“When the camera was on Kristen, sometimes I dared to push her. I would go and go and go. Kristen has an amazing potential, but she needs to open up, she needs to get in more. So when you see that, you want to help, you want to go for it.”

Did Binoche push Stewart to new heights by shoot’s end?

“She said that, and she knows it,” Binoche replies. “Between actors, there’s often the back and forth. You’re trying to see where you can go together. That’s the joy of movies or theatre — otherwise I’d be alone in my studio working on my paintings.”