When you grow up surrounded by the world of cinema, it’s easy to understand how the industry functions from within. However, learning how to lead a character through emotions and feelings is a lifelong process, one that requires accepting your own story and inner world. For Thalia Besson, this process begins with coaching, therapy, acupuncture, and the work of unblocking those parts of herself that resist vulnerability, allowing her to better understand the emotional depth of her characters. Through acting, she has developed a deep empathy toward others, but, most importantly, a stronger understanding of her own self. We spoke with Thalia about the wide range of roles she has taken on, from Genevieve in Emily in Paris to Ophélie in Je Suis Fleur, and the spectrum of feelings she has learned to embody through those roles.

Full look **Saint Laurent by** **Anthony Vaccarello**

You grew up around cinema, being surrounded by this industry. How has this closeness to the industry influenced the way you see your career and the industry itself?

Well, I think being surrounded by film and cinema since I was young has kind of been embedded in me. It was also a way for me to connect with my parents and see what they did. Even my uncles and aunts, everybody is very artistic. It felt very natural to me. It was always what I was curious about. I never really saw myself doing anything else. And I think also seeing the difference, from when I was a child and had to sit in the corner and be quiet, I got to observe all the different roles, the different ways actors work, and the different techniques they have. I think that helps me a lot in my job, to just feeling comfortable and seeing where things go.

Dress and shoes **Prada**, jewellery **Chopard**

That’s nice. Is there another job in the industry, directing, writing, or something else, that you’d also like to explore?

I’ve always, since I was a baby, wanted to be an actor. But I do write scripts a lot, and I produced for a little bit. I mean, I’m not that great at it. I also recently wrote, directed, and produced my first short film, which I just finished. So, I got to kind of try all of it. I think directing definitely comes pretty naturally to me. But doing all of that at the same time was a bit overwhelming. At least I got to see every part of the process, I even edited it myself, and I know that part is not for me. I love writing, telling stories, and expressing myself more than dealing with the more technical aspects.

And in which career do you think you’re able to express yourself creatively the best?

Acting, for sure. Acting, because I think I have a lot of emotions inside me. I’m very sensitive, and I have a hard time expressing myself. When I get to embody a character and really feel things, I feel like I can let things out much more easily.

And in that sense, which kind of emotions do you think you can express better?

I think it always depends. I have certain blocks sometimes. Sadness and crying used to be really hard for me, and sometimes anger is really hard too. It kind of depends on where I’m at in my life. But I always find that the roles I play come at the perfect time, when I’m struggling, it helps me heal, because I have to go there.

In a sense, it’s kind of cathartic as well, right?

Oh, completely. Yeah, it’s therapeutic.

Do you work with someone to help you express different emotions, not just an acting coach, but maybe a psychologist, a therapist, or something like that?

Yeah, I try to do as much as I can. I work with different acting coaches, some are more technical, some are more spiritual, where sometimes we won’t even do a scene. It’s more about grounding yourself and understanding yourself. I also speak to therapists, and I try different things like acupuncture, because I think being an actor is about using your whole body as a tool, your body, your soul, your eyes, your breath, everything. So, I think it’s really important to know yourself.

That’s very interesting! You belong to Gen Z, which is a generation that’s very political and very social. What themes, or what kind of stories or characters, do you think are important for you to tell and portray?

Well, I think for me, a big one is just being a woman in this generation. But there are so many different aspects to that. There’s what it feels like to be a woman, the struggles we go through, how we’ve been treated in the past, all of it. Even emotionally. Those are usually the films that touch me the most, especially acting-wise: really strong female characters who make me feel things I didn’t fully understand about womanhood or about myself. I’d say that’s the biggest one for me.

Coat, shoes and glasses **Givenchy**, jewellery **Chopard**

What do you enjoy the most about being an actress?

For me, it’s becoming somebody else, but not in a way where I’m forgetting myself. I need to understand the character in order to play them, and I need to find how I connect with them, which usually helps me understand things about myself. I ask myself what would lead a person to act a certain way or say certain things. No matter the scale, whether it’s something horrible or something small, I think about what it would take for me to get to that place. Understanding myself better, my emotions, and hopefully affecting people in real life.

Do you feel like being an actress has helped you become more empathetic toward other people’s emotions?

I think so. And I think I’m naturally an empathetic person, which is why I’m drawn to acting. I’m very curious about why people do the things they do, and I try to understand them without judging. My number one rule is to never judge your character, even if it’s a horrible person or someone you don’t agree with. So yeah, I think empathy is one of the biggest parts of that.

Jacket **Acne Studios**, Skirt **Fendi**, top and shoes **Patou**

Is there a character that you've played recently that you feel especially connected with?

Yes, the first one that comes to mind right now is from the short film I directed, Faé. I think the obvious reason I feel connected to the character is because I wrote it, and it was kind of about me. But it was a three-year process, and the more I worked on it, editing it, refining it, the more I grew with her. A lot of things changed, and when I finished the film, I felt very differently about that character than I did when I initially wrote it, which also reflects my own journey as well.

So, let’s talk about Emily in Paris as well. Last season, you entered as Genevieve, which brought a different vibe, a little bit of trouble. What is Genevieve bringing in this new season?

That’s a question I cannot answer, unfortunately. What I can say is that she’s grown, she’s evolved more into herself, and you’ll have to wait and see.

Did you like the way your character evolved and grew this season?

Yes, I honestly really did. I was surprised, it went in a very different direction than I expected. But I remember the first time I read the script, I was laughing out loud and thought, this is going to be so fun.

This year, you worked on quite a lot of projects. And I want to know a little bit more about them. Which one do you think was the most challenging to make?

Well, I’ll say two, because I did them both at the same time. I kept going back and forth from Bulgaria to Spain almost every week, and that in itself was very challenging, having to switch roles constantly. Both of those roles were two of the most challenging I’ve done so far, and they were opposites.

The one in Bulgaria was in the snow. It’s called Disorder. It was a set full of boys fighting, and I was the only girl. I also had a very technical role, I played a nurse, so I had to learn about medicine from actual nurses. That was hard because I honestly didn’t know anything about it. The other one [Je suis Fleur] was more challenging emotionally. It dealt a lot with sexual assault and rape, so the emotions were very heavy. There was a lot of crying every single day. Both projects were challenging, but in very different ways.

Shirt **Christian Dior**, bra **Calvin Klein**, skirt **Courrèges**, earrings and necklace **Cartier**, ring **Chopard**

Which one of the projects that you worked on did you enjoy doing the most?

I see them all as my babies, it’s like asking your favorite child. I can’t really pick. I think going abroad, meeting new people, and creating a family on set is always the best part, but I still can’t really choose. They all have different places in my heart.

Which one represents the kind of actress that you want to become?

The type of actress I want to be is someone who can incarnate any type of role and explore all the different parts of myself. That’s why I like to play completely different roles. I want to be the kind of actor who can do anything.

And which one scared you the most before accepting it?

I think I would say Je Suis Fleur, just because at that time I had block my sadness. I’ve been through similar things as my character, and I knew I was going to have to dig down to that place and let it all out. I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to do it and might block myself, but that’s also the best challenge.

And which characters do you think viewers and fans will relate to the most?

Probably Ophélie in Je Suis Fleur, just because she’s very odd, very herself. I see her as love, she goes through a great evolution and transformation, and she’s very in touch with her emotions.

I also think in the film I did called Triton, my character is kind of a fun party girl. She wants to have fun with her friends, go out, drink, and just enjoy herself. But by the end, you see where that comes from, and the depth in her becomes clear, even when she seems a little shallow at first. I relate to that, and I think a lot of people around my age might relate to it as well.

Which one do you think will make people laugh the most and cry the most?

Cry, definitely Je Suis Fleur, Ophélie. I cried, I almost blacked out during that whole shoot. It was very intense; I didn’t even recognize myself watching it. As for making people laugh, I would say Genevieve. She really makes me laugh.

Where do you hope to see yourself as an actress in five or ten years from now?

Honestly, I just want to be working as much as I can. I want to be on set all the time, collaborating with people who inspire me, different directors, different actors. I want to keep exploring different parts of myself, learning more, growing through these characters, and hopefully touching people.

Interview by Carolina Benjumea

Photography by Davide Campanella

Fashion by Jonathan Hayden

EIC Michael Marson

Hair by Fabien Giambona

Make-Up by Ellada Satoueva

Photographer’s assistants Thitouan Le Peutrec and Romane Huber

Stylist’s assistant Emma Siaut