Binoche claims role is 'very naked'

Juliette Binoche has said that she had to give a "naked" emotional performance in Abbas Kiarostami's Copie Conforme (Certified Copy).

The star won the 'Best Actress' gong from the Cannes jury for her portrayal of an antiques dealer who befriends a British author in Tuscany.

Binoche told The Times of the role: "I thought when Abbas gave me the script that the character was a little bit crazy.

"I was about to start researching neuroses when he said, 'No, the character is you, she does not have neuroses. Just be yourself'."

She added: "I realised Abbas meant that it has to be true every single moment, so it was not about playing a character. For him it was playing truth.

"It was very naked. I had to feel this urgency of loving, this urgency of pushing myself forward and being unafraid of being humiliated.

"It's a re-creation of life, and it has to be more intense than life. You have to give something to the spectator so they can link themselves to the story."

> Click here for our review of 'Copie Conforme'