ARIELLE DOMBASLE
Arielle Dombasle, the actress of the new intellectual era: interview for ONION magazine, by its editor-in-chief, Simon Ershov.
Arielle Dombasle, the actress of the new intellectual era
Dear Mademoiselle Dombasle,
My name is Simon Ershov. I am the editor-in-chief of Onion magazine. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for accepting my request for an interview, which will be published in our magazine. You are a modern-day angel, an iconic role model, a powerful actress, a kind person, and a style icon. The entire Onion team and I are grateful.
Dear Mademoiselle Dombasle, what is your opinion: will absolute beauty destroy or save the world? Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “Beauty will save the world.” Mademoiselle Dombasle, your beauty is extraordinary. You are a singer, director, and actress — a goddess of timeless and powerful glamour.
Could you share with us some of your favorite moments — those that have happened, are happening, or are about to happen — in your career? A favorite role?
I’ve always thought that a career is full of perfect, wonderful moments and tragic ones, with ups and downs. So I am someone who generally says yes to the world. My life is very adventurous artistically. I live by a motto that always helps me: you have to put talent into your work and genius into your life. In every film I make, I have always found a magical moment. There is always one, even if you make a bad film. You have to hold onto that pearl, that precious diamond, and forget the rest. What we do most often reflects what we have learned in life. Precious moments matter because our mind, our memory, accumulates them, and we have little control over this process. The only control we can truly have is willpower and faith.
My name is Simon Ershov. I am the editor-in-chief of Onion magazine. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for accepting my request for an interview, which will be published in our magazine. You are a modern-day angel, an iconic role model, a powerful actress, a kind person, and a style icon. The entire Onion team and I are grateful.
Dear Mademoiselle Dombasle, what is your opinion: will absolute beauty destroy or save the world? Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “Beauty will save the world.” Mademoiselle Dombasle, your beauty is extraordinary. You are a singer, director, and actress — a goddess of timeless and powerful glamour.
Could you share with us some of your favorite moments — those that have happened, are happening, or are about to happen — in your career? A favorite role?
I’ve always thought that a career is full of perfect, wonderful moments and tragic ones, with ups and downs. So I am someone who generally says yes to the world. My life is very adventurous artistically. I live by a motto that always helps me: you have to put talent into your work and genius into your life. In every film I make, I have always found a magical moment. There is always one, even if you make a bad film. You have to hold onto that pearl, that precious diamond, and forget the rest. What we do most often reflects what we have learned in life. Precious moments matter because our mind, our memory, accumulates them, and we have little control over this process. The only control we can truly have is willpower and faith.
"The only control we can truly have is willpower and faith."
Mademoiselle Dombasle, what does happiness mean to you?
It is something that is present.
Dear Mademoiselle Dombasle, the world’s great couturier Karl Lagerfeld was your close friend, and you were his muse. What was he like? Was he funny, kind, gentle, thoughtful?
He was a generous, adorable, funny, and sensitive person who defended himself with amazing, humorous remarks and a grand, distinctive style, always in every circumstance.
How did the presentation of the Chanel 2026 collection by Matthieu Blazy go?
I arrived with a driver sent by Chanel, but he took a slow route, so I arrived at the very last minute — the last to sit down. My heart was pounding because it wasn’t very polite. I went as if to the theater, expecting something revolutionary. I loved the “alignment of the planets” — in France we use this expression — especially as there was a full moon that night. I loved that coincidence. My father knew Matthieu Blazy’s father, and they shared the same passion for pre-Columbian art, so they were friends. I therefore knew that Matthieu Blazy, having conquered so many creative fields, with his education in beauty and harmony, would bring something striking.
Mademoiselle Dombasle, I had the chance to attend the screening of your film about Jean Cocteau. Art is power. What is great art for you? Do Surrealism and abstract art evoke strong feelings in you?
Well, I suppose one of the artistic movements that resonates with me most is Surrealism. As in Charles Baudelaire’s idea of the “correspondence of the senses,” Surrealism, in its very essence, brought together all the arts with extraordinary brilliance, audacity, novelty, and style — a bold declaration of being resolutely modern.
Could you share with us what makes you happy?
Love. Love.
It is something that is present.
Dear Mademoiselle Dombasle, the world’s great couturier Karl Lagerfeld was your close friend, and you were his muse. What was he like? Was he funny, kind, gentle, thoughtful?
He was a generous, adorable, funny, and sensitive person who defended himself with amazing, humorous remarks and a grand, distinctive style, always in every circumstance.
How did the presentation of the Chanel 2026 collection by Matthieu Blazy go?
I arrived with a driver sent by Chanel, but he took a slow route, so I arrived at the very last minute — the last to sit down. My heart was pounding because it wasn’t very polite. I went as if to the theater, expecting something revolutionary. I loved the “alignment of the planets” — in France we use this expression — especially as there was a full moon that night. I loved that coincidence. My father knew Matthieu Blazy’s father, and they shared the same passion for pre-Columbian art, so they were friends. I therefore knew that Matthieu Blazy, having conquered so many creative fields, with his education in beauty and harmony, would bring something striking.
Mademoiselle Dombasle, I had the chance to attend the screening of your film about Jean Cocteau. Art is power. What is great art for you? Do Surrealism and abstract art evoke strong feelings in you?
Well, I suppose one of the artistic movements that resonates with me most is Surrealism. As in Charles Baudelaire’s idea of the “correspondence of the senses,” Surrealism, in its very essence, brought together all the arts with extraordinary brilliance, audacity, novelty, and style — a bold declaration of being resolutely modern.
Could you share with us what makes you happy?
Love. Love.
If you could travel back in time to your 24-year-old self and had five minutes to talk to yourself, what advice would you give? What would you say?
Repeat after me and act exactly the same way. If I were talking to my 24-year-old self, I wouldn’t believe in a strictly timeline-based experience. I am the same. Life is bold, elusive, and wonderful.
In your work, are you inspired by tragedy? If so, what is the most beautiful aspect of it?
Beauty often rests on a foundation of tragedy. It is therefore something we cannot escape, for it is written into our destiny. Yet we try to escape it all our lives with all our might. Inspiration is the royal road, but not always the solution, not always the answer, alas, because it can lead to a new tragedy. Our life is a tragedy because it always ends.
During our first meeting at the 7L Library, I described you as a woman of the new century. You are a source of inspiration; your extraordinary aesthetic and intelligence are striking. Could you offer some advice to our readers in New York, Paris, and Monaco? What enriches the intellect most?
Vulnerability. Humility. Kindness.
Of your greatest achievements, which do you consider the most significant?
My greatest achievement is emotional intelligence.
Repeat after me and act exactly the same way. If I were talking to my 24-year-old self, I wouldn’t believe in a strictly timeline-based experience. I am the same. Life is bold, elusive, and wonderful.
In your work, are you inspired by tragedy? If so, what is the most beautiful aspect of it?
Beauty often rests on a foundation of tragedy. It is therefore something we cannot escape, for it is written into our destiny. Yet we try to escape it all our lives with all our might. Inspiration is the royal road, but not always the solution, not always the answer, alas, because it can lead to a new tragedy. Our life is a tragedy because it always ends.
During our first meeting at the 7L Library, I described you as a woman of the new century. You are a source of inspiration; your extraordinary aesthetic and intelligence are striking. Could you offer some advice to our readers in New York, Paris, and Monaco? What enriches the intellect most?
Vulnerability. Humility. Kindness.
Of your greatest achievements, which do you consider the most significant?
My greatest achievement is emotional intelligence.
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E-mail: info@onion-mag.com
Telegram: @KarinaChesh
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