Throughout human history, few things have discomforted patriarchal societies quite like the candid thoughts of women. French author Françoise Sagan was only 18 when she published her wildly popular 1954 debut novel, Bonjour Tristesse, which translates as Hello Sadness. Her tale of a teenage girl, Cécile, whose freedom she enjoys with her widowed father, Raymond, is threatened by his strict fiancé, Anne, created such a scandal upon its release that it was slammed with a papal denunciation. The novel’s frank portrayal of its young character’s sexual exploration remained censored in its English translation until 2013.
Over half a century later, female artists still struggle with having their work reach a wide audience, especially when it is piercingly honest. Take, for example, Jamie Dack’s 2022 debut feature, “Palm Trees and Power Lines,” a galvanizing account of the grooming experienced by a teenager, portrayed with astonishing vulnerability by newcomer Lily McInerny. Though the film won a major prize at Sundance and was nominated for four Spirit Awards, it remains criminally under-seen and has yet to be released on physical media.
Now McInerny is further affirming her status as one of the most promising talents of her generation with her mesmerizing portrayal of Cécile in first-time writer/director Durga Chew-Bose’s adaptation of Sagan’s novel (Chloë Sevigny and Claes Bang play Anne and Raymond respectively). It is the second screen version of the book, following Otto Preminger’s 1958 classic starring Jean Seberg, yet Chew-Bose brings a whole other layer of nuance and intrigue to the narrative, where details as small as a lingering glance or a change in hair color can speak volumes. Set amidst the breathtaking beauty of the French fishing port, Cassis, Chew-Bose’s “Bonjour Tristesse” is guaranteed to offer viewers one of 2025’s most sumptuous big screen experiences.
It was a pleasure for me to speak once again with McInerny for Cinema Femme about her connection to Sagan’s work, her personal history with Chew-Bose and why she cites the character of Olive Oyl as an inspiration. Memo to anyone looking to direct a new “Popeye” movie: Lily McInerny as Olive Oyl would automatically make the film a must-see.
There are certain people who deliver such a great debut performance that it turns every one of their subsequent films, for me, into essential viewing. That is the case with you after I saw “Palm Trees and Power Lines.”
Thank you! Your support has meant so much to me throughout these years. I really appreciate it.
“Bonjour Tristesse” shows us a wholly different and equally captivating side of your screen persona. What was the experience like of embracing stillness as a performer under Durga’s direction?
It was certainly challenging because when so much of the performance depends on your inner life, it just places that much more expectation on your ability to embody it. What was so exciting to me about this particular performance was how punched in it was, and how much it relied on my inner experience. It needed to be very held back but deeply felt. I had previously done a play off-Broadway where, although I was still very much rooted in naturalism, my performance was designed to reach the last row. It depended largely on the projection of my experience, my voice, my body and my facial expressions. After that, going into any camera work, but especially a film like this that is so internal, was just delightful in how it gave me the opportunity to exercise that different set of muscles.
I wish I had seen your work onstage in “Camp Siegfried” and “The Animal Kingdom.” Do you hope to continue moving between stage and screen work?
I love working onstage and it’s difficult to compare the two because it’s such a different process having a narrative be completed within one night versus breaking it up into pieces. In an ideal world, I’d say that I would alternate between the two and be able to do one after another. But I also realize the limitation that the stage presents in terms of accessibility. You have to be in a certain city and have a certain income to be able to afford a lot of these theatre tickets, unfortunately. For that reason, on camera work might start taking priority in my life because it matters to me for people to have access to this kind of art. That said, I also really want to work in whatever capacity in making theatre more accessible, because the experience of watching a performance live is incomparable and deeply moving. I know that those stage shows that I’ve seen are huge factors in why I create. They really changed my life.
To what extent did you connect with Françoise Sagan’s work and what aspects of it did you carry with you when making this film?
I was regrettably completely unaware that the book existed before I became involved in the project. I think it’s much more well-known in France than it is in the U.S. I heard from a lot of native French people that it’s almost like their Catcher in the Rye. It’s such a popular coming of age story that for many people, it became a key part of their adolescence. As soon as I was attached to the film, I became completely obsessed with it. It’s one of my all-time favorite books, and not because I’m biased. For a lot people who read it, it’s not just a great read, but sort of a world-changing experience in how you’re able to identify so closely with the voice of Cécile, which was written over 70 years ago. There’s something really powerful about having that connection to the past.
I also loved Françoise’s follow-up novel, A Certain Smile, and in that one, the protagonist is a couple years older. Not that the age regression of portraying an 18-year-old made me any less connected to my character, but reading A Certain Smile was really exciting because it just spoke more closely to my experience as a young woman in my early 20s. I highly recommend it to any fans of the book who are reading this. Her work almost makes you feel like you are reading a person’s diary. It’s so honest and true to self. A lot of the character work I do as an actor involves journaling, world building and history building that I have to generate myself. By being able to use the original novel as a resource for my performance, it felt as though a lot of that work had already been done for me. It was an incredible tool to reference as I prepared to portray Cécile.
In what ways did your personal bond with Durga Chew-Bose, who once babysat you, translate to your professional dynamic onset?
I can’t say for certain whether our shared history had an effect on our collaboration, or whether Durga just makes everyone in her life feel this welcome and supported. But I’m sure it didn’t hurt in that I felt completely safe and supported and loved when being vulnerable around her. I’m sure that her knowing me throughout my adolescence must’ve inspired her in some ways. Throughout my adolescence, Durga was always sort of a role model to me even before she transitioned into filmmaking. She was such a smart, kind and cool girl that I think I was a fan of hers in addition to being a friend and a former child that she’d babysit. It made the entire experience that much more special.
I think her individuality, her uniqueness in her voice and her style, and her confidence in her decisions, whether or not they may challenge or frustrate or confuse people, is really inspiring and what has always attracted me to her. Her style of directing was equal parts tender and decisive, and her emotionality only added to her ability as a director. There was never a friction between those sides of herself, and I hope I bring that into the projects that I become involved with.
During a Q&A session, Durga likened you to both Audrey Hepburn and Olive Oyl, which you said was a huge compliment. What is it about those two icons that you admire?
Well, Audrey Hepburn needs no explanation. She is one of my all-time favorite actresses and performers in her beauty but also in her humor and her playfulness. I think the same about Olive Oyl. I think of her as this deeply silly and playful but also deeply feeling figure in cartoon history. She’s a romantic but she’s also no bullshit. I would love to be like Olive Oyl, even just in her physicality, which was something we would kind of reference when discussing Cécile.
Are you referring to both the cartoon version of Olive Oyl and Shelley Duvall’s portrayal of her in Robert Altman’s “Popeye”?
Yes, because Shelley Duvall’s Olive Oyl is one of my all-time favorite performances. Her number, “He Needs Me,” is just imprinted into my brain as one of the greatest moments on-screen. I tried to bring her sort of looseness to Cécile. There was an ease, a lack of inhibition, a recklessness and a sort of lucidity to her that was very different from the characters I had portrayed up until that point. I think there was also a level of masculinity to her. Being raised by a single father, she didn’t prescribe too closely to traditional gender roles. I adopted a lot of the traditionally masculine traits, such as walking with a sort of swagger or carefree attitude. I was trying to weave all of that together in my performance.
Considering your love of both Olive Oyl and—according to your Instagram posts—Pee-Wee Herman, do you hope to headline your own comedy in the future?
Yeah, absolutely! I’m so glad that you mentioned Pee-Wee Herman. I’m such a huge lover of comedy. Andy Kaufman also comes to mind as being a big role model of mine. I’d very much like to do more comedy. I’m super grateful for the projects that I’ve been able to do so far and I love a good drama any day, but that’s a big side of myself that I would love to exercise.
The costumes designed by Miyako Bellizzi are stunning in how they enhance our understanding of the characters.
It was such a bucket list experience working alongside Miyako. I had also been a fan of her work leading up to this. An iconic costume that comes to mind is the brown sweatsuit worn by Robert Pattinson when he looks caught off guard in “Good Time.” It is a testament to Miyako’s ability as a costume designer to see how starkly the costumes of “Bonjour Tristesse” contrast with her work in films by people like the Safdies. Miyako really cares about the narrative and character development just as much as the aesthetics and visuals and history when it comes to her costume design. In working alongside her, she was incredibly collaborative, receptive to feedback and wanted to hear my opinions as I developed the character.
In some of our earliest fittings, we worked together on finding the perfect shoe, the perfect underwear, even the brands of T-shirts that Cécile would actually wear. For example, there was a lot of Petite Bateau, which is a popular basic cotton brand that is only sold in Europe. All of these little nuances just make the characters feel so much more lived in and real. Some details may not even come up onscreen, but they are deeply felt as a performer. She didn’t need to do that, but she went out of her way to make sure that we were all involved and attended to, and that is just Miyako. She’s a gem.
What appeals to you about Chloë Sevigny as a performer, especially now that you’ve gotten to act opposite her?
As a performer, it always feels like she has a little secret that you just want to get in on. She has this seduction and charisma that is so fucking cool, and there is also this poise and precision. When she lets that go as she gets heated up, you feel everything going on within her that much more. That is what I admire about her as a performer. And then, of course, there’s just the personal admiration of her as the New York City It Girl.
You’ve mentioned that you were able to spend time with your fellow actors, particularly Claes Bang, in Cassis prior to filming.
I’m really grateful to production for blocking out that time for us to get to know each other and establish that rapport, because I think it’s so essential for the stakes of the film to have that kind of shared language and way of being. Durga likened Claes and I to two cowboys sitting around a campfire, which was a very helpful direction to have. It sort of defined our relationship as father and daughter. Chloë and I didn’t have the same kind of time together in the rehearsal process, but that was actually really useful to use that tension of getting to know one another in real life. We tried to sort of protect that and have it unfold on camera as best as we could. As the weeks went on, we found ourselves spending a lot of time together outside of set with weekends on the beach. It’s impossible not to bond with everyone in an environment like that and with people so talented, lovely and supportive.
When we last spoke two years ago, you said that you hoped to continue “working on projects that push taboos and create dialogue that will hopefully lead to change.” What sort of dialogue do you hope this film will create amongst viewers?
What I love so much about the pacing and the nature of Durga’s filmmaking is it allows everyone to project a fantasy of their own onto the piece. It is sort of interpretive, and I think it leaves room for people to involve themselves and their imaginations while bringing their experiences to the film. I am really excited to create something that is not only unusual, but isn’t being created a lot right now. Yes, we are referencing a lot of the classics. There are obvious references to French New Wave directors like Éric Rohmer, and even in the production and costume design, it is very timeless and nostalgic. Having a film like this be made in a time like today, where attention spans are increasingly lowered and there’s a constant stream of dopamine being consumed, it sort of disrupts that, and that’s really exciting to me.
“Bonjour Tristesse” opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, May 2nd.
