Ludmilla Makowski: the talented new artist in Lupin

Lupin, which is back for a 2nd season on Netflix, is one of the biggest global hits of 2021. A blockbuster that has got everyone talking about young French actress Ludmilla Makowski, in the role of the teenage Ludivine Sagnier. Including the Los Angeles Times, which has already pronounced her a future star. Reason enough for an interview with SoBARNES.

It’s not easy making an appointment with Ludmilla, who has just finished her studies at the Cours Florent private French drama school (a graduate of the famous Classe libre, or Free class, the cream of the crop when it comes to theatre - but don't go shouting it around, we wouldn't want to embarrass this naturally discreet young woman). Remember her name, her face and even her voice, because SoBARNES can tell you now, she’s poised to make a buzz.

How did you get the part in the series Lupin?

Ludmilla Makowski: It all happened so quickly. One evening in 2019 I was rehearsing a performance at the Cours Florent, and my agent transferred me an email saying I’d been selected for the series’ casting the next day. Which only gave me a few hours to learn my lines, from the first scene in which Claire appears as her younger self. A challenge, to say the least, given that it was for a Netflix series with Omar Sy and Ludivine Sagnier!

You were quickly picked out as the favourite by the production...

As soon as I introduced myself, the casting director told me that in addition to the physical resemblance, I also sounded like Ludivine Sagnier. Three days later and we were shooting.

Did you except the series to be such as success?

Not at all. I tend to play down things that happen to me. During the shoot, I told my friends that it was just a small part in a series, and that it wouldn't be a big thing. I never imagined that Lupin would be Netflix’s top international hit of 2020! Which is just as well really, as there wasn't any pressure.

Since we’re among friends here at SoBARNES, can you let us in on whether there’ll be a season 3 of Lupin?

Yes, filming starts in September, but from what I’ve heard I won't be in it.

You’ve caused a stir in a number of countries, and in Hollywood in particular. Is your career set to take off?

It would be presumptuous of me to say yes. Lupin has helped me get noticed on a professional level, and has probably sped things up on that front. Now I need to establish myself. I’ve just finished filming the adaptation of the book by Michel Houellebecq, Atomised, for France 2, under the direction of Antoine Garceau, the producer of Dix pour cent.  I was also contacted by an acting agency in Los Angeles, but chose instead to go with United Agents in London. If only for practical purposes, given that I live in Paris. I’ve been to a number of castings since the start of the year, particularly in English. Nothing’s definite for now, but I’m confident.

What about theatre?

I’ve been doing theatre since I was 7. Acting has always been my passion, and I hope that I will be able to mix theatre and cinema in the future. I’m going on tour in November with the Théâtre des Amandiers theatre company, under its new director Christophe Rauck, which will be performing the incredible Anatomy of a Snowfall, by Sara Stridsberg. I will also have the honour of performing it on stage in Nanterre for three weeks in December 2021. At the Théâtre des Amandiers, the theatre once run by Patrice Chéreau! It’s a dream come true.

What can we wish for your future?

Lots of parts and lots of filming.

Property is a big part of SoBARNES. You’re 23, with a career that will likely involve a lot of travel both in France and abroad. Where would your dream home be, and in which city?

I’m an out-and-out Parisian, so I need a big city. Paris is my sanctuary, but I’ve fallen head over heels for New York since I first visited. It’s where I want to live one day. In a big apartment.

 

Interview by Laurent Caillaud / [email protected]

Photo © Claude Makowski

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