Nottingham Guardian - Lea Seydoux: 'I've witnessed the changes on set since #MeToo'

"It's good that the discussion is opening up, it was about time," said the Bond star at the Cannes Film Festival, where feminist issues have been front and centre.

"I am a witness to that change: I was an actress before and after, and I can only welcome the change," Seydoux told reporters at the festival, where she appeared in opening night film, "The Second Act".

Seydoux's breakthrough film, "Blue is the Warmest Colour" -- a story of lust between two women -- won the top prize at Cannes in 2013 despite tensions on set between its director and his female stars.

Soon after, she and co-star Adele Exarchopoulos denounced Abdellatif Kechiche for "horrible" shooting conditions, particularly surrounding its infamous seven-minute sex scene.

"Even if misfortunes had happened to me, I was still an actress who had a lot of luck when I started. I was still respected... more or less," Seydoux said with a sigh on Wednesday.

She added that she did not want to compare herself to the many victims of rape and sexual violence.

"There are women who were truly victims. I cannot compare myself with some who have experienced extremely serious things. My status protects me," Seydoux said.

"Today, I see that there is respect on set, even for intimate scenes. When I shoot, there is more respect, I feel this overall change," she added.

Seydoux has gained international fame, including for appearances as James Bond's love interest in 007 films "Spectre" and "No Time To Die".

France has seen a fresh wave of #MeToo debate in recent months, particularly over multiple assault allegations against iconic actor Gerard Depardieu.

It has been a major topic in the run-up to this year's Cannes Film Festival, which runs to May 25, with the screening of a short film on the issue by actor Judith Godreche Wednesday, herself the victim of abuse, entitled "Me Too".

T.McGilberry--NG