脡milie Dequenne, the Belgian actor who won a top prize for her breakout role in 鈥淩osetta,鈥� has died, a news report says. She was 43.
Her family and agent told the news agency Agence France-Presse that Dequenne died Sunday of a rare cancer in a hospital outside of Paris. In 2023, Dequenne revealed she had been diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma. Representatives for Dequenne did not immediately respond to inquires from The Associated Press on Monday.
Dequenne was only 18 when she was selected as best actress at Cannes in 1999. In 鈥淩osetta,鈥� from Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, she portrayed a teenager trying to escape her difficult life in a caravan park with an alcoholic mother. The film also won the Palme d鈥橭r that year.
Born in Bel艙il, Belgium, in 1981, Dequenne had a performance streak from a young age. She studied drama at the Acad茅mie de Musique de Baudour.
She became well-known in France after starring alongside in 鈥淭he Girl on the Train,鈥� in 2009, based on the true story of a woman who falsely claimed she was the victim of an antisemitic attack. Dequenne also portrayed police officer Laurence Renauld on the French series 鈥淭he Missing.鈥�
In 2012, she won the Un Certain Regard actress prize from Cannes for 鈥淥ur Children,鈥� a dark psychological drama inspired by the real story of a Belgian woman who killed her five children. She was also nominated for several C茅sar Awards throughout her career, finally winning best supporting actress in 2021 for the romantic comedy 鈥淟ove Affair(s).鈥�
Speaking to The Guardian in 2013 about the difficult role in 鈥淥ur Children,鈥� she said, 鈥淔or my part I went home every weekend, and stayed with my family, which is a very safe place. Making a film like that is something that you have to survive.鈥�
More recently, she co-starred in Lukas Dhont鈥檚 tender boyhood drama, which brought her back to Cannes again in 2022. She saw similarities between her young co-star and her own breakout role with 鈥淩osetta.鈥�
鈥淔or me to be here and to come back here after 23 years, it鈥檚 very emotional and there is like a reflection between Eden (Dambrine) and myself because I remember when I was here the first time with 鈥楻osetta,鈥欌�� she told The Associated Press. 鈥淚t was like a very powerful movie with this main character, which is in every scene, every, every shot. And that鈥檚 the same for him.鈥�
Dequenne returned to the festival again in 2024 for the 25th anniversary of 鈥淩osetta.鈥� Her last film was Fr茅d茅ric Jardin鈥檚 post-apocalyptic thriller 鈥淪urvive,鈥� which came out earlier this year.
While she loved taking on work in England, France and Belgium, she had little interest in Hollywood.
鈥淚 have been to Hollywood and had meetings, but really they don鈥檛 do the kind of films I like to make. And everything is kind of boring, no?鈥� she said in the interview with The Guardian. 鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 not a fun place, or at least not my kind of fun.鈥�
She is survived by her husband, director and producer Michel Ferracci, and daughter, Milla Savarese.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
