Joséphine Mahaut Marie Japy (born 12 July 1994) is a French actress. She made her debut in the 2005 film '' Grey Souls'', and has appeared in films such as the comedy ''

Neuilly Yo Mama! ''Neuilly Yo Mama!'' ( ) is a 2009 French comedy film directed by . It stars Samy Seghir as a teenager who moves from the housing projects to the upscale neighbourhood of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Because of its use of social inequality as a comedic d ...

'' (2009) and its sequel '' Neuilly sa mère, sa mère!'' (2018), the

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of " Comme d'habitude" ( ...

biopic ''

My Way "My Way" is Paul Anka's English-language lyrical adaptation of the French song " Comme d'habitude", released by Frank Sinatra in 1969. The original song was written by Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, and Claude François, and was first recor ...

'' (2012) in which she portrayed French singer

France Gall Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, at the age of 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, tenth edition of the Eurov ...

, the coming-of-age drama '' Breathe'' (2014) – for which she was nominated for the

César Award for Most Promising Actress Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar River, in Colombia * Cesar ...

, the romantic comedy ''

Love at Second Sight '' Love at Second Sight'' may refer to: * ''Love at Second Sight'' (1934 film), a British film * ''Love at Second Sight'' (1999 film), an Israeli film (Hebrew title: אהבה ממבט שני, romanized as Ahava Mimabat Sheni) * ''Love at Second ...

'' (2019), the period drama ' (2021), and the thriller ' (2023), as well as the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

biographical miniseries ''

Class Act ''Class Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Randall Miller and starring hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play. An urban retelling of Mark Twain's ''The Prince and the Pauper'', the film was written by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper from a stor ...

'' (2023).

Early life

Japy was born in the

17th arrondissement of Paris The 17th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le dix-septième'' (; "the seventeenth"). The arrondissement, known as Batignol ...

, France on 12 July 1994. Japy has a degree in History and a master's degree in Sociology from Sciences Po Lyon, a

grande école A (; ) is a specialized top-level educational institution in France and some other countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. are part of an alternative educational system that operates alongside the mainstream List of public universities in Franc ...

in France.

Career

At the age of 8, Japy decided she wanted to be actress and started taking acting classes. Spotted by a casting director, she asked her photographer uncle to take photos of her that she later slipped into an envelope with the message: "My name is Joséphine, I'm 8 years old, I want to be in the movies." Two days later, the phone rang, the production company was worried because she had not specified her last name, and she had been cast in the 2005 film '' Grey Souls'', directed by

Yves Angelo Yves Angelo (born 22 January 1956) is a French cinematographer, film director and screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as ...

, which marked her acting debut. Japy credits her encounter with French director

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (; born 3 September 1953) is a French film director and screenwriter. His films combine fantasy, realism, and science fiction to create idealized realities or to give relevance to mundane situations. Jeunet debuted as a direc ...

as being decisive in her desire to become an actress. She was auditioning for the role of a child in Jeunet's film ''

A Very Long Engagement ''A Very Long Engagement'' () is a 2004 romantic war drama film, co-written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel and Marion Cotillard. It is a fictional tale about a young woman's desperate search for he ...

'' (2004) when the director came up to her and standing at her height, said: "Joséphine, can I talk to you like an adult? Today, it won't be you, but one day, we'll meet again...". Japy said that Jeunet's words had a real resonance and made her "want to hang on, believe and keep going", and if Jeunet had not taken the time to say that to her that day, she might not be here alking to the interviewer In 2009, she appeared in the comedy film ''

'' (2009), and reprised her role 9 years later in the sequel '' Neuilly sa mère, sa mère!'' (2018). In 2011, she starred in the thriller drama film ''

The Monk ''The Monk: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796 across three volumes. Written early in Lewis's career, it was published anonymously when he was 20. It tells the story of a virtuous Catholic monk who give ...

'', an adaptation of Matthew Lewis's 1796 gothic novel of the same name, directed by

Dominik Moll Dominik Moll (born 7 May 1962) is a German-French film director and screenwriter. He was born in Bühl, West Germany. In 2001, he won the César Award for Best Director for '' Harry, He's Here to Help''. Both ''Lemming'' and ''Harry, He's Here ...

. In 2012, she portrayed French singer

in the

biopic ''

'', directed by

Florent-Emilio Siri Florent-Emilio Siri (born 2 March 1965) is a French film director and screenwriter born in Lorraine (region), Lorraine. Siri studied cinema at the Sorbonne University and Ecole Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle, ESRA in Paris. Siri is a mu ...

. In 2014, she played the lead role of Charlie in the

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

drama '' Breathe'', directed by

Mélanie Laurent Mélanie Laurent (; born 21 February 1983) is a French actress and filmmaker. She has received two César Awards and a Lumière Award. Internationally, Laurent is known for her roles in ''Inglourious Basterds'' (2009), '' Now You See Me'' (2013 ...

, which was presented in the

Critics' Week Critics' Week (), until 2008 called International Critics' Week ('), is a parallel section to the Cannes Film Festival organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. History Critics' week was created in 1962, after the French Syndicate of ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for the

and for the

Lumière Award for Best Female Revelation The Lumière Award for Best Female Revelation () is an award presented annually by the Académie des Lumières since 2000. It was presented as the Lumière du meilleur espoir féminin from 2000 to 2013. In English, the award was variously referre ...

. In 2015, she starred in the dramatic comedy film '' Paris-Willouby'', directed by Arthur Delaire and Quentin Reynaud. In 2016, she starred in the thriller '' Faultless'', directed by Sébastien Marnier. In 2019, Japy co-starred with

François Civil François Civil (; born 29 January 1990) is a French actor. He has appeared in both French and English-language productions and is known for his roles in films such as '' Frank'' (2014), ''As Above, So Below'' (2014), '' Five'' (2016), '' Burn O ...

in the romantic comedy film ''

'', directed by Hugo Gélin. In 2021, she starred as Eugénie Grandet in the film adaptation of

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

's novel of the same name, directed by

Marc Dugain Marc Dugain (born 1957) is a French novelist and film director, best known for (English, '' The Officers' Ward'') (1999), a novel set in World War I. Dugain was born in Senegal and studied at the Institut d'études politiques de Grenoble. He wo ...

. In 2023, she starred in the thriller ', directed by Denis Imbert; and portrayed

Bernard Tapie Bernard Roger Tapie (; 26 January 1943 – 3 October 2021) was a French businessman, politician and occasional actor, singer, and TV host. He was Minister of City Affairs in the government of Pierre Bérégovoy. He was the manager of a group ...

's wife, Dominique Damianos, in the

biographical miniseries ''

''. In September 2024, Japy started filming her directorial debut, '' The Wonderers''. Based on the true story of her younger sister, Bertille, who has a rare genetic disease that leads to autistic behavior, it follows a family navigating the severe disability of the youngest daughter.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Japy, Josephine 1994 births Living people French film actresses 21st-century French actresses Actresses from Paris