Netflix’sThe Decameronfeatures an ensemble cast, including Lou Gala as Neifile, whom American audiences in particular may not be very familiar with.The Decameronis based on a 14th-century Italian bookof the same name by Giovanni Boccaccio, and continues a trend of historical TV shows with modern sensibilities, humor, and attitudes. Taking place in Italy,The Decameronis set during the Black Deathin 1348 and follows a group of nobles and servants who retreat to a villa in the mountains of Tuscany to wait out the plague in style and luxury.
The Decameronfeatures a large cast of characters, each with their own vices, fears, rivalries, and romances, all of which come to a head as they spend their time in close quarters. Lou Gala co-stars as Neifile. Neifile is Panfilo’s (Karan Gill) devoutly Catholic wife, who has unwisely taken a vow of chastity despite having a great relationship with her husband. Though she starts out with a holier-than-thou attitude, she learns to connect with those around her and finds peace.It’s an excellent performance by Lou Gala, who many viewers may not have seen before.
Lou Gala Is A French Actress Who Began Acting In High School
Gala Quickly Became A Celebrated Actress
Born in November 1995 in Paris, France, Lou Gala was 28 when she appeared in the first season ofThe Decameron. She began her career in high school, but never considered it her “dream”. However, the more acting she did, the more comfortable she got with it and began to consider pursuing the career (viaEcranLarge),
“It happened little by little. It wasn’t necessarily a childhood dream. I started doing theater in high school, I wanted to do more so I signed up for a class. After my Baccalaureate, I applied to the district conservatories and I didn’t yet know what my level was, because there are still a lot of candidates and it’s very selective. I was admitted to the 7th arrondissement conservatory and that determined my path.”
Gala seems to have fallen into the line of work. It helps that she’s exceptionally talented. While studying at the conservatory, Gala started going to auditions,
“I was at the same time at the Conservatory and in a drama school, Blanche Salant, it was intense. At the same time I started to go to auditions and work, it happened a bit at the same time. Everything happened gradually and it imposed itself little by little.”
It was through these auditions that she eventually nabbed her first professional role, which was in the 2013 comedyThe Adulteen, where she plays “La fille tatouée”, which means “the tattooed girl”. Gala said about the role,
“I was in class and I was already filming. My first feature film was when I was in high school, 16 years old or so. Tristan Séguéla offered me a small role in this film. So there was never a real break between school and the real world.”
Gala began gaining attention soon after, and in 2017,she was selected as the muse of the Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival. It’s an honor given to a young actor every year who has shown exemplary talent. They are then often featured heavily in the festival’s marketing, giving them prestige and free publicity. Gala said about the aknowledgement (viaFrenchMania),
“It’s really a pleasure and an honor. I’m delighted that I was asked to pose for the poster for this edition. It touched me because I came to the festival for the first time two years ago to present a short film directed by Stéphanie Murat, Samedi soir , in which I played, and I didn’t know St-Jean-de-Luz and the festival at all. So I discovered everything at the same time and it was great. So when I was asked to come back this year to be the face of the festival, I jumped for joy, and what’s more I get to enjoy the Basque Country for a week, which is not unpleasant!”
Her quick success in the industry may have been in part thanks to how she quickly took to acting, loving it from the moment she appeared on stage. She said in an interview (viaMarieClaire),
“The first time that I went into one of those acting classes, I just felt so joyful and inspired. I remember that time was incredibly emotional. I took a week trying the class and learning this special training. I cried, and I knew that I definitely wanted to do that.”
Gala may not have known acting was for her until her teens, but once she did realize it, there was nothing that was going to stop her from pursuing it.
Lou Gala Is A Prolific Performer In The French Film Industry
Gala Has Already Appeared In Over 40 Productions
BeforeThe Decameron, Lou Gala had already appeared in over 40 movies, TV shows, and short films. While most of her roles have come in French productions, she did appear in one English-language title previously. InJulia, the Max series based on the life of Julia Child, Gala appears in two episodes as Yvette, Simone Beck’s (Isabella Rossellini) maid. Gala’s French filmography is much more extensive. On television, she has played multiple characters inSecrets d’histoire, which is a documentary series about people of interest throughout French history.
The Best French Movie From Every Decade Of The 20th Century
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She had a recurring role as Chloe inLes Chamois, and appeared in small roles in shows likeOur Crazy Family,H24, andLa famille Millevoies. Gala’s film career includes parts inMaison de retraiteas Justine,Mermaid in Parisas Serveuse péniche,The Magic Tucheas Vanessa, and much more.Gala says she’s inspired by French actors like Isabelle Huppert, Gérard Depardieu, and Gloria Swanson, saying,
“Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert, I put them in my Pantheon. It’s not a very original choice, but I’m not taking any risks in saying that. (laughs) They are the best. There is an actress I admire enormously, Gloria Swanson, particularly in Sunset Boulevard for her role that is both powerful and frightening.”
Lou Gala may not currently rank among the greatest French actors ever, right now, but her extensive work in French cinema, beginning at such a young age, suggests she will have an impressive career in the future. Her appreciation for the classic great actors also suggests her ambitions. You can imagine that we’ll soon be seeing her in bigger and bigger projects.
How Lou Gala Was Cast In The Decameron
When Lou Gala first read the script forThe Decameron, she was overwhelmed with the project. She said (viaHero),
“I just felt incredibly overwhelmed with joy. Kathleen Jordan’s writing is so precise, it explores so many things, it has intimate moments, it’s very funny, but it also has a dark undertone mixed in. It’s incredibly brilliant.”
Gala immediately knew how great the script was and seemed to understand the unique tone it was bringing to television. Later, when she was cast, Gala was head over heels,
“Then when I found out that I was going to be playing Neifile I felt so happy because she’s such a special character.”
Before she was cast,Gala said she had always hoped to be a part of a series likeThe Decameron. However, it always seemed like too big a dream. Gala said,
“It was an absolute dream. I was craving to be on a TV series like The Decameron. It wasn’t something you may even dream to do, because it’s hard to imagine this kind of project. It doesn’t happen often, even to read a script that’s so funny, but at the same time critical, and it talks about how social norms are changing.”
The Decameronis a comedy at its core, but American-style comedy is different from what Gala had done in the past, requiring a bit of an adjustment on her part. She said,
“It was a big change, but it’s not even necessarily country to country, although I have heard people talking about British humour [in relation to the show], even though the writer is American. In France, there aren’t so many projects like this, it’s rare in general, this type of comedy… I took a leap of faith with [The Decameron] because I knew from the beginning that we should leave the fear of being weird away from the set and jump into it in the most joyful, playful, profound way.”
This is a much larger role than Gala has ever played, and it’s in a much different register, in terms of tone, scope, and even simply language.It’s impressive that Gala can handle all these adjustments and still give an impressive performanceat the same time.
Lou Gala’s Thoughts On Neifile In The Decameron
Gala Appreciates Neifile’s Growth
Neifile undergoes a very satisfying arc inThe Decameron. When she starts the series, she is almost insufferable in how she views herself with her piety. However, as the plague continues, and she comes into contact with others who have opposing viewpoints, Neifile softens. She begins to wonder why she has such a high sex drive if she is supposed to scorn sex and intimacy, and why God would allow for the Black Death in the first place.
For some characters, the villa is constraining and brings out the worst in them, but for Neifile, it allows her to come face-to-face with her own insecurities and beliefs, and she’s the stronger for it afterward.
Neifile becomes much less judgmental, and even a tad unhinged, as the series goes on, but by the end of her arc, she’s come to terms with herself and God. Gala said about her character,
“Before the villa, Neifile had been living in a very protected environment, so she didn’t have a real sense of the outside world and human interactions, and then she’s on this journey of change and exploring so many new things. I think everyone can relate to this. Also, what is beautiful about her is how vulnerable she is, and how she is confronted and conflicted by experiences. She starts in a state of anxiety, concern and is full of care for everyone, and then she starts to live for herself, and that was incredible.”
For some characters, the villa is constraining and brings out the worst in them, but for Neifile, it allows her to come face-to-face with her own insecurities and beliefs, and she’s the stronger for it afterward. About the show as a whole, Gala said, comparing it to the COVID-19 lockdowns,
“It’s an exploration of selfishness and our values, and the self-reflection we were able to do during this time period [COVID]. I think there’s a reminder that the people who were lucky during this time got to discover things about ourselves. We got to maybe realize what was important and what definitely was useless in our lives. The Decameron is a dark comedy, so obviously there’s so many fun moments, but there’s always this undertone of darkness. It’s there to remind us to put our love in the right spots, and to learn to appreciate what’s there without being too serious about your possessions and your realities that can just switch in a second. There is this subtle critic of everybody. All of our characters have this grotesque aspect, and there is this grotesque aspect in everyone. There is definitely something about that; everyone is taking themselves too seriously. I hope people are going to laugh a lot at our expense.”
Lou Gala clearly understands whatThe Decameronadaptation was going for, and that’s why, in part, her character feels so naturally suited to the story. The actor playing Neifile can imagine exactly how someone would act in a similar situation.
