Franco Zeffirelli’s newest discovery is no plain Jane

Wednesday, April 10, 1996

By Lael Loewenstein

Daily Bruin Contributor

When she was offered the title role of Jane Eyre in the new
Franco Zeffirelli production, French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg
knew the film ­ the most important in her career ­ would
mean exposure to audiences the world over. It also meant getting
that exposure in dark, austere costumes and unflattering make-up to
embody a character that author Charlotte Brontë had described
as almost unspeakably plain.

Was Gainsbourg hesitant to deglamorize herself for the role that
would effectively imprint her on the minds of audiences as the
plain Jane of Brontë’s prose?

"Not at all," she insists. Nor does she have any actor’s vanity.
Of the word "plain," she says modestly, "I think it describes the
way I look, and I think it’s why I got the part." Beyond that, she
points out that Jane Eyre is brave, quiet and strong, all qualities
which could describe the actress Charlotte Gainsbourg as easily as
they could the fictional 19th-century heroine.

Sitting with reporters at the Regency Hotel in New York,
Gainsbourg comes across as shy and quiet, like Jane Eyre, but much
more radiant. She sports a chic modern tunic in place of the film’s
dark, constricting dresses and petticoats, with a hint of blush on
her cheeks instead of Jane’s ghostly pallor.

Speaking slowly and hesitantly, Gainsbourg has a perfect British
accent, though she occasionally searches for the right word. She
was raised in France by her parents, the late French poet and
musician, Serge Gainsbourg and English actress, Jane Birkin.

"You’ll have to excuse my English," she says, with the same
self-effacing charm of Jane Eyre. "I am French and I do make
mistakes."

Gainsbourg was attracted to the part because she identified
considerably with Jane. As the shy but determined governess in a
sprawling British estate, Jane must draw upon her inner strength
when she meets its lord, the mysterious, brooding Edward Rochester
(William Hurt) and falls desperately in love with him. Though
Rochester loves Jane, he conceals a dark secret, the revelation of
which shakes her faith and forces her to make a painful
decision.

"What touched me in the character and what was important for me
was that distance Jane puts between people," says Gainsbourg. "I
understand very well the way she has suffered; it’s like she’s put
up a wall of thorns to protect herself."

Gainsbourg, 24, was personally inspired by the inner strength of
Brontë’s heroine, who was loosely based on the author herself.
Yet, because social stereotypes in the 1840s made it hard for a
woman to be recognized, Charlotte Brontë was initially forced
to conceal her identity, having published the novel under the
pseudonym, Currer Bell.

"In that period it was very unusual to find a woman with such a
strong personality and such courage to not hide behind what she
thought," Gainsbourg says of the protagonist. "She had great
honesty and straightforwardness."

The actress, who has drawn early critical praise for the
naturalism and grace of her performance, garners unqualified
admiration from director Franco Zeffirelli.

"She is it, " Zeffirelli says. "Whatever she does, she wants it
to be her own, naturally without pretending."

Zeffirelli had seen scores of young women auditioning for the
part, but Gainsbourg was different.

"Every girl in the U.S. and England wanted to play this part,"
he says with a touch of hyperbole. When Gainsbourg came in, she
effectively blew away the competition. Her acting reminded him of
that of the young Ricky Schroeder, whom Zeffirelli had directed
years ago in "The Champ." "She was not acting, but living the
part."

Joan Plowright, who plays the housekeeper, Mrs. Fairfax,
concurs.

"Charlotte has a unique quality, a very intensive way of
working," she says. "She was always wanting desperately to find the
best way, to make the right choices. She was never afraid to ask
for help. It’s a genuine, honest performance, and I think a very
fine performance."

Gainsbourg also gained support from her costar, William Hurt,
who worked with her on developing the relationship between Jane and
Rochester. Hurt led rehearsals with the cast.

"I learned a lot just by watching him work, and by talking about
the book (a) great deal." she says. "It was wonderful for me."

She also worked with a dialogue coach to perfect her English and
tirelessly studied the novel.

"The book never left me. I read it before shooting and all
through the shoot, and I was very attached to it," she says.

But Gainsbourg had never read it while growing up, which she
considers fortunate. A preconceived impression might have dampened
her confidence.

"Because I hadn’t read the book, I suppose I wasn’t intimidated
by the idea of being in the film," she says. And sounding a lot
like Jane Eyre, she adds, "I imagine if it had been my favorite
book, I would have thought I wasn’t good enough."

Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt play Jane and Rochester in
Charlotte Brontë’s tale of a modest governess who falls in
love with her employer.

"Jane Eyre" stars William Hurt and Charlotte Gainsbourg.