1°- Hello Charlotte, I’m delighted to find you on this superb green terrace overlooking the BBC offices, Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Yes, my name is Charlotte Mangel, I’m a French actress living here in London.
2°- When did you begin your immersion in the 7th art?
Very young in fact, because my father was a theatre decorator.
When I was little, on the weekends when I was at his place (my parents divorced when I was 4), he worked and I used to go to rehearsals with him, I’d see the actors working, I’d go backstage and watch the construction of the set and the play and it was magical. I was drawn in, I fell in love with the play straight away, and watching them rehearse made me want to get up on stage and be with them! I was lucky enough to discover my passion at a very young age!
3°- What’s your background?
My parents have always supported me in this passion, this strong desire to be an actress, but I still had to pass my baccalaureate (no kidding) and if I’d had the chance I would have gone straight to drama school!
What’s more, at the age of 14 (I wasn’t casting at the time) a friend of my father’s (who knew a woman who was creating her tv series) asked me to come along, my mother agreed and I went to my very first casting.
I got the lead role in this short-form mini-series, which was a wonderful experience! After my A-level, I went to a school called Les ateliers du Sudden, run at the time by Raymond Acquaviva. I spent three years there and then I got my first agent and started casting, which takes time, it’s hard work, I don’t get many castings so I don’t get many opportunities.
During my years in Paris I was lucky enough to work with Cédric Klapisch, a director I adore. I worked with him during a short film, in costumes, for the 2018 film festival. Klapisch + costumes, it was my absolute dream cocktail ! I was also lucky enough to make small appearances in two Roman Polanski films, seeing his work was a privilege, he’s a genius when it comes to detail. I made two appearances in his films ‘J’accuse’ and ‘D’après Une histoire vraie’.
In terms of theatre, I was also part of a creation by Alice Renom de la Baume: Temps mort, created on the basis of improvisation, in costume (my passion) and set design by my father Charlie Mangel.We played in Avignon in 2016! We were in costume and it was devilishly hot. It was a titanic task, so it’s an unforgettable memory for me.
4°- How long have you lived in London? What has really changed professionally?
I’ve been living in London since 2018, I decided to come here from nothing, I didn’t know anyone or the city where I’d been for 4 days in my life and that was it. I grabbed my suitcase and jumped into the deep end! It was a challenging start because I had to rebuild everything, learn about another culture and another way of life.
5°- What are your current or future projects?My current projects: I have a role in a series on Hulu which has already been released, ‘We were the lucky ones’, an incredible series about the life of a Jewish family during the war. I’ve also got a role in a series for Disney + that’s coming out soon, I can’t say more than that, but it’s coming! I’m also writing my first show.
6°- What are your other activities outside the cinema?
I go to the theatre and the cinema a lot, of course, but otherwise I paint, I write, I love to dance, I read, anything creative appeals to me. I’d love to try sculpture! I love walking in parks because nature refreshes me. That’s also why I live over there on Hampstead Heath, in that emerald landscape of woods and meadows that you can see from the rooftop where we are right now.
6°- The final word
Make every day count, follow your dreams.
Carpe Diem.
