I started to think of Grace of Monaco as a metaphor for women in general.

I don't like the actors to work together beforehand. I trust my intuition, and I like when the actors are the same.

The difficulty with telling stories about real people is you have to find a way of mixing yourself into the matter.

I don't read the critics.

Cannes is a sort of gladiators' arena, and that's the fun part of it. When you accept to come here to open the festival, you know you are going to be criticised. I have no problem with the fact that I expose myself and the movie, and it's normal that I can disagree with the way some people feel.

The shoes are a metaphor for these two women who have the kind of dynamic that a lot of women have with each other where one is thinner, the other is smarter. One is more attractive, the other has more money.