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Actor

Catherine Deneuve Brings Her Singular Presence to Gentle Monster

With 150-plus credits and nearly seven decades onscreen, the French icon takes on a new role.

By Madeleine Saaf-Welsh

Photo by Alice Rosati / Trunk Archive

Oct. 28, 2026

There aren’t many stars of the screen with a résumé like that of Catherine Deneuve. Over 150 acting credits. Nearly seven decades from first appearance to latest, with rarely a year that didn’t include a new release. Oscar and BAFTA nominations and countless honors from international film festival juries. Collaborations with visionaries such as Jacques Demy, Agnès Varda, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Lars von Trier. And at 83 years old, Deneuve still has the passion and commitment to take on challenging new work.

Two women sit close together in a warmly lit room, one older with an arm around the younger, both sharing a quiet, intimate, and comforting moment, suggesting a deep emotional bond or support in a private setting.

Léa Seydoux as Lucy Weiss and Catherine Deneuve as Eloise in Gentle Monster

Photo by Frédéric Batier

In Gentle Monster, the latest film from Austrian writer-director Marie Kreutzer (Corsage), Deneuve plays Eloise, a mother whose grown daughter Lucy (Léa Seydoux) is facing a marital rupture and crisis of trust when her husband is investigated for an unthinkable crime. Deneuve was on Kreutzer’s mind for the role after Seydoux was cast and Lucy developed into a French character — Kreutzer knew it had long been Seydoux’s dream to work with the esteemed actor. Kreutzer fondly recalls her early conversations with Deneuve over coffee in Paris. “She said she was really fond of the script,” says Kreutzer. “She’s a real cineast. She goes to the cinema every week, and the way she speaks about films is just so impressive.”

Once filming began, Seydoux relished the opportunity to work with the French legend. “The fact that I’m a great admirer of her work made it easy for me. It felt intimate,” she says. Kreutzer adds, “She’s very kind and calm on set and very relatable. She’s so direct, so she would not ever flatter you. If she tells you something, it’s what she thinks. And I really love that about her.”

Young woman with blonde hair and pink headband, wearing a pink cardigan, stands indoors near a window. The room has pink striped wallpaper and the lighting is soft, giving a vintage atmosphere.

Deneuve in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

Courtesy Everett Collection

Woman with blonde hair sitting in a dimly lit room, holding a glass with both hands, looking directly at the camera, patterned chair in the background, intimate and contemplative mood.

Deneuve in Hustle (1975)

Courtesy Everett Collection

A woman in a floral robe sits at a dressing table, looking into a mirror with framed photos and jewelry. A man stands in the background, visible through the reflection, in a softly lit, intimate room.

Deneuve in The Last Metro (1980)

Courtesy Alamy

A woman in a white dress with black accents and a wide-brimmed hat sits against a textured, light-colored wall, wearing pearl necklaces and gold earrings, exuding a relaxed yet elegant demeanor.

Deneuve in Indochine (1992)

Courtesy Alamy

Those qualities have been honed over decades of acclaimed performances — 14 César nominations and two Best Actress wins among them. (Had France’s Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma been founded before 1975, those numbers would almost certainly be larger, considering some of Deneuve’s most beloved work — including Belle de jour and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg — debuted years before then.) Seventy years after Deneuve’s first performance, Gentle Monster gives audiences yet another chance to marvel at the talent that continues to captivate.

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