A love triangle, a tryst in Quebec City and plenty of Coq au Vin level cooking is what audiences will find when watching James A. Woods and Nicholas Wright’s new rom-com, ‘French Girl.‘ The story follows culinary whiz Sophie (Évelyne Brochu) and her goofy, yet charming boyfriend Gordon (Zach Braff), who embark on a journey up north to follow up on a job interview with Sophie’s fiery and fierce ex, Ruby (Vanessa Hudgens.)
The film has the layers of a romantic comedy, but its allure also comes in with Sophie’s family and their dynamics in French Canadian culture. Plus, there’s the food, fun and hilarity that ensues when you get a cast of amazingly talented actors to turn a quirky reunion into an endearing tale of love.
Braff, Brochu and Hudgens all sat down to discuss the charm of ‘French Girl.’
What drew you in to this movie and this role?
Braff: As actors, you read a lot of scripts and especially [with] comedies, you read and you think, oh, I guess this could be funny if certain things happened and if the right actor played it. But this was one of those scripts that every single thing made me laugh. I just thought this doesn’t need anything—this just needs a good cast. From the second I read it, it made me laugh out loud and I love a good rom-com, and this one had unique aspects to it…A unique love triangle and aspects of French Canada that I hadn’t really seen portrayed in a film before.
Hudgens: I love this script. As soon as I read it, I was just cracking up the entire time, and the character is something that I haven’t played before— which I’m always looking out for. Also, with Zach attached, I’m such a fan of his and I’ve wanted to work with him for a while, so I jumped with that opportunity. And while it is a classic rom-com, there are different aspects about the film that make it really stand out, one of them being that the women are so empowered, they’re very strong and they’re very driven. I love seeing that on screen.
Brochu: I really enjoyed the fact that it was a love letter to French Canadian women and French Canadian families in general. I’m somebody’s French girl—I’m French and my man is Anglo, and I felt like I resonated a lot with the way those families and those couples are portrayed. And I felt like it was done with a lot of love and tenderness and warmth, and we all need more of that right now. Also [the film is] laugh-out-loud hilarious. It’s rare that you read a script and you’re laughing, so that really hooked me right from the beginning as well.
You mentioned the French Canadian aspects of it, and I saw that the script was largely inspired by Quebec and Quebec City. What are some aspects of French Canadian culture or parts of the city that stood out to you?
Braff: We shot mostly in Montreal and then Quebec City. To me, they just feel like Europe, you feel like you’re in France [with] architecture, particularly in Quebec City—it’s just like a fairytale. I didn’t really know about that before. I would also say the food. Our movie’s about food, but both cities are really big foody, culinary hotspots. In fact, I watched one of the Anthony Bourdain episodes that was about Montreal and tried to go seek out a bunch of that food. And our directors are big foodies, so we made sure to do lots of fun restaurants.
Hudgens: One thing I love about filming in Montreal is it’s stunning. There’s such a beautiful old-world element about it, but everyone there is laid back in a way. And not to a fault, because you actually do get everything done that you need to get done, it’s just without the rigidness. I think that there’s such a certain je ne sais quoi, just this ease and effortlessness about everyone working there. The work attitude and energy is just really special and allows you to feel safe and comfortable.
Brochu: My favorite scenes in the movie are the big family scenes, the big group scenes that we have at the farm. I feel like there’s a lot of this effervescent warmth, and slightly always funny, loud, flamboyant, sort of lively, but also joyous energy that I recognize in French Canadian families. And I love that that part is celebrated in the movie and that it will be brought to broader audiences that perhaps didn’t know that culture.
Speaking of the family scenes, so much of the charm of the film and hilarity comes from the relationship between all the characters. I loved seeing Gordon and Antoine. But which relationship dynamics did you enjoy filming and watching unfold?
Brochu: I know it’s a tiny little chunk of the story, but with my mom (Isabelle Vincent) and my sister (Charlotte Aubin), and that closeness that the women in a family can have. We know each other, we know what you’re up to…I think that was well portrayed [with] the woman playing my mom, [she’s] such a perfect French Canadian mom. She’s sensual, she’s hilarious, she loves reading and you can’t get anything past it because she sees everything.
Hudgens: I love Sophie and Gordon, I love the relationship so much. It’s the heart of the movie, but it’s also just really beautiful and sensual and sexy and funny. And it’s a really beautiful relationship to be able to come on the ride of.
Braff: With Junior (Antoine Olivier Pilon) and me, I didn’t think that that was going to stand out so much in the film. But Antoine and I just had so much fun being silly together. That’s one of those things where you read it on the page and you don’t necessarily see that one. The relationships with these two women are fairly highlighted, but this little [bit] with me and him, I didn’t know that that would end up being so enjoyable. But I think he and I just had good chemistry together and that kind of was special.
‘French Girl‘ is now showing in theaters and will be available on digital March 19.
