No voices for St Joan

FRESH from playing witch Fleur Delacour in the final Harry Potter movies, Clémence Poésy swaps her wand for a sword as another witch in The Silence of Joan when she plays Joan of Arc in the days leading up to her death at the hands of the English.

Following in a role made famous by Ingrid Bergman, Jean Seberg and, more recently, Milla Johovich, is made more difficult for Clémence as the Maid of Orléans has taken a vow of silence after the voices that led her to defeat the English desert her.

Directed by Philippe Ramos, the actress says she used works by Patti Smith and Leonard Cohen to inspire her as the voices return and she reveals Joan’s mental force that inspired thousands to follow her into battle. They tell her to fight on, even into the pyre.