Howdy!
Hope everyone is fine and dandy, and enjoying a wondrous St. Patrick's day!
I just received the link to an interview I gave and thought I would share, as AVIDA will soon be distributed in the US of A!
Not that I ever imagined that occurring, giving its the utter antithesis of the average American flick:huh: But hey! its a fun thing, especially as the US version will have two of my dance videos as extras on it, which are quite fun and accompanied by my songs (or more popularly referred to as MUSIC VIDEOS:doh. Well, my voice and lyrics, but my friend Phil Broikos did the tunage
(Speaking of which, if anyone on here digs tunes you should check out his latest project,
http://http://www.youtube.com/user/oneperweek )
lol Funny aside, Phil was my high school prom date:happy:
Anyway, the DVD release date is April 15 for AVIDA, and it will be available at Amazon.com, Netflix, Blockbuster.com and many other places and stores. So all of you that can hack a nonlinear, black and white, French subtitled (except my character which speaks english when there is in fact speaking), beyond surreal art film...Check it owwwwttt
http://www.newyorkcool.com/archives/2007/October/interview_Velvet.htmhttp://
Julia Sirmons Talks to Velvet
Of all the delightful phrases in the tightly controlled French lexicon, one of the most apt and evocative is être bien dans le peau. It literally translates as "to be good in ones skin" and connotes a feeling of self-confidence, of comfortable with ones self.
If theres a woman in the world who can be described as magnifique in her peau, it is surely Velvet, the multi-talented artist and plus-size activist who made her stunning film debut as the title character in Avida, the fabulously funny and subversive French movie directed by mad genius auteurs Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine, which has just been acquired by Cinema Epoch and will hit American theaters later this month.
If the overused phrase a true original has ever been true of anybody, then it is most certainly true of Velvet. Shes probably the only woman in the history of the world of whos walked the catwalk for Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano, worked as a maternity nurse, been a member of one of the two contemporary dance troupes in France, played the title role in a surrealist farce and walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival at a weight of 300 pounds.
Speaking to Velvet, I felt I had encountered a true creative artist, utterly devoid of pretension, who did exactly what she wanted because it had never occurred to her to do anything else. Shes up for anything, accepting all projects and offers that pique her interest. Its an approach to life that can perhaps best be summed up by a quote from Helen Keller that Velvet keeps above her desk: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
Many people with artistic aspirations dream of going to Paris and living in a kind of fantasy expatriate bohemia. Yet we stay chained to our cubicles, convinced that such a life is no longer possible. Velvet is living proof that we are all wusses. Twelve years ago, she followed a boy to the City of Lights. While they boy didnt stick around, Velvet stayed firmly put and has been working as a photographer, model, dancer, and, now, film actress. After debuting in Avida, shes just landed another role in a film titled Café Champs-Elysées, which will start shooting in spring 2008.
As I anxiously awaited Velvets phone call from Paris, I sipped on a glass of Pouilly-Fuissé, anxious and more than a little intimidated. When her voice finally came through, warm and friendly, I was immediately put at ease. She was in her Montmartre apartment, tidying up in preparation for the arrival of a documentary crew.
They were coming to interview her for a documentary, La nudité toute nue (Nudity Completely Naked). She wasnt really sure what shed be doing for them, but stripping down wasnt going to be part of the bargain.
"No, Im not going to get all naked, too bad for them," she said. "Im not often hanging naked in my apartment, let alone for a free documentary." Nevertheless, she was excited. "Its going to be very fun," she predicted. "I told my makeup artist that Im going to need body art." (Full disclosure: In the end, Velvets makeup artist couldnt make it for the shoot. Velvet, ever resourceful, came up with a better idea. I donned a pink satin sheet for some frontal coverage and allowed my naked spine to be revealed in all its glory, she explains.)
Velvets certainly no stranger to nudity. She surreptitiously started taking nude drawing classes for college credit at seventeen (she says her mother "had a heart attack" when she found out the models werent wearing clothes), was married to a Frenchman whod been a nude model in another class and has frequently shot nudes in her photography. However, her experience with the publicity for Avida brought her into close contact with how prickly people can get when it comes to exposed flesh.
When Avida opened in France, the poster image was an almost larger-than-lifesized black-and-white photo of Velvets naked body from the stomach down to the thighs. It was plastered all over the streets of Paris and caused quite a stir. (The picture was deemed too provocative for sensitive American eyes, and a new poster was made up for the films tour of the US festival circuit.)
I was incredulous that the French generally considered so much more sophisticated in matters erotic than us Puritan Yanks -- were shocked by the poster. Velvet explained that the Parisian pedestrians "werent scandalized by the pussy [like] Americans would have been; the belly aspect is what scandalized them."
"The thing is, she explains, the French are A-OK with the body, but when it comes to a certain kind of fat body it is much more scandalous," she said. "I think theres an element of human curiosity, which I think is natural, by virtue of the fact that fat is virtually divorced from any media. I mean youll see tons of fat people walk down the street, but good luck finding any image of fat in any magazine or on television, let alone in a positive light or in a sensual way."
Unafaraid of causing a petite scandale now and then, Velvets determination to plaster big sexy women all over the world, as well as her supreme confidence in her own body, have allowed her to speed past such road blocks. In fact, it seems as if people cant get enough of her skin.
"Whats interesting is that literally everything Im offered I have to get naked," she said, the sly amusement in her voice unmistakable. "I laugh because the only people whove had me in clothes are Galliano and Gaultier. The next film role I will be naked. Every single person has such a problem with fat, and yet everyones dying to see naked fat people."
But enough about Velvets divine peau; what I really wanted to get at was her heart and soul. My first question for her was: "Where the hell did you come from?" I put the question more delicately, asking, "How [did] you become this amazing bohemian Renaissance woman, doing all this cool stuff?"
"Im originally from Rochester, New York," she explained, "and I escaped that very conservative city happily when I was eighteen or nineteen. Initially my mom didnt want me to go to New York City, but I ended up going to the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan."
At SVA she pursued a degree in illustration, believing "it would be a way to do fine art and get paid for it." Organizing her own study abroad program the school didnt offer one she spent a year in Florence. It was there that she fell in love with photography. "I loved the instant gratification," she says. She developed a particular affinity for fashion photography, and has a fond memory of shooting beautiful antique wedding dresses from a shop near the Mercato San Lorenzo.
Unfortunately, upon her return to New York, Velvet discovered that changing majors was impossible. "I couldnt afford to switch at that point, so basically what I would do is I would sort of adapt my illustrations by using photography, whatever way I had to," she explained.
This "by whatever means necessary" approach to her art followed her to France, where shed work intensely for three months, twenty-four hours a day" as a maternity nurse, living with couples with newborn babies and helping to get the infants on regular schedules. The money she made during those intense periods, she said, "allowed me the possibility of being freer to do artistic work."
Unsurprisingly, Velvet put that artistic freedom to good use, delving into plus-size fashion modeling and photography while simultaneously dabbling in other projects like contemporary dance performances and television appearances. A move to the big screen seemed inevitable.
Since Avida is the first film Velvets ever been in, I was curious to learn how shed gotten in contact with the directors. She said shes been sent to the casting through her modeling agency, AGENCE PLUS at Contrebande.
And why were they interested in her for the part?
"Well," she said, matter-of-factly, "they wanted a very fat woman. When I auditioned they let me know about the background of the character, that she was a singer. So when they told me [that], I was like, Oh, I sing! and I sang some opera and stuff, and we just got on really well. Oh my God theyre a laugh riot. Theyre best friends and no one ever laughs more than they do."
"And not having done a lot of acting before, when I auditioned they really supported me. I didnt initially get it, some other girl got it, and then they had to have me come back. We have a similar sense of humor, and you kind of have to have a sense of humor to work with them."
For those not familiar with de Kervern and Delépine's films, that sense of humor is absurdist, surreal, and very anti-establishment. Its no surprise that Velvet would feel right at home with them. Nevertheless, on the surface, the prospect of playing a loud, fat American ex-diva with an insatiable appetite for potato chips in a French film seems degrading enough to send any self-respecting newyorkaise running in the opposite direction as fast as her stilettos could carry her. What was it that attracted Velvet to the part?
"A main attraction was the fact that it was the lead role of a film being a big woman. I dont go to a lot of movies, but then I sit down and think of how many millions of fat people there are, and how many movies there are, and how rarely were represented."
And, I piped in, when fat people are in movies, its rarely an actual fat person, but Gwyneth Paltrow or some other emaciated starlet in a fat suit.
"Yeah, exactly!" Velvet concurred. "Or its Eddie Murphy totally degrading fat people with movies like Norbit. Movies like [that] are the reason were perceived as a joke. I would never see that movie, but to me, that movie is a statement on where we are as a society in terms of how we see fat people."
"Part of being in Avida was pushing myself as an actress, certainly, and also Id seen what theyd done in [Kervern and Delépines first film] Aaltra, and I said point blank I dont want it to be something that is made out to berate fat people, and they [Kervern and Delépine] totally agreed with that."
I mentioned that one of my favorite things about Avida was that Velvets character was very funny, but not a cliché or the butt of any stereotypical fat jokes. Velvet agreed, saying that was one of her major concerns going into the project:
"I said point blank I wont do anything with fat jokes theres no way." And after having looked at Aaltra, I saw that wasnt what they were into. And when I saw Aaltra, and I saw how incredibly beautifully it was shot, it really struck me. It was kind of like my fantasy of black-and-white photography come to motion."
I said that I thought that, while certain shots of her body were composed for comedic effect (extreme visual comedy is a huge part of de Kervern and Delépines visual aesthetic), there were so many incredibly glamorous and beautiful shots of her in the film.
"Do you think so?" she mewed with an uncharacteristic meekness. "I thought the contrary, I was laughing because I thought, "Man. I look so bad."
Regaining her composure, she added, "Wow! Well Im glad you felt that. Im very much a glamour sex kitten as Im sure you can tell from looking at my pictures, so for me it was divorced from my work."
Contemplating the issue further, Velvet mused, "Its funny because every time [Avida cinematographer] Hugues [Poulain] tried to shoot me I said, If you shoot me from that angle, I will look absolutely hideous, and he said, "Im going to make you hideous all the way throughout, and then at the end youre going to look killer!" And I was like, "Oh, OK!" And it was the smartest thing in the world for him to say, to get an image-obsessed gal like me, to go along with it."
I added that, as a viewer, one specific scene towards the end of the film, when the suicidal Avida rediscovers her will to live, thanks to the rather delicious belly worship of a new-found lover, struck me as particularly sensual and gorgeous.
"Oh yeah," she laughed. "That was quite fun. I was happy with that. I knew that was going to be in it when I took the role, and I also knew, like with [Avida constantly eating] potato chips, that there were things I was going to be contrary to, but I didnt think it was fair that I dictate the role as an actress or an activist. This was who Avida was. But the fact that there is this positive moment at the end, is again something that you never see in film. Fatness and positive sensuality are completely taboo."
Being a huge fan of both Aaltra and Avida, I had to ask for a little dirt on what its like being on set with Kervern and Delépine. She told me that almost all the dialogue was improvised, and that they like to work with very few takes. "It was incredibly challenging," she admitted, "but now I feel like I can take on anything."
Prodding further, I reminded her of a comment she made about the "drunken exploits" that occurred on the Avida shoot, so naturally I asked for the juicy details.
"Well, Velvet mused, theyre always stoned, crazy and drunk, so its hard to [pick out one]. The scene where everybodys going up the hill, that was very, very crazy and fun. That was the day all their friends came and it was a big party. Everybody was so wasted at one point they couldnt even walk. I dont drink alcohol, so I was designated driver.
Theyre incredibly nice people, too. Theyre total anti-establishment liberal crazies. Theyre really kind people who come off as crazy drunks, but theyre also really philosophical. They were super encouraging, so I could not have asked for anything more."
But, as Velvet herself explained, she doesnt particularly consider herself an actress. Her goal is to infiltrate all forms of mainstream media, in the hopes of making them more all-inclusive and less boring.
While theres no doubt that Velvet is taking France by storm, I wondered what it was like being a plus-size activist in a country where women allegedly never get fat. Velvets response was quite pragmatic and philosophical. Shes never felt like an outcast, she explained, because Europeans seem to be very accepting of individuals who are true to themselves.
"[In America] people are so attached to the notion of fame that theyre willing to adapt themselves to be known, versus really be[ing] what they are and reveling in that, she explained. I find that French people [are] quite willing to accept someone who they see as being true to themselves, [but] you do have to make an effort. If you make an effort theyre amused by you and accepting."
And as far as the myth of the perennially svelte française, Velvet was only too willing to shatter that illusion. She was quick to note that the effects of globalization and American-style fast food have taken their toll on the svelte gourmand center of the world.
"Let me tell you," she said, "theres a whole heck of a lot more fat people in France and theyre getting fatter by the minute, so dont kid yourself."
Velvet elaborated, saying shed found a niche for herself with her involvement in burgeoning French fat-positive web communities like Ronde et Jolie, Pulpe Club, and Allegro Fortissimo. "Theres a growing movement within France of people who are French and want to be happier fat," she explained. "So I guess Ive found my own little niche and brought my activist American side of things here to France, and I just do whatever, on my own."
From Velvets point of view, the most positive thing she can do for the international plus-size community is to "work on herself" and get exposure in as many mainstream media outlets as possible.
For fans stateside, the most expedient methods to witness this infiltration should check out her interview in the August/September issue of Bust, and as a guest judge on Oxygens Fat Chance: Paris, a plus-sized beauty contest hosted by Monique and, for the first time this season, set in the City of Lights.
When I queried Velvet about what qualities shed be looking for in the new Miss FAT, she expressed an uncharacteristic hesitancy, saying she didnt really want to judge anyone. Did that mean that she would be the Paula Abdul of Fat Chance: Paris -- the judge who loves everybody?
"I probably am," she confessed. "Cause I do love everybody."
Coming from Velvet, it didnt sound cheesy at all.
For more on Velvet, visit her MySpace page at
http://http://www.myspace.com/velvetdamour
Click here for Julia Sirmons' review of Avida. Julia reviewed the film at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
http://http://www.newyorkcool.com/archives/2007/May/film_Tribeca_Reviews.htm#avida
Hope everyone is fine and dandy, and enjoying a wondrous St. Patrick's day!
I just received the link to an interview I gave and thought I would share, as AVIDA will soon be distributed in the US of A!
Not that I ever imagined that occurring, giving its the utter antithesis of the average American flick:huh: But hey! its a fun thing, especially as the US version will have two of my dance videos as extras on it, which are quite fun and accompanied by my songs (or more popularly referred to as MUSIC VIDEOS:doh
. Well, my voice and lyrics, but my friend Phil Broikos did the tunage (Speaking of which, if anyone on here digs tunes you should check out his latest project,
http://http://www.youtube.com/user/oneperweek )
lol Funny aside, Phil was my high school prom date:happy:
Anyway, the DVD release date is April 15 for AVIDA, and it will be available at Amazon.com, Netflix, Blockbuster.com and many other places and stores. So all of you that can hack a nonlinear, black and white, French subtitled (except my character which speaks english when there is in fact speaking), beyond surreal art film...Check it owwwwttt
http://www.newyorkcool.com/archives/2007/October/interview_Velvet.htmhttp://
Julia Sirmons Talks to Velvet
Of all the delightful phrases in the tightly controlled French lexicon, one of the most apt and evocative is être bien dans le peau. It literally translates as "to be good in ones skin" and connotes a feeling of self-confidence, of comfortable with ones self.
If theres a woman in the world who can be described as magnifique in her peau, it is surely Velvet, the multi-talented artist and plus-size activist who made her stunning film debut as the title character in Avida, the fabulously funny and subversive French movie directed by mad genius auteurs Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine, which has just been acquired by Cinema Epoch and will hit American theaters later this month.
If the overused phrase a true original has ever been true of anybody, then it is most certainly true of Velvet. Shes probably the only woman in the history of the world of whos walked the catwalk for Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano, worked as a maternity nurse, been a member of one of the two contemporary dance troupes in France, played the title role in a surrealist farce and walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival at a weight of 300 pounds.
Speaking to Velvet, I felt I had encountered a true creative artist, utterly devoid of pretension, who did exactly what she wanted because it had never occurred to her to do anything else. Shes up for anything, accepting all projects and offers that pique her interest. Its an approach to life that can perhaps best be summed up by a quote from Helen Keller that Velvet keeps above her desk: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
Many people with artistic aspirations dream of going to Paris and living in a kind of fantasy expatriate bohemia. Yet we stay chained to our cubicles, convinced that such a life is no longer possible. Velvet is living proof that we are all wusses. Twelve years ago, she followed a boy to the City of Lights. While they boy didnt stick around, Velvet stayed firmly put and has been working as a photographer, model, dancer, and, now, film actress. After debuting in Avida, shes just landed another role in a film titled Café Champs-Elysées, which will start shooting in spring 2008.
As I anxiously awaited Velvets phone call from Paris, I sipped on a glass of Pouilly-Fuissé, anxious and more than a little intimidated. When her voice finally came through, warm and friendly, I was immediately put at ease. She was in her Montmartre apartment, tidying up in preparation for the arrival of a documentary crew.
They were coming to interview her for a documentary, La nudité toute nue (Nudity Completely Naked). She wasnt really sure what shed be doing for them, but stripping down wasnt going to be part of the bargain.
"No, Im not going to get all naked, too bad for them," she said. "Im not often hanging naked in my apartment, let alone for a free documentary." Nevertheless, she was excited. "Its going to be very fun," she predicted. "I told my makeup artist that Im going to need body art." (Full disclosure: In the end, Velvets makeup artist couldnt make it for the shoot. Velvet, ever resourceful, came up with a better idea. I donned a pink satin sheet for some frontal coverage and allowed my naked spine to be revealed in all its glory, she explains.)
Velvets certainly no stranger to nudity. She surreptitiously started taking nude drawing classes for college credit at seventeen (she says her mother "had a heart attack" when she found out the models werent wearing clothes), was married to a Frenchman whod been a nude model in another class and has frequently shot nudes in her photography. However, her experience with the publicity for Avida brought her into close contact with how prickly people can get when it comes to exposed flesh.
When Avida opened in France, the poster image was an almost larger-than-lifesized black-and-white photo of Velvets naked body from the stomach down to the thighs. It was plastered all over the streets of Paris and caused quite a stir. (The picture was deemed too provocative for sensitive American eyes, and a new poster was made up for the films tour of the US festival circuit.)
I was incredulous that the French generally considered so much more sophisticated in matters erotic than us Puritan Yanks -- were shocked by the poster. Velvet explained that the Parisian pedestrians "werent scandalized by the pussy [like] Americans would have been; the belly aspect is what scandalized them."
"The thing is, she explains, the French are A-OK with the body, but when it comes to a certain kind of fat body it is much more scandalous," she said. "I think theres an element of human curiosity, which I think is natural, by virtue of the fact that fat is virtually divorced from any media. I mean youll see tons of fat people walk down the street, but good luck finding any image of fat in any magazine or on television, let alone in a positive light or in a sensual way."
Unafaraid of causing a petite scandale now and then, Velvets determination to plaster big sexy women all over the world, as well as her supreme confidence in her own body, have allowed her to speed past such road blocks. In fact, it seems as if people cant get enough of her skin.
"Whats interesting is that literally everything Im offered I have to get naked," she said, the sly amusement in her voice unmistakable. "I laugh because the only people whove had me in clothes are Galliano and Gaultier. The next film role I will be naked. Every single person has such a problem with fat, and yet everyones dying to see naked fat people."
But enough about Velvets divine peau; what I really wanted to get at was her heart and soul. My first question for her was: "Where the hell did you come from?" I put the question more delicately, asking, "How [did] you become this amazing bohemian Renaissance woman, doing all this cool stuff?"
"Im originally from Rochester, New York," she explained, "and I escaped that very conservative city happily when I was eighteen or nineteen. Initially my mom didnt want me to go to New York City, but I ended up going to the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan."
At SVA she pursued a degree in illustration, believing "it would be a way to do fine art and get paid for it." Organizing her own study abroad program the school didnt offer one she spent a year in Florence. It was there that she fell in love with photography. "I loved the instant gratification," she says. She developed a particular affinity for fashion photography, and has a fond memory of shooting beautiful antique wedding dresses from a shop near the Mercato San Lorenzo.
Unfortunately, upon her return to New York, Velvet discovered that changing majors was impossible. "I couldnt afford to switch at that point, so basically what I would do is I would sort of adapt my illustrations by using photography, whatever way I had to," she explained.
This "by whatever means necessary" approach to her art followed her to France, where shed work intensely for three months, twenty-four hours a day" as a maternity nurse, living with couples with newborn babies and helping to get the infants on regular schedules. The money she made during those intense periods, she said, "allowed me the possibility of being freer to do artistic work."
Unsurprisingly, Velvet put that artistic freedom to good use, delving into plus-size fashion modeling and photography while simultaneously dabbling in other projects like contemporary dance performances and television appearances. A move to the big screen seemed inevitable.
Since Avida is the first film Velvets ever been in, I was curious to learn how shed gotten in contact with the directors. She said shes been sent to the casting through her modeling agency, AGENCE PLUS at Contrebande.
And why were they interested in her for the part?
"Well," she said, matter-of-factly, "they wanted a very fat woman. When I auditioned they let me know about the background of the character, that she was a singer. So when they told me [that], I was like, Oh, I sing! and I sang some opera and stuff, and we just got on really well. Oh my God theyre a laugh riot. Theyre best friends and no one ever laughs more than they do."
"And not having done a lot of acting before, when I auditioned they really supported me. I didnt initially get it, some other girl got it, and then they had to have me come back. We have a similar sense of humor, and you kind of have to have a sense of humor to work with them."
For those not familiar with de Kervern and Delépine's films, that sense of humor is absurdist, surreal, and very anti-establishment. Its no surprise that Velvet would feel right at home with them. Nevertheless, on the surface, the prospect of playing a loud, fat American ex-diva with an insatiable appetite for potato chips in a French film seems degrading enough to send any self-respecting newyorkaise running in the opposite direction as fast as her stilettos could carry her. What was it that attracted Velvet to the part?
"A main attraction was the fact that it was the lead role of a film being a big woman. I dont go to a lot of movies, but then I sit down and think of how many millions of fat people there are, and how many movies there are, and how rarely were represented."
And, I piped in, when fat people are in movies, its rarely an actual fat person, but Gwyneth Paltrow or some other emaciated starlet in a fat suit.
"Yeah, exactly!" Velvet concurred. "Or its Eddie Murphy totally degrading fat people with movies like Norbit. Movies like [that] are the reason were perceived as a joke. I would never see that movie, but to me, that movie is a statement on where we are as a society in terms of how we see fat people."
"Part of being in Avida was pushing myself as an actress, certainly, and also Id seen what theyd done in [Kervern and Delépines first film] Aaltra, and I said point blank I dont want it to be something that is made out to berate fat people, and they [Kervern and Delépine] totally agreed with that."
I mentioned that one of my favorite things about Avida was that Velvets character was very funny, but not a cliché or the butt of any stereotypical fat jokes. Velvet agreed, saying that was one of her major concerns going into the project:
"I said point blank I wont do anything with fat jokes theres no way." And after having looked at Aaltra, I saw that wasnt what they were into. And when I saw Aaltra, and I saw how incredibly beautifully it was shot, it really struck me. It was kind of like my fantasy of black-and-white photography come to motion."
I said that I thought that, while certain shots of her body were composed for comedic effect (extreme visual comedy is a huge part of de Kervern and Delépines visual aesthetic), there were so many incredibly glamorous and beautiful shots of her in the film.
"Do you think so?" she mewed with an uncharacteristic meekness. "I thought the contrary, I was laughing because I thought, "Man. I look so bad."
Regaining her composure, she added, "Wow! Well Im glad you felt that. Im very much a glamour sex kitten as Im sure you can tell from looking at my pictures, so for me it was divorced from my work."
Contemplating the issue further, Velvet mused, "Its funny because every time [Avida cinematographer] Hugues [Poulain] tried to shoot me I said, If you shoot me from that angle, I will look absolutely hideous, and he said, "Im going to make you hideous all the way throughout, and then at the end youre going to look killer!" And I was like, "Oh, OK!" And it was the smartest thing in the world for him to say, to get an image-obsessed gal like me, to go along with it."
I added that, as a viewer, one specific scene towards the end of the film, when the suicidal Avida rediscovers her will to live, thanks to the rather delicious belly worship of a new-found lover, struck me as particularly sensual and gorgeous.
"Oh yeah," she laughed. "That was quite fun. I was happy with that. I knew that was going to be in it when I took the role, and I also knew, like with [Avida constantly eating] potato chips, that there were things I was going to be contrary to, but I didnt think it was fair that I dictate the role as an actress or an activist. This was who Avida was. But the fact that there is this positive moment at the end, is again something that you never see in film. Fatness and positive sensuality are completely taboo."
Being a huge fan of both Aaltra and Avida, I had to ask for a little dirt on what its like being on set with Kervern and Delépine. She told me that almost all the dialogue was improvised, and that they like to work with very few takes. "It was incredibly challenging," she admitted, "but now I feel like I can take on anything."
Prodding further, I reminded her of a comment she made about the "drunken exploits" that occurred on the Avida shoot, so naturally I asked for the juicy details.
"Well, Velvet mused, theyre always stoned, crazy and drunk, so its hard to [pick out one]. The scene where everybodys going up the hill, that was very, very crazy and fun. That was the day all their friends came and it was a big party. Everybody was so wasted at one point they couldnt even walk. I dont drink alcohol, so I was designated driver.
Theyre incredibly nice people, too. Theyre total anti-establishment liberal crazies. Theyre really kind people who come off as crazy drunks, but theyre also really philosophical. They were super encouraging, so I could not have asked for anything more."
But, as Velvet herself explained, she doesnt particularly consider herself an actress. Her goal is to infiltrate all forms of mainstream media, in the hopes of making them more all-inclusive and less boring.
While theres no doubt that Velvet is taking France by storm, I wondered what it was like being a plus-size activist in a country where women allegedly never get fat. Velvets response was quite pragmatic and philosophical. Shes never felt like an outcast, she explained, because Europeans seem to be very accepting of individuals who are true to themselves.
"[In America] people are so attached to the notion of fame that theyre willing to adapt themselves to be known, versus really be[ing] what they are and reveling in that, she explained. I find that French people [are] quite willing to accept someone who they see as being true to themselves, [but] you do have to make an effort. If you make an effort theyre amused by you and accepting."
And as far as the myth of the perennially svelte française, Velvet was only too willing to shatter that illusion. She was quick to note that the effects of globalization and American-style fast food have taken their toll on the svelte gourmand center of the world.
"Let me tell you," she said, "theres a whole heck of a lot more fat people in France and theyre getting fatter by the minute, so dont kid yourself."
Velvet elaborated, saying shed found a niche for herself with her involvement in burgeoning French fat-positive web communities like Ronde et Jolie, Pulpe Club, and Allegro Fortissimo. "Theres a growing movement within France of people who are French and want to be happier fat," she explained. "So I guess Ive found my own little niche and brought my activist American side of things here to France, and I just do whatever, on my own."
From Velvets point of view, the most positive thing she can do for the international plus-size community is to "work on herself" and get exposure in as many mainstream media outlets as possible.
For fans stateside, the most expedient methods to witness this infiltration should check out her interview in the August/September issue of Bust, and as a guest judge on Oxygens Fat Chance: Paris, a plus-sized beauty contest hosted by Monique and, for the first time this season, set in the City of Lights.
When I queried Velvet about what qualities shed be looking for in the new Miss FAT, she expressed an uncharacteristic hesitancy, saying she didnt really want to judge anyone. Did that mean that she would be the Paula Abdul of Fat Chance: Paris -- the judge who loves everybody?
"I probably am," she confessed. "Cause I do love everybody."
Coming from Velvet, it didnt sound cheesy at all.
For more on Velvet, visit her MySpace page at
http://http://www.myspace.com/velvetdamour
Click here for Julia Sirmons' review of Avida. Julia reviewed the film at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
http://http://www.newyorkcool.com/archives/2007/May/film_Tribeca_Reviews.htm#avida
