France's First Lady, a former supermodel turned songstress, is making her debut as an actress, filming this week in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.
Even her busy husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, wasn't about to miss the action. He showed up on the Left Bank set on Tuesday, in dark suit but no tie, to watch his spouse in her latest creative venture.
Mr. Allen, beloved by the French, recruited Carla Bruni-Sarkozy last fall for what is said to be a small role in the romantic comedy which follows a family travelling in Paris for business. France's First Lady reportedly plays a museum director.
Tuesday's scenes were shot in the heart of the Left Bank, near the Pantheon, the resting place of many of France's luminaries.
In November, when she announced her plans to accept Mr. Allen's offer of a role, the 42-year-old Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy had said she was unsure of her acting skills.
“I'm not at all an actress. Maybe I'll be absolutely terrible,” she said in an interview with Canal Plus TV station.
However, she said she couldn't pass up the chance to play in a Woody Allen film.
“I'd like to — you know — when I'm a grandmother, to have done a Woody Allen film,” said Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy, who has a son from a relationship before Mr. Sarkozy. “I cannot in my life miss an opportunity like this.”
Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy had a small role playing herself in the 1994 Robert Altman film Pret-a-Porter (Ready to Wear) and the 1998 move Paparazzi, by Alain Berberian, each time playing herself.
Her sister Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi is an actress and director.
Mr. Allen is clearly a fan of the First Lady. Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy is not the only French actress in the film, which also features Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard. Other stars are Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates.
