Legendary French actress Isabelle Huppert is in Shanghai presenting the French production of Anton Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" (La Cerisaie) from April 11 to 13.

Isabelle Huppert (second from left) and co-star Adama Diop (second from right) meet with the media at Shanghai Culture Square on April 8. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Huppert and co-star Adama Diop met with the media at Shanghai Culture Square on April 8, where they spoke about their characters, theater, cinema and their experience in China.

"The Cherry Orchard," which is the last play of Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), has been translated into many languages and presented in theaters all over the world since its premiere in Moscow in 1904. The French production was directed by Portuguese director Tiago Rodrigues, and premiered on July 5, 2021 as the opening show of the renowned 75th Festival D'Avignon.

The play is about Lyubov, a woman played by Huppert, who returns to the family estate after living in Paris for years. The cherry orchard where she and her brother grew up is now about to be sold because of debt. "The theme of the play is the changing times, maybe it just disguises the theme as 'the end'," Rodrigues used to say. "We have this impression because it is not always a smooth road before the torrent of the times, and it often takes a large number of victims with it."

According to Huppert, Chekhov's masterpiece explores universal feelings shared by all human beings, which transcends time and culture. The cherry orchard in the play is a philosophical and metaphorical existence, she said. "It can be real, or fictional, and that's what makes Chekhov a genius. It could be a person, property, or an old place."

Huppert made her first performance at Shanghai Culture Square, doing a reading of Marguerite Duras in 2017. "Audiences in Shanghai welcomed me passionately. I felt their enthusiasm and am very happy to return," said the French actress.

Earlier this year Huppert participated in a Chinese reality TV show as a guest mentor, and she said that she hoped to have more opportunities working in China, and working with Chinese filmmakers. Huppert has seen quite a lot of films by Chinese directors, and named a few that she particularly liked, such as Jia Zhangke, Bi Gan and Lou Ye.

She also named the movie Her Story by Shao Yihui, expressing her concerns for the subject of women existence.

"The Cherry Orchard" was shown in Macao before the show in Shanghai. It will also be performed in Beijing and Nanjing of Jiangsu province.

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