Cindy Bruna, from the catwalks to “Cat’s Eyes”: “I liked Gwen’s strength, her passionate and engaging side”

She has paraded all over the world, sharing catwalks and advertising campaigns with the biggest names in fashion. Here she is now in the same credits as Carole Bouquet and Guillaume de Tonquédec. Cindy Bruna is putting modeling on hold to start a new professional adventure. The 30-year-old makes her acting debut in Cat’s Eyesthe TF1 event series adapted from the manga by Tsukasa Hôjô.

Exit high heels and designer outfits, her character Gwen Assaya prefers the comfort of a hoodie and sneakers to track down the Chamade sisters. Convinced that Tam (Camille Lou) is hiding behind the thefts that are shaking up the Parisian art world, this determined police officer will do everything to stop him. The fact that this number one suspect is the former girlfriend of his companion and colleague Quentin (MB14) complicates the situation a little more. Is this a sign that work and pleasure should not be mixed? “Not necessarily. I think it’s a sign that an ex shouldn’t reappear”smiles Cindy Bruna on the other end of the phone before talking about her first steps in front of the camera.

I do taekwondo in everyday life. So even if I wasn't kicking hard (…), it helped me get through these six months of filming

Cindy Bruna

How do we go from the most popular catwalks of Fashion Week to one of the most anticipated French series of the year?

I wonder sometimes (laughs). I also ask myself the question of how I went from my little South of France to international travel as a model. I never dreamed of being a model, nor of being an actress. Quite simply because I wasn't dreaming. I always told myself that I wasn't capable of it. Life is full of surprises and opportunities that I was able to seize when I was younger too, mixed with a lot of work. She's the one who guided me this far and led me to do some pretty incredible things. I'm surprised myself!

It is the production of Cat’s Eyes who contacted you?

No way. I started to tell myself that maybe I could try this job by taking my first classes in 2019 in New York, where I lived. At the start of the pandemic, I arrived in Paris. One thing led to another, I found an agency and I went through a few castings including that of Cat’s Eyeswhich is my first experience as an actress. There were others before that I didn't succeed.

This is a huge project to start with. Did you hesitate before accepting?

No because I was aware of the opportunity it represented. I knew the work of director Alexandre Laurent (The Charity Bazaar, The Fighters), which I loved. I was able to meet him during the second audition phase, feel a little of his energy and his passion for the series. It oozed love, I thought it was really cool! I couldn't wait to join the adventure. I liked Gwen's strength, her passionate and enterprising side.

How do you prepare to play a police officer?

It was quite intense. I have fewer stunts than the girls, especially on roofs. I took weapon handling lessons, I also learned how to adopt the correct posture when pointing one. As for sport, I do taekwondo in everyday life. So even if I wasn't kicking hard, it helped keep me physically strong and helped me get through these six months of filming. It was still very physical!

MB14, who plays your companion and colleague Quentin, is also a beginner as an actor. Did you stick together on set?

Our collaboration went really well. We got along really well. It was light, simple. Above all, we remembered to enjoy the moment and have fun in the game, to free ourselves from certain fears and to trust each other. We worked like that, with mutual trust and generosity.

Constance Labbé told us that you were “very serious and hyper-focused”that you listen to a lot of Music before the takes. What was in your helmet?

Meditations because it helps to ground and concentrate, praise too, music that I love and which soothes me. I really like afrobeat, these sounds feel good and uplift us. I find that on set, you can quickly get lost and dispersed. There's quite a bit of waiting too. Music can take us somewhere emotionally.

You have walked several times for Victoria's Secret. The models play with the cameras, with the public, a bit like actresses in the end…

I understand the comparison with the Victoria's Secret show because there is direct contact with the crowd. But in the majority of parades, there is a very serious side. Sometimes it’s even the clothing that wears us, rather than the other way around. Of course, as a model, we get into characters a bit depending on our outfits, but we often stop at one image. Whereas in acting, this image comes to life on many levels. Modeling has helped me become more confident and comfortable in front of a camera. I remember that when I first started, I was extremely shy. My agent asked me to take improvisation lessons to free myself up a little. Obviously, there are similarities between the two professions. Having worked as a model allows me today to have the courage to become an actress.

I've done a lot of castings, I've missed a lot and it's not a big deal actually. If they don't take me, it's because it wasn't for me

Cindy Bruna

Avant Cat’s Eyesyou made two short appearances in the cinema. You are credited in the credits of the films Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets by Luc Besson and in Ocean’s 8where you played your own role. It was these experiences that made you want to explore acting further?

In ValerianI was an alien, so I didn't really have any pressure. It was more the curiosity of discovering a film set, seeing how it worked. They came to pick me up, I said to myself: “Oh cool, let’s go!” I was very detached, I didn't yet have this deep desire to do this job. But I loved the experience so much that unconsciously, maybe it gave birth to something.

Are you starting from scratch, so to speak?

You have to prove yourself, but also free yourself from the image you may have. I love getting out of my comfort zone. I approach each audition as an experience to get out of my comfort zone. As a beginner, I necessarily have this pressure of the work that I will put in beforehand to arrive ready on the big day. I am a perfectionist at heart, so I prepare myself for it. I've done a lot of castings, I've missed a lot and it's not a big deal actually. I also had a lot of rejections when I was a model, I don't experience it badly today. If they don't take me, it's because it wasn't for me.

Would you say there is a before and after Cat’s Eyes ?

It was an experience that taught me a lot. I was shooting the film at the same time Prosper with Jean-Pascal Zadi. Having both at the same time was super challenging. I saw myself evolving over the weeks in my game and my confidence on set. This is a remark that Alexandre also made to me. But as for a “before/after”, I don’t know if I’m aware yet.

For your 30th birthday in September, you sent a message to the child you were on Instagram (new window). What would little Cindy, who posed in front of her poster of Lorie, think of big Cindy who plays comedy as a bonus on TF1?

She would think this is completely crazy! I'm even sure she wouldn't believe me if I told her. I was so far from all that and even from his aspirations. My life was so different, I wrote a book about it.

You have indeed broken the taboo of a childhood confronted with domestic violence in your book The day I stopped being afraid (Harper Collins). Is this fight your driving force today?

What I experienced as a young girl and all my traumas ultimately made me the woman I am today. I live with it, I will always have scars, but they are no longer open wounds. The writing of this book is linked to a desire to free speech and break down this taboo. When I was little, I thought for a long time that what we were experiencing was normal. It will be the fight of my life, that’s for sure. I can't make my experience disappear, I have made it a strength.

Have you had any feedback from readers?

Yes a lot, and fortunately so. It's not writing the book that's difficult, it's sharing it and talking about it. A few months after the release, it was emotionally very complicated for me too. I would even say that I took my strength from all the feedback I was able to get, from all the readers who told me about their experience, what it could have opened up and changed in them. I know how impactful it can be because that’s what helped me do it. It was by hearing the testimonies of survivors of domestic violence that I myself had this first spark to talk about it. I had never done it before, even to my closest friends. In my family, it's a huge taboo. I realized that I had this responsibility, there really was this idea of ​​a chain. Others will do it in turn. Even though it's hard, it's worth it. You must not give up.

We'll see you soon in the fantasy comedy Prosper and in the Netflix movie French Lover with Omar Sy. When will there be an American production for you who speaks English so well?

I would love to! This is one of my goals and I hope I can achieve it.

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