Anya Taylor-Joy, London by Eric James Guillemain
From Dame Helen Mirren to Robert Pattinson, Sigourney Weaver to Anya Taylor-Joy, the line-up is seriously A-list.
Rather than the glossy publicity shots we expect, though, the images of Eric James Guillemain offer a different kind of magic. They give us the chance to peek behind the scenes of the film industry, catching actors and filmmakers off guard and offering a fresh take on Hollywood – without the script.
Backstage Dreams: The Secret Door to Sets is the result of 15 years’ work capturing some of the film world’s biggest talents in the contemplative moments before they perform. The book’s 200 images are taken in the dressing room or the quiet corners of a set, with some shot in the wings of the stage.
“Backstage Dreams bears witness to those transformative moments when, in the very act of taking pictures, I heard the call and stepped away from my original plan,” explains Guillemain in the book, his first monograph.
“Sometimes for just a few fleeting seconds of rapture, through unguarded moments or in the makeup room between two takes of a session, inverting my logics in the next available mirror. There, I swiftly exposed my subjects anew in a more authentic way, peacefully delving into the depths of their ungraspable being.”
Guillemain was born in Morocco and grew up in Paris, moving to New York in 2002 intent on making a life in music. Photography became his passion, though, and he began travelling, shooting urban and natural landscapes while building a portfolio of film industry portraiture. He credits the renowned photographer and film director Peter Lindbergh – himself inspired by early cinema – for “unlocking the secret door to sets” for him.
Guillemain explains: “Behind the scenes, in those liminal spaces, I became witness to the artistry of others, blending into their unique backdrops, living in the interstices, turning invisible, forgotten and ultimately liberated. Embarking on a contemplative journey away from my own beaten paths.”
Backstage Dreams: The Secret Door to Sets is published by Damiani Books at £45.
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