Six months later, a new message posted on his social networks announced his complete remission. “The battle is not over. I am under very close surveillance and undergoing treatment, but my morale is of steel,” the actress wrote. The following month, she made a moving appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, radiant on the arm of her husband, Michael Ferracci. Emilie Dequenne is a regular at the Croisette: she has played in three award-winning films at the Festival. The first is Rosettaproduced by the Dardenne brothers and awarded the Palme d’Or in 1999; in 2012, she received the female performance prize in the Un certain regard category for her role in To lose your mindof Joachim Lafosse ; and finally Closeof Lukas DhontGrand Prix of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
“I have to scare the productions, the directors”
Some time after her appearance on the red carpet, fatigue and pain took over. Recurrence of cancer, “aborted or postponed” projects, including in the cinema. “I had one of the first roles in a film,” she confides. When the recurrence happened, I called immediately [le réalisateur] telling him that it wouldn't be possible because I would have to start chemotherapy again. He said to me: “What would please me is if you had a small role, would you accept?” » Enthusiastic about the idea of “shooting for even two or three days”, the actress accepts with pleasure. “Time passes and, while surfing the net, I discovered that I had been replaced. I wasn't warned. I have to scare the productions, the directors. » Since then, she has “no longer worked”: “At the beginning, I had 20 euros gross per day to live on,” she explains, emphasizing the difficulty of the situation for any intermittent worker in the entertainment industry.
Emilie Dequenne also spoke about her reaction when a doctor told her of the cancer diagnosis in August 2023: “At the time, my world collapsed. I tell myself I'm going to die. Instantly, I make my will. I write down my wishes, the little things that come to me [à l’esprit] if something were to happen to me […] I still don't know what I want. It's complicated because I simply don't want to die. » If she misses film sets, she admits that she cannot shoot at the moment: “I tire more quickly, my treatment tends to make me a little dizzy. I can be a little confused, have difficulty concentrating. » This courageous speech, of absolute gentleness and dignity, is already viral on social networks. Emilie Dequenne no longer plays, but her very personal testimony is already finding a powerful echo among the public.
