Amélie Actor Audrey Tatou to Present Debut Self-Portrait Exhibition

Audrey Tatou is one of those actresses who skyrocketed to fame overnight, following the massive critical and commercial success of the French film Amelie, in which she plays the title role. What many don't know, however, is that Tatou's artistic endeavors extend beyond that of the actor--she's also a great lover of photography, and will debut her first exhibition as a shutterbug next month.

Speaking to The New York Timesabout the show, Tatou explained, "I needed to do it. Maybe because of what happened to me with this huge celebrity suddenly--it was a way for me to take a bit of distance from the storm."

She said of her process: "I adapt myself to the location, which is always some intimate place--a place that I owned or at my parents' house. Once I take the photos, I don't retouch and I don't change the framing at all. I don't cheat on anything."

The photo exhibition will be held at the Rencontres d'Arles festival in France, which runs from July 3 through September 24. The series will include staged self-portraits, in which props, set, and lighting are heavily used, as well as captured moments of the journalists she's engaged with over the years. There's also images of animals and plants.

Here's a sweet little taste of what's to come:

In the 15 years since the film "Amelie" made her a star, the French actress Audrey Tautou has built up a parallel practice as a photographer. Working alone and using herself as a model, Tautou has captured self-portraits that dwell on the nature of public image and constructed identity -- and will go on display for the first time at next month's @rencontresarles photography festival. As for how it will be received on so public and high-minded a platform as #Arles, she shrugs. "I'm very used to presenting things to the audience, so I know that as soon as you give something, it doesn't belong to you any more." To see more of her work, visit tmagazine.com. Photo by Audrey Tautou.

A post shared by T: The NYTimes Style Magazine (@tmagazine) on Jun 20, 2017 at 5:47pm PDT