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Casting call
We are now casting the leading female role in a major international feature film scheduled to shoot in Paris, Île-de-France, in Summer 2026. This is a high-profile project with an award-winning creative team attached, and we are opening submissions worldwide.
This casting is for the character of Jeanne Duval, the powerful, enigmatic muse and partner of Charles Baudelaire — the woman whose presence shaped the creation of Les Fleurs du Mal and whose story will finally be told on screen with the depth, beauty, and truth it deserves.
Production Details
Director: Alexandre Aja
Casting Director: Juliette Ménager
Casting Associate: Hervé Jakubowicz
Production Companies: Estrella Productions, Goodfellas
Location: Paris, France
Filming Dates: Mid-2026 (approx. 30 shoot days)
Contract Type: Overseas / France
Role: Lead Female – Jeanne Duval
About the Film
Set in the mid-19th century, the film follows the turbulent, passionate, and transformative relationship between Charles Baudelaire and Jeanne Duval — a striking young Haitian woman who defied every social constraint of her time.
As Paris undergoes monumental change under Haussmann’s reconstruction, Baudelaire moves among the artists and revolutionaries of the era: Courbet, Nadar, Théophile Gautier, Gérard de Nerval. Amid this electric atmosphere, he meets the woman who will change the course of his life and forever influence French literature.
The film is not a traditional biopic; it is a bold, atmospheric, emotional world where art, love, beauty, and torment collide.
Character: Jeanne Duval
Age Range: 20–30
Ethnicity: Black or mixed-race actress (ideally Caribbean/Haitian descent, though all Afro-descendant performers are welcome)
Language: Native or fully fluent French speaker required
Skills: Strong emotional range; confidence with sensuality; comfortable with movement/dance; ability to carry a complex lead performance
Character Description
Born in Haiti, Jeanne Duval is a sublime, magnetic, fearless woman. She shares a love affair with Baudelaire that is passionate, scandalous, and ultimately tragic. She is not merely a muse — she is the emotional foundation of Les Fleurs du Mal, supporting Baudelaire through addiction, poverty, artistic crisis, and self-destruction.
Jeanne is sensual, free-spirited, rebellious, and deeply loyal. She sings, dances, and embraces life with unapologetic intensity. Her rivalry with Baudelaire’s mother intensifies an already unstable love triangle that shapes her destiny.
What We’re Looking For
We invite submissions from actresses who meet the following criteria:
- Black or mixed-race performer
- Native or fluent French speaker (accent must feel authentic)
- Playing age 20–30
- Strong performance background (screen or theatre)
- Ability to portray emotional depth, passion, sensuality, resilience
- Willingness to commit to approximately 30 filming days in Paris in summer 2026
Submissions are open internationally; the actress may be based anywhere.
How to Apply
Please send the following:
- Full name & location
- Representation/agent contact (if applicable)
- French fluency details
- Showreel or recent acting footage
- Headshots
- Any relevant links (Spotlight, IMDb, Instagram, etc.)
Once shortlisted, you will receive the sides and instructions for the first-round self-tape.