Agathe Rousselle Is Titane’s Breakout Star and Vuitton’s Newest Muse
Agathe Rousselle knows how to electrify an audience. The 33-year-old star of Titane made waves on the festival circuit thanks to her breakout performance in Julia Ducournau’s genre-bending body horror. With her film debut topping 2021’s “best of” lists—and taking home the Cannes Film Festival’s coveted Palme d’Or back in July—Rousselle is experiencing her moment in the spotlight and learning what it’s like to present a thought-provoking project to the world. “Once it’s out there, you have to relinquish control because the movie doesn’t belong to you anymore,” she shared on the phone from Paris. “It’s a bit like setting something free; I’m relieved to see that it’s taken on a life of its own, and now it belongs to the eyes of the viewers.”
Originally from France, Rousselle always knew she’d pursue art, but her choice of medium changed frequently. Performing on screen was always the end goal, but she worked as a photographer, casting director, and model before landing her big break. “I’ve wanted to perform my entire life; There’s video footage of me at five putting on shows for my parents,” she says. “I had a dozen different lives in my twenties, but acting was always in the back of my mind. I was modeling, doing short films, and appearing in music videos. If there was a chance to be in front of the camera, I would take it because I wanted to learn everything.”
Rousselle’s tenacity eventually led her to Ducournau, who, fresh from the success of her provocative debut feature Raw, was ready to bring another daring story to the big screen. Most actors begin their careers with minor roles, but Rousselle’s performance anchors Titane. As Alexia, a woman driven to obsession and murder by her attraction to automobiles, she’s at the center of the action. Stepping into Ducournau’s world and portraying a one-of-a-kind character would have been a challenge for seasoned performers, but first-timer Rousselle threw herself into the role. “Since this was my first feature, every day was new and exciting,” she says. “The entire process was extremely intense, but I’d been warned by [Julia], so I knew what I was getting into.”
