Why Laura From Tenet Looks So Familiar
Like pretty much every other film slated for release in 2020, Christopher Nolan's latest brainy blockbuster Tenet experienced a number of delays — moving from July 17 to July 31, then to August 26 in a handful of international countries and September 3 in select cities in the U.S. Little has been said beyond the basics about the plot of Tenet ahead of time – in true Nolan fashion, even those who've caught early screenings still have trouble explaining it — but the film sports an absolutely stellar cast.
The time-bending epic follows a man known only as the Protagonist (John David Washington), his handler (Robert Pattinson), and a team of specialists in a secret organization out to stop a Russian oligarch from starting WWIII. Of course, Washington and Pattinson aren't the only familiar faces to grace the screen in Tenet – with the likes of Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, and Michael Caine all joining the time-tripping insanity. Savvy cineastes are certain to recognize another of Tenet's supporting players as well: Clémence Poésy's character Laura, a scientist who may be the one character in the film who understands how "time inversion" actually works. Here's where you've seen Poésy before.
Clémence Poésy competed in the Triwizard tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Poésy has been working steadily in film and television for just over 20 years now, and she had a major breakthrough when she starred in 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — alongside her Tenet co-star, pre-Twilight Robert Pattinson.
The Goblet of Fire was the fourth film in the multi-billion dollar earning Harry Potter franchise, and found young Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) unexpectedly enlisted to face off against his fellow wizards as Hogwarts hosted the legendary Triwizard Tournament. The tournament saw Harry and three other wizards battling dragons, mer-people, themselves, and even (in a shocking twist) He Who Must Not Be Named.
In The Goblet of Fire, both Pattinson and Poésy portrayed two of Harry's challengers. Pattinson appeared as Hogwarts' ill-fated golden boy Cedric Diggory, while Poésy played Fleur Delacour, the Triwizard competitor from France's prestigious Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Though Poésy's character didn't fare particularly well in the tournament, the actress certainly left her mark in J.K. Rowling's "Wizarding World" — so much so that she reprised the role of Fleur when Dumbledore's Army went to war in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and Part II.
Clémence Poésy gave Colin Farrell's hitman hope in In Bruges
Poésy again made a huge impression in 2008, when she scored a key role in writer-director Martin McDonough's blisteringly funny (and utterly heartbreaking) crime flick In Bruges, for which McDonough won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. In the film, Poésy appears opposite Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Colin Farrell as Chloë, a clever Belgian working on a local film production as well as operating another less-than-legal side hustle. Gleeson and Farrell portray a pair of hitmen who, after a tragically botched hit, are forced to sojourn in the idyllic Belgian town of Bruges while their ill-tempered boss (Fiennes) plots the next move.
Once there, Gleeson's character tries to enjoy the downtime, but Farrell's spends much of his days contemplating suicide. He begins to sniff salvation when he meets Poésy's Chloë — but, like every other storyline in In Bruges, their burgeoning romance comes with its own complications. In the end, well, the ending of In Bruges doesn't mean what you think it does.
Clémence Poésy inspired genius on season 2 of Genius
Surprising as it may sound to some, National Geographic produces one of the best original series on television — and Poésy positively dazzles in it.
Created by Noah Pink and Kenneth Biller, Genius is a biographical anthology series that details (and dramatizes) the life stories of some of history's greatest minds. Season 1 of Genius premiered in 2017, and centered around Nobel-winning physicist Albert Einstein, played by esteemed actor Geoffrey Rush. The second season aired a year later, turning its gaze from science to art to explore the torrid life Pablo Picasso.
Antonio Banderas portrayed the iconic Spanish painter on Genius season 2, with Poésy appearing opposite him as the famed French painter Françoise Gilot, who carried on a tumultuous relationship with Picasso during a particularly fruitful period for the artist between 1943 and 1953. That relationship was fiery to say the least, and over its ten episodes, Genius season 2 pulled no punches in putting Picasso's dark side on full display. In turn, it gave Banderas and Poésy a near-bottomless well of dramatic material to draw from. Poésy in particular helped paint a clearer picture of Gilot than viewers have ever seen, and proved she was one of history's more overlooked geniuses herself.