Delpy played both on and off-screen. Her portrayal of the free spirit Celeste inBefore Sunrisecaptured hearts around the world. This success led her to collaborate with Linklater and co-starEthan Hawketo co-write and produce the sequelsBefore SunsetandBefore Midnight. Despite the bittersweet ending ofMidnight, having another film in the series with no involvement from Delpy would potentially anger cinephiles everywhere.
Thankfully, don’t expect an early retirement for the star just yet. Like any true filmmaker, she revealed that her love of storytelling eventually overcame her doubts. “I like to create, to tell stories,” she said, “it’s stronger than me.”
It isn’t difficult to understand Delpy’s frustrations with Hollywood. With much of the theatrical landscape taken up by sequels, remakes, or adaptations, many independent filmmakers have had to work much harder to get funding for their projects. Some have their dream projects abandoned, while others find themselves boarding Hollywood blockbusters to receive the funding they need (Delpy herself had a small role inAvengers: Age of Ultron). Nevertheless, I hope she receives the funding forA Dazzling Display of Splendor soon.
In the meantime, you can catch both entries of Delpy’s2 Daysduology on Kanopy, whileBefore Sunrise,Before Sunset, andBefore Midnightare available to rent on video-on-demand services. For our francophone readers, take a look at the rest of the Telerama interviewhere.
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