Charlotte Gainsbourg is part of one of the coolest families there is - and so it would follow that her life would always be pretty extraordinary.
The daughter of actress and singer Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg, she was born in London and raised in liberal Paris surrounded by parties, music and the paparazzi. By the time she was 12, she was working as an actress and singer - featuring on her father's controversial track, Lemon Incest.
She made her film debut in 1984 playing Catherine Deneuve's daughter in Paroles et Musique. While maintaining a successful music career, her acting roles came in thick and fast - and she famously became a muse of controversial director of Lars Von Trier, appearing in Antichrist, Nymphomaniac and Melancholia. Now, she stars in her first Hollywood blockbuster for Independence Day Resurgence, in which she plays a stubborn French psychologist.
As you'd imagine, her style credentials are strong - she has Parisian nonchalance nailed. But there's something else about Gainsbourg, 44, that makes her captivating to be around; she's graceful and perhaps a bit nervous, softly spoken but with clear opinions. There is also an air of dream-like melancholia about her.
We sat down with Gainsbourg to talk style, aliens, social media and why growing old is a blessing and a curse:
She's given me a lot of advice without even knowing. The thing I regret is not having had that time where I was against her style. I was always in love with what she looked like. I should have been reacting against her. Anyway, I think the advice was to be natural and that she had worn too much makeup in 60s and was happy to have given that up when she was with my father. It's stupid to say, but I just needed to look at her and I had all the advice I needed.
It became difficult. It wasn't difficult at first because I wasn't aware of it, but then when I started doing my own films at 12, I wanted to be recognised for myself so that was also contradictory. I wanted to be recognised, but I also wanted to be discreet. I was quite embarrassed. Anyway the embarrassment kept growing until I was about 30. I was embarrassed about being myself. I didn't like myself. I didn't like people thinking that they knew me. I was very very uncomfortable. I still like doing films; I wouldn't still be doing it if I didn't. it was that thing of being very, very private and very, very shy, but at the same time wanting to do a film with Lars [Von Trier].
I'm not really even on Twitter - I have an account, but I'm not the one doing it. It's really not my generation and I don't want to be an old hag going there. I have a new record coming out and I have to promote it, but I want to do it in my way. I don't want to have do selfies. I have to find a way of being honest with myself. It's not something I feel comfortable with.
It has helped me to feel happier in my own skin, but it's always too late. Now I'm aging, so of course I'm much more comfortable with myself now, but now I now I'm on the descending part. But it's nice to be aware and well when I look back, I don't understand what the fuss was about. I could have enjoyed myself more. It's a pity. Being my age now makes it much, much easier. Things have been hard in my life but it's easier to understand who I am now.
It was exciting because I'd seen the previous one and also just because I could be myself in that role. I didn't have to pretend to be anyone else. I didn't have to exaggerate. I could keep my English, sort of French accent. Although being in a few fight scenes would have been fun, I didn't have to go that way. It all felt quite good. And shooting was so much fun.
It just happens, I'm not looking for these characters. I'm just so grateful that Lars asked me to work with him three times in a row. It was special to work deeply with these characters - he pushed me in directions that I would never have gone to before. But that what my work's about - I like to be able to go to those extremes. Even this film, it was an extreme - it was a completely new experience.
I'm not really aware of it. I feel quite innocent in the process because there's no provocation on my side. I'm not really conscious of it - that's not to say I'm completely naive about it - but generally I'm not conscious of any provocation. But then when it comes to that, I protect myself. It doesn't bother me. I realise that I've always worked with provocateurs - my father, Lars. They pushed it and I was a part of it.
Independence Day Resurgence is out on 23 June.
