Cannes Film Festival: Camille Razat on Creativity, Chaos and Walking on Cobblestones
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Camille Razat revels in the unconventional. She stunned at this year’s amfAR in a red Avellano dress that was a sartorial combination of futuristic sci-fi costume and fetish frock.
So how was wearing a long latex gown to the biggest party of the year? “Sweaty,” jokes Razat of the “Fifth Element”-inspired look. “But so worth it.”
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The actress conceived of the outfit for the festival’s biggest party with an editorial look in mind. “It was totally my choice not to be so literally glamorous, with glitter and all, but to be more edgy.” She created her makeup look of a red eyeshadow burst with L’Oréal makeup artists, since she’s an ambassador of the brand.
She’s been seeking out young designers in an effort to use her “Emily in Paris” fashion credentials to spotlight new talent. “Instagram is a great area, but there’s also so many of them, so it’s hard to get noticed. I want to give exposure, that’s my goal.”
Razat also uses her “Emily in Paris” perch to do so, working with costume designers Patricia Field and Marylin Fitossi to bring in new concepts and “really push forward,” she says. That results in some of the totally over-the-top looks that the Netflix show has become known for.
The former model looks at Kate Moss as her style north star. “She’s very chic and rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s what I love.”
Razat was set to study journalism before she decided to take a gap year and ended up in an acting class. There was no turning back.
“Emily in Paris” rocketed her to international fame, but her next project is a French horror film titled “Mastemah,” about a young psychiatrist who is haunted by a former patient who died in front of her. It’s the polar opposite of the flirty French girl persona she plays in “Paris.”
“In France, it’s very different than in America. You get pigeonholed very easily and very quickly. So I didn’t want to give the opportunity to people to pigeonhole me so easily. So I’m like, ‘OK, good luck. You want to pigeonhole me? You can’t!’ So that’s why I did it,” she says, unable to contain her excitement.
The character is troubled and complex, she says; she prefers horror and sci-fi in her own viewing queue. “I’m probably a nerd,” she jokes.
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Razat is a breath of fresh air with her honesty without pretense. She recognizes how designers have to churn out creativity and is realistic about the business.
“I know how much it is hard to be relevant,” she says. “To be a designer today with so many collections is crazy. Before they had like maybe 12 dresses and today it’s 75 [per show]. It’s so much work, and I respect that.” She’s been wearing Celine for the red carpet this festival.
While journalism school was abandoned, she still dabbles in writing. Right now that’s music, though there are no plans to release anything soon, and in the future she’d like to write and direct. She’s launching her own production company, and asked L’Oréal global brand president Delphine Viguier-Hovasse for some advice.
“Five minutes afterward, I swear, she introduced me to people in what could have taken me a year to get in touch with these people. It’s crazy, it’s very supportive,” she says of L’Oréal.
But Razat says she likes to take on one task at a time, so those projects will happen after “Emily in Paris” wraps. She’s honest, too, about how much of the series’ Paris is a fantasy, especially when it comes to the combination of cobblestone streets and footwear. “That’s ridiculous, I know. I’m the one that is lucky. I was never gonna wear heels — [my character] is a Parisian! But Lily [Collins], actually she had to see a doctor every day for her feet. They were so bad. She was all bruised and plasters everywhere, even her back. But she’s a professional and I admire her so much.”
Seasons three and four have been greenlit and are highly anticipated. Razat reveals little, saying that they are still writing it and she hasn’t seen even one page of the script. “But Darren [Star, the show’s producer] told me [my character’s] storyline will be even more chaotic.”
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