Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche has had many public readings of Talking with Angels, and has mentioned in several interviews this book about four young people's questions and their quest for answers amidst the horrors of the world war. What does this Hungarian book mean for a French actor? Why has its underlying spirituality captured her? In what ways does it help the professional work of an actor and the daily life of a woman? Why does she think it's important to present the teachings of this work also in a theatrical setting? These are some of the questions Juliette Binoche addresses in the interview on her reading performance at MITEM The Matter of Light, based on the book Talking with Angels. 

Juliette Binoche: "The power of Talking with Angels supports me in whatever I do, it motivates me, makes me see myself differently, nourishes me, it expects truthfulness and authenticity of me in matters large and small. It can overwhelm me with a thousand doubts or blow away old fears and off-the-shelf ideas like a hurricane. 

The angel helps me to turn things around, to see and experience things differently. But it also expects ardent commitment and demanding brilliance while it keenly watches the evolving person. Tenderness and gentleness are at the heart of its teaching. We are never alone on the journey and this faith-filled sense of presence brings great gentleness into the roughness of our lives. The book allows us to relate to the invisible in a novel way, it allows us to feel infinite love inside, in any life, at any moment. 

Every word in the book is part of the road to rebirth; we are granted the privilege of peeking into the secret of secrets.

As a young adult, I expected to find a place where I could encounter myself through reading. I thirsted for this intimate adventure through encounters, reading and creation. I also needed to look behind the scenes of everyday life. 

The four friends' questions in Talking with Angels, and the answers of the angels and then of the Chorus responded to a desire that has been burning inside me for the 33 years that I have been reading the book. It has never let me down, it is an inexhaustible source of teachings. The questions of the four friends help me to see, live, understand and feel my life in a completely different way."

Juliette Binoche interviewed by Enikő Sepsi

MITEM related presentation:

THE MATTER OF LIGHT

When?
7 June 2023, 19:00

Where?
National Theatre, Main Stage

(25 March 2023)