Cotillard: 'I'd never heard of Dillinger'

Marion Cotillard has admitted that she had never heard of gangster John Dillinger before starring in Public Enemies.

The Oscar winner told DS that the bank robber's exploits are not well known in her native France.

"I didn't know him at all. I didn't even know his name," she said. "The first time I heard about him was for the movie and the first thing I read about him was the script."

Discussing her character Billie Frechette's relationship with Dillinger, played by Johnny Depp in the film, the 33-year-old said: "I think they had a lot in common and they were the same kind of person. She was not a gangster, not at all, she was a very kind person. She was also very strong. I think he was a good man, even if he was a gangster [and had spent almost] ten years in jail.

"When he went out he didn't know any better. They had a lot in common, like the loss of their parents when they were very young. They recognised each other in a way, when you know it is your partner and you know it and feel it."

Cotillard added that her co-star Depp managed to convince her that he was a bad dancer for an early scene where their characters first meet.

"He told me that he was a very bad dancer," she commented. "I don't know if he's a very bad dancer but he had to be [for the scene] and he's very good at being bad!"

> Click here to watch our interview with Marion Cotillard