I think Diane Kruger is one of the most photogenic women in the world, so why did Town & Country use this shot for their cover? She looks like a zombie! Is it a trick of the lighting or bad makeup or is this one of the worst Diane Kruger covers ever? Anyway, Diane covers the August issue of Town & Country, likely to promote The Infiltrator, which comes out in a few weeks in America. Diane chats about her boyfriend Joshua Jackson, because I guess they’re still together? Sure, maybe. And she also talks about feminism and the pay gap. Some highlights:
Moving to Paris when she was 15: “This whole other life opened for me in Paris. I met actors; I watched films. When I was growing up, the movie theater was 20 miles from my house, I spent every day watching The Nanny. After a few years in Paris I realized I wanted to go to drama school.”
On having an identity crisis at age 30: “I had become arrogant. I had been a model, I spoke three languages, I had a career. I felt I had figured it all out. And then I realized that I was living in this very privileged life in my own bubble that I created and I [didn’t] know anything about what [was] really going on in the world and I [didn’t] ask enough questions… I made a lot of different choices. I cut people out of my life who I felt were enabling my bubble.”
On meeting long-time love, actor Joshua Jackson: “Meeting someone like my partner, who has a very different perspective, who likes to travel in a different way and be open to various experience was so important. I was 30 years old and I was already bored of fancy hotels.”
On feminism and the pay gap in Hollywood: “I have yet to be paid the same amount as a male costar. And absolutely I’ve been labeled a bitch, or difficult to work with, when I’ve spoken up about something. Or it’s ‘She doesn’t really know what she’s talking about.’”
I appreciate that she’s honest about her arrogance, that she was living in a privileged little bubble and only looked outside of that bubble when she turned 30. Most people – especially most celebrities – never get to the point where they even know they’re in a bubble. And I guess she’s saying that Joshua likes to travel for the joy of seeing other places and other cultures, and she had just spent most of her traveling time sitting in fancy hotels? Sure. I believe that too. Just as I believe that she’s been labeled a difficult bitch for asking for equal pay. I appreciate it so much that women in the industry are talking about equal pay issues openly these days. I hope it continues.
Photos courtesy of Victor Demarchelier/Town & Country.
I don’t fully get the difference between Kate Bosworth and Diane Kruger careers at this point. Right up to their respective levels of intense pap calling. So why is one praised and the other put down?
The difference is she can act. And act in different languages. She’s filming constantly just not blockbuster fare or even in American films
@Amide – Neither her movies nor TV shows perform to an audience in the US, but I think she’s still big in parts of Europe.
Diane Kruger still works really steadily. Big difference there.
Because she averages 2-3 films a year, some of them quite good. She has a very good career in French cinema. Plus she’s an actual fashion girl, she takes risks and wears exciting things.
Bosworth is somehow still running of the fumes of Blue Crush, which wasn’t even a big movie. Her only other notable roles were in that flop Superman movie and a tiny part in Still Alice. Everything else in the last decade has been made for video dreck. Her style isn’t interesting, she just wears whatever bottom of the barrel samples she’s sent.
I really like everything she says here. I’ve always gotten distant vibes from her, and this interview does change my perspective.
Oh, my God, The Nanny, me too, love that show! We could be friends now, Di!
Ever since the affair or makeout cheating thing she had with Norman Reedus, she looks like the light went out of her eyes. She’s aged overnight too. Before she always looked so happy and radiated confidence, not too much but enough. I think she had a great thing with Joshua but blew it, and she knows it. Interesting how she spins her ‘arrogance’ and her ‘bubble’…dumped those who enabled it…girl, you had an equal part in being there. Good grief.
I don’t think she’s still with Joshua. That reference to him could easily be referencing past without finely pointing out he is her past. I just don’t believe they’re still together but have an agreement not to publicly say.
agree about the light being gone from her eyes. she looks so sad.
but i liked what she said about getting rid of enablers…when you are trying to change yourself and the energy around you, it means having to cut out some people. she was owning her arrogance and bubble, so i think she actually does acknowledge her equal part in it.
and agree about joshua. i reckon *that* explains the flatness and heaviness that is coming through her eyes.
Any idea when Diane and Josh might admit that they´re not together anymore?
Diane and Norman Reedus were photographed last weekend sitting together at R.Getty´s 4th July party and dinner in Italy. Rumor (blind items) has it that they are a couple now.
Josh Jackson is in Los Angeles, CA.
Hmm. Not getting equal pay as her male costars? That sounds bad. She mostly plays small parts though. I don’t think she’s ever carried a movie? And she’s played against men like Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe, Joseph Fiennes, Nic Cage, Liam Neeson… Boo hoo.
My thinking too. I’m all for continuing to bring this issue to people’s attention but she can’t open a movie (at least in the US) as a star or co-star. She’s good actress but that’s not what determines your salary.
I thought this as well, she seems to mostly do supporting roles, so I wouldn’t expect her to be paid on par with the lead character’s actor.
However, I’d be curious to know if she was paid equal for the Bridge, or maybe even more, than her costar.
Okay, but what acting has she even done?
I think some of my problem with this is that there are some actresses who are white, blonde and thin and basically are always covering Vogue and getting endorsement deals despite doing very little acting. Her, Kate Bosworth, Sienna Miller, Blake Lively etc etc. WOC and other actresses have to fight for exposure but these women basically always are at the front of the line.
And they only have the public profile they do because of this. If they were male actors, they’d be living off tips and have 9 – 5 jobs before their big breaks but they have multimillion dollar careers as celebrity models. But are they grateful – NO! So as soon as they age, you begin to hear about how terribly sexist the world is and how put upon they are. When the truth is that without sexism, THEY WOULDN’T HAVE CAREERS.
To be fair, whilst Diane started out as a model and maintains lots of modelling contracts, she does make films in Europe. Films that do not necessarily show in America because they are not in English. Films in which she plays leads.
Like all other language/culture stars, i don’t think Hollywoid knows what to do with her to reflect the quality of her European career and perhaps she’s complicit in that because she wants the money and exposure that Hollywood gives her. I tend to hate her Hollywood films.
The actresses you’ve named are not legit models and only made careers from fashion after becoming movie starlets for a minute. They don’t have a parallel career of quality films. By that i mean that even if Diane is playing the girl in her European films, she picks quite good films.
My favourite films starring Diane are FAREWELL MY QUEEN and JOYEUX NOEL.
Well at least she seems to have taken the frequent advice to check her white privilege. But if she had any shame the least she could do is get fat and dye her hair….not blonde. The cheek of her!
Never seen her in anything, so i can’t say she deserves being paid the same amount as a man… Dont know if the roles were equal or who the male costars were to get same pay. Wont just give a woman money if she doesnt do an equal job. . . That’s like voting for hils just bc you want a woman prez.
If you’ve never seen her in anything, why comment at all? If you literally know nothing about the subject (subject being: Diane Kruger’s career), why say anything? Do you think your words have so much weight that they transcend your lack of relevant knowledge?
I’m genuinely curious.