Vicky Krieps makes a bold impression in The Rebel Empress, a film set in 1877 that imagines a drastically different portrait of Elizabeth of Bavaria just before her 40th birthday. The Luxembourgian actress delivers a performance that challenges the usual fairy tale view of the empress, portraying a woman who smokes, drinks, experiments with drugs, sports tattoos, defies her husband and protocol, and even makes provocative gestures if needed. This portrayal signals Krieps as a strong, likely Oscar-contending presence on the international stage, with Cannes already recognizing the work as a standout achievement.
In the interview, Krieps is asked about the reception of this role, described by many as her most successful performance to date. She explains that the film represents a personal liberation and a form of artistic rebellion. The character is not kind or necessarily pleasant, and that realism required pushing through skepticism to bring the project to life. She notes that much of the industry underestimates audiences, yet the public reaction to the movie proves otherwise.
Asked how she approached Elizabeth of Bavaria beyond the familiar Sissi image, Krieps recalls growing up in a home with little room for princess lore and a somewhat bohemian atmosphere. Her first contact with Isabel de Baviera was through a screened Sissi at a neighbor’s house, but later studies revealed a more complex, unsettling figure. The actress was struck by questions about why the empress struggled with appetite, why she resisted portrait sessions, and why an obsession with fitness emerged. This led Krieps to the realization that the popular Sissi portrayal was largely fantasy.
The question then turns to whether reinterpreting the figure was the motive for Krieps to take on The Rebel Empress. She acknowledges that one aim was to counter the idea of a flawless celebrity. The empress endured the pressures of fame, with Europe declaring her the most beautiful woman on the continent and scrutinizing every aspect of her life. The role highlights the strain placed on someone who was politically engaged, itinerant, and among the first in the monarchy to question the institution’s constraints, creating a figurative cage around her.
The discussion moves to Romy Schneider, who portrayed the empress in the Sissi films and faced similar constraints. Krieps admires Schneider for wanting recognition for her work rather than beauty alone, noting that both women suffered under the same social dynamics. The Rebel Empress aims to honor their legacies, offering a filmic space for women who have been marginalized or silenced by conventional expectations. Krieps emphasizes a commitment to portraying women who are unfairly judged or restrained and who fight against those social pressures that still persist to this day.
When asked about Instagram and the current culture of image, Krieps describes a world where people often resemble their public personas, chasing validation from an online audience. She sees exhibitionism as a troubling trend and notes that physical beauty commands more attention than ever, adding pressure on women. Her own experience reflects this, especially during formative years when the need to appear attractive and clever felt like a recurring burden, a burden she still feels when walking red carpets or preparing for shoots.
The topic of promotion for The Invisible Thread, Krieps’s film that reached American audiences, is addressed next. She recalls a period in Los Angeles when the publicity circuit felt isolating and empty. Wearing outfits chosen by others and navigating staged moments, she felt watched and judged, a sense that pushed her away from the Hollywood machine and made her question the price of acceptance in the industry.
The conversation turns to the rebellious spirit as a personal inheritance. Krieps notes that her grandfather was a resistance hero who survived a concentration camp and later served as Luxembourg’s Minister of Justice, helping to abolish the death penalty. This legacy informs her approach to acting, where she seeks to confront troubling subjects and tackle taboos. The film thus becomes a conduit to honor the memory of those who faced oppression and to explore the deeper reasons behind human cruelty, a search Krieps continues through her study of history.