With one of the most iconic photographs ever taken of a movie star and a simple four- letter name as a poster for his new documentary, director Laurent Bouzereau dives into the life and reputation of one of Hollywood’s most iconic and vilified actresses of all time, Faye Dunaway. Fresh off her victory at the 1977 Oscars for her role in Network, Faye Dunaway poses by the swimming pool of the Beverly Hills Hotel in front of her futur husband’s camera, British photographer Terry O’Neill. Effortless, elegant and her long overdue golden statuette displayed on the table, this series of photos called The Morning After, will soon add to her status of Hollywood legend.
Faye premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, a very fitting place considering the fact that the actress was the face of the iconic festival in 2011, and that she has been secretly coming to Cannes for years to watch as many movies as possible. “There are two big movie events, the Oscars and Cannes. And to me, it’s more like Cannes and the Oscars, right?” director Laurent Bouzereau told me during an interview.
He added: “Sharing that moment with her at the Cannes Film Festival was very surreal for me. Because it’s something that when we got started, we said ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could premiere the film in Cannes?’ So it was a dream come true on so many levels. She was the face of Cannes a few years ago, she loves the French, I think one of the reasons why she did the film is because I was born in France and I have a French name.”