One of the most cultured people I know is Karl Lagerfeld. I've known him since I was 16 years old and today he's both a friend and a neighbor. He is obsessed with Versailles and Marie Antoinette. When I got the part of the queen, he was one of the first people I called and I walked over to his home and picked his brain for inspiration.
In between films I like to travel and hope to visit every continent before I become a mother. My last trip was to Kiev for the European Football Championship. I was rooting for Spain because Italy knocked Germany out of contention—and I was happy that my team won!
I consider myself a "local" actor in France. I started out in France, I went to drama school in France and the French film community was very welcoming to me when I was a young actress.
I've lived off-and-on in the United States longer than I lived in Germany and I like America very much. I find Americans to be compassionate people. The country has a "get-to-it" attitude that's sometimes lacking in Europe and I find that very empowering.
My sport is biking. I'm not much of a gym person, but I like being outside—hiking, canoeing, camping. I just sold my car so now I walk or bike everywhere in Paris. I use bicycles from the city's bike-sharing program.
I love men's fashion, particularly Rag & Bone, which is one of my boyfriend's favorite brands. He doesn't like clothes that are too tailored or "fashiony"; sometimes I'll pick up pieces for him, but he's a big boy and can shop for himself.
I enjoy all sorts of music. I'm a big fan of Florence and the Machine but I also love Nina Simone and classical composers such as Bach. I find that classical music helps put me in a place that is very calming and allows me to express emotion through my body. I played clarinet as a child, so I guess I have a bit of a musical ear.
The ultimate art form of fashion is couture. I completely geek out when it comes to couture. It shows fashion as it used to be. I don't know how many people can actually afford the clothes, but in a way, that's beside the point.
My favorite fashion shows ever would have to be Chanel's—for the fall 2011 couture show Karl created a replica of the entire Place Vendôme complete with statues and lamps in the middle.
In my next role, I'll play Abraham Lincoln's stepmother, and I'm required to master a Kentucky accent from the early 19th century. Because I'm not American I've always worked hard at perfecting accents.
I would love to make a movie about falling in love because it's such a simple yet universal theme. Many, many people have tried to make love stories, but it can be so easy to end up with a cliché. And I'd love to make a film with director Darren Aronofsky—to me "The Wrestler" is one of the best films.
I originally trained as a ballerina and I think ballet helped me a lot when I began acting 10 years ago.
One of the nicest gifts I recently received was a diamond and black-sapphire swan from Boucheron, which I wore at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
The last thing I purchased was a pair of white leather Givenchy flats in Paris at the Bon Marché. I like to shop and the Bon Marché is my favorite place to do it.
My favorite perfume is Calvin Klein Beauty. I also wear essential oils.
The best two things to come out of Europe in many years are the euro and the European Union. Despite its current troubles, I have great faith in Europe's future.
I'm immensely proud of Chancellor Angela Merkel. She's tough—she has to be—but still very much a woman.
I've never really experienced a "normal" relationship. Travel has always been part of my relationships; it's always been a challenge to physically see each other. I've been on my own since I was 16—first as a model, then as an actress.
Marriage is not that important to me. I don't believe a piece of paper can keep two people together. But I would like to have children. I wouldn't want life to pass by without having had that experience.
I love to cook and I love cookbooks—I cannot walk into a bookstore without buying one. I'll invite friends over and we'll choose a recipe from a book and prepare it together. One of our recent meals was a risotto with asparagus.
A director who gives an actor wings is Quentin Tarantino. Even the most famous actors have to audition for him, but once you land the role, he empowers you and encourages you throughout the performance. You never feel as if he's testing you—like some directors—but rather that he wants you to do well. His writing is like poetry.
I've never portrayed a character like Marie Antoinette. There was very little of her life I could relate to because I could not possibly know what it was like to live as royalty. But I could relate to the idea that she was betrayed.
In the scenes where Marie is in full-on regalia the costumes are so wide you literally could not pass through the doors. Now I understand why the doors at Versailles had to be so wide.
Shame!
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