“Fame is nice. But it deprives you from a lot of of stuffs” said Brigitte Bardot to Gala a popular French magazine. Bardot has been the first french actress/ fashion model/ singer, to draw international attention. She terminated her career in 1973 and is since an animal rights activist. She turned 75 on Sep 28th.

Excerpts

Gala: Brigitte, Espace Landowski, at Boulogne Billancourt,¬†exhibits your career. How are you doing? B.B.: I’m very surprised. I haven’t been used to that.

Do you feel like it’s too much attention? Not at all. But I feel bizarre to get in the light like that.

You like staying behind the scene? I do. It’s more difficult to make people listen to you. But I’m famous enough to keep asking what I have to. Even if I don’t succeed every time.

How would you introduce BB to a teenager today? I would ask him/her for being so kind to take care of animals. I wouldn’t talk about myself. Never.

There are lots of nice quotes in this exhibit. Alain Delon said about you “Brigitte is a monument. And she’ll remain a monument”… (Laughs). That’s kind. Well, monuments deteriorate as well

One restore them! Then, they’re art in peril

There’s excerpts of one hysterical Cannes Film Festival in the exhibit… It wasn’t my fault. To be honest, that’s why I quit acting. It was unbearable. A photographer ended up to the hospital after the crowd trampled him underfoot. I never came back to Cannes since.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhSIL86WWWw]

You were always so spontaneous while you were acting... Having not been a true actress, I used to play what I was feeling. I didn’t overplay blah blah blah

Nude scenes never freaked you out? Part of crew got out. And I wasn’t just provocative. I didn’t wear leather stuff, whip and so forth. It was candid.

Are you still following what happens in the cinema industry? I watch only some old movies on the TV. Today, actors are brave to accept making so bad movies. Please, a bit of elegance. Because, now, they are really low level productions.

You told once “I’m not a star anymore. I’m a fighter, a lawyer, the mother of n, a friend, a nurse. I’m not a star. Maybe a fairy” Yes, because a fairy can make miracles happen. It’s not so bad what I have done to drawn attention up to animal suffering. Prior to that, people didn’t care. But a magic wand makes more miracle than I have ever done.

You assume your age. Have you been thinking you would reach this honorable age? I’m living in the present. What should happen will. They should take my age ¬†into account, government reps [who don't fulfill their promises concerning animal rights]. Nothing. They don’t care. Not a single word for my birthday. I am someone in my own country.

Tell me Brigitte, this exhibition that celebrates you. Don’t you want to attend it? Not at all. I don’t want to admire myself. I prefer let the other do it.

Vadim [her first husband] told what was important for you was that everyone was crazy in love with you… Yes, but you don’t fall in live with me, don’t you?

I’ll try Brigitte

Except for the portrait from John W Mac Donald, the pics are from Gala, October 14th issue.  The excerpts are translated from French

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Author: Gaelle