Juliette Cochet is an actress from France, on an inspiring journey from a quiet suburb to the vibrant stages and screens of New York City.
With relentless determination and a belief in the power of dreams, Juliette Cochet reminds us that we can create our own story and shine brightly.
Everyone possesses a unique superpower, but it can be difficult to carve out your own path when surrounded by those who share a similar gift. We shine the spotlight on Juliette Cochet, an exceptional actress who stands out in her field.
My introduction to Juliette came through Chelsea LeSage, a gifted friend known for her ability to connect with talented people. The Networking Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Juliette for a candid conversation that sheds light on her inspiring journey, highlighting both the challenges she’s faced and the successes she’s achieved along the way.
Hollywood
Imagine this: a young girl from a quiet suburb in France, dreaming of Hollywood glamour and bright city lights. Many people have those dreams, but not everyone takes the leap. Juliette did! With ambition in her heart and a supportive family cheering her on from afar, she packed her bags and moved to the iconic New York City—fondly known as “the city that never sleeps.”
At the New York Film Academy, Juliette met amazing collaborators who would become her creative partners for years to come. When she wasn’t studying, she was busy auditioning for short films. Her first significant break came with “Mon Amour”, directed by Kaisar Maxutov, which earned a collection of festival awards. Talk about a strong start to her career!
“Stop waiting, stop dreaming, and start creating your own story”. – Juliette Cochet
Leading Role
Her dedication continued to shine with the film “I’m Afraid”, also directed by Maxutov, which earned her the ‘Best Actress’ award at the MultiDimensional Independent Film Festival. And if that wasn’t enough, she landed a lead role in the Off-Broadway play “Women Who Cut”, sharing the stage with industry legends like Chelsea LeSage, Kathi Reichel, and Monte Bezell. What an incredible team!
While dazzling audiences at the AMT Theatre, Juliette was also fully invested in her thesis film, “Eternity with You”, which won her another ‘Best Actress’ award at the Stockholm City Film Festival. Talk about multitasking! This touching story about motherhood was personal for her—a fitting conclusion to her years of education.
Surreal experience
Just when you thought her schedule couldn’t get any busier, Juliette landed a lead role in her first feature film, *The Blue Woman*, directed by Kyle Sharp. Although the film is still in post-production, she’s buzzing with excitement for its release. Working alongside a cast that quickly feels like family has been a surreal experience, especially with co-star Andrei Kogolenok, who makes the journey even more enjoyable.
In an unexpected turn, Juliette recently teamed up with Kaisar Maxutov for a fully improvised independent feature, embracing the spontaneity of the moment. Alongside talented actors like Manuel Zopiyaxtle, Dasha Zhykharska and Jaylen Stapleton, she learned to thrive in the chaos—it’s all about being present!
Interests
But there’s more! When she’s not dazzling on stage or film sets, Juliette explores other artistic interests. Whether learning piano as a tribute to her granddad, dabbling in photography, or immersing herself in dance and martial arts, her creative spirit knows no limits.
Juliette Cochet is indeed a force of nature. With relentless determination and a strong belief in her dreams, she’s relishing every moment in the greatest city in the world. And guess what? She’s just getting started!
Juliette Cochet – Create Your Story
If her journey teaches us anything, it’s that with the right support and a dash of optimism, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. If I were to take a page from Juliette’s book, it would read: stop waiting, stop dreaming, and start creating your own story.
France
Juliette, when you were growing up in France, what sparked your dream of making it in Hollywood?
When I was younger, especially living outside the US, Hollywood seemed like the ultimate destination, the best place where dreams become reality. But what truly inspired me to become an actress is actually a funny story. I watched “Mission Impossible 4” for the first time, and being a young girl, I had a huge crush on Tom Cruise.
I remember telling my family, ‘When I grow up, I’ll be working with Tom Cruise’—not realising there were so many other jobs that would allow me to be around him! My only thought was that I needed to become an actress to work with him. So far, I still haven’t shared the screen with Tom, but I know it will happen sooner rather than later. If he ever comes across this… please hire me!
Moving
Moving to New York City is no small feat! What was the biggest challenge you faced when you made that leap?
The first challenge I faced was mainly in the language. I had a high level of English in France, but learning the slang of a country and a city specifically, learning some expressions that school will never teach you, as well as speaking, reading, writing, and thinking in English every day for years was definitely harder than I expected. For the first few months, my brain had a hard time getting used to it, but it became easier faster than expected.
The second, and definitely harder, challenge I faced was gaining my independence so quickly. I’ve always been independent, even when living with my family, but when you live alone, far from everything you thought you knew, it truly forces you to grow faster, without a choice, and that process is quite lonely. When you wish to talk to someone who lives on another continent with a big time difference and realise you can’t right away, it forces you to sit with yourself, make your own decision, and own up to it.
New York
We heard you had some fantastic experiences at the New York Film Academy. Can you share a bit about the collaborators you met there and how they influenced your journey?
Everybody that I’ve worked with has influenced my journey one way or another. Whether it is by getting another point of view, learning about another culture, or just being inspired by them. I’ve met some of the most inspiring artists, who I believe should be better recognised for the work they put in, given how talented they are.
I love asking questions to the crew on set, getting to understand their work and how they create this magic, and I’ve been fortunate to be around people who have been willing to teach me some of their craft.
Craft
The cinematographers, grips, sound mixers, gaffers, assistant directors/camera and script supervisors have all taught me something about their craft, and it has made me, as an actress, more patient, grateful, and hardworking. When you know a group of people come before you and leave work after you to create an environment that will make you, the actor, comfortable enough to simply play, it makes you want to give all that you have to make all of their work worth it.
Some of the future greatest actors of our generation that I’ve met will never cease to inspire my craft. I learn so much just by watching them. We’re all on the same boat: we all love acting and want to learn, so, at the end of the day, actors will always be my biggest inspiration. It’s hard to open yourself up to someone in real life; it’s even harder when you do it in front of dozens of people while being filmed to be shown afterwards. So when I see an actor being truthfully open and vulnerable, it makes me so grateful to be there to experience it.
Juliette Cochet – Mon Amour
Your first big break was with *Mon Amour*. What was that experience like, and how did it feel to receive all those festival awards?
The shoot itself was so much fun! It was my first time feeling like I was shooting a movie! My co-stars were so talented, the story was interesting and fun, and the crew was full of energy! I remember doing the photoshoot for the poster, and my best friend from France was there, and she was just as in awe as I was!
Receiving those festival awards felt unreal. I didn’t know much about it, so when I heard the news, I was shocked, euphoric and very proud!
Achievements
You’ve had some significant achievements, like winning ‘Best Actress’ for “I’m Afraid”. What do these accolades mean to you personally, and how do they impact your work?
It’s quite unreal, to be honest. I try not to think about it too much, because though it means a lot, I want to keep the momentum going and use it as fuel for my future work! I want to keep in mind why I came here to do this. It’s a beautiful thing to receive, and it will help me move forward.
Juliette Cochet – Balance
Balancing a lead role in “Women Who Cut” and your film “Eternity with You” sounds intense! How did you manage the pressure of multitasking on and off stage?
It was intense, that’s for sure! But the two characters were so different that switching between them was easier. Lila, from “Women Who Cut”, a comedy, is way more naive, younger, positive and very energetic. At the same time, Becca, from “Eternity with You”, is inspired by the dramatic play “Rabbit Hole”; she’s older, hurt by life’s experiences and grief, and way more grounded. I’d also worked with Becca for months before that shoot; I knew her in every way.
Character
I knew her past, her present, her thoughts. I would also sometimes walk around the city and catch myself thinking the way Becca would be thinking: on her guard and attentive. At the same time, I was still learning about Lila and working on her. And to be fair, Lila was a light, fresh air to come back to after the heaviness of Becca.
But the pressure itself doesn’t bother me, quite the opposite. I thrive on pressure. While my real pressure is when I have nothing to do: that’s the hard thing for me to deal with!
Juliette Cochet – First Feature Film
Tell us about “The Blue Woman”. What was it like working on your first feature film, and what are you most excited for audiences to see?
It was so cool working on my first Feature! Most actors will probably agree, but we love working on a character for a long period of time and getting to play with it under different scenarios, so I just loved playing Marie in “The Blue Woman” for a few days non-stop. Plus, we had a small crew with us, so we all bonded so well together, and we were all having so much fun!
Marie felt familiar to me in a certain way, even though she is quite different from who I am. I found myself wanting to care for her and protect her from the challenges she faced. While I can’t reveal too much, the story is very original, and my character is very ambiguous. I’m really looking forward to hearing people’s opinions about her. The audience’s perspectives on Marie will vary widely, which makes me even more excited to see their reactions!
Improvisation
You just wrapped up an improvised independent feature with Kaisar Maxutov. How did diving into improvisation change your approach to acting?
Yes, we did! It actually changed my approach drastically. Though improvisation was fun and stress-free because we didn’t have to prepare anything beyond our knowledge of the character, it reminded me of how important preparation is. And it made me, maybe, more serious about it as well. I would sometimes catch myself watching my co-stars act as if I were part of the audience, and I would find them funny, but I realised that my character wouldn’t find any of it funny.
So, it made me work more on accepting the reality of the circumstances. Plus, though I’m a firm believer in following your instincts when acting, I also realised that, by making a feature fully improvised, a bit of improvisation is great, but following a script and a strict dialogue is where you can expand your creativity so much. I personally find ideas in somebody else’s ideas. When I have a script to decrypt, I can go extremely deep into it, finding crazy scenarios, and that is what I like the most, personally!
Creative Interests
Outside of acting, you explore a variety of creative interests. Could you tell us how your passions, such as learning Piano and photography, influence your work as an actress?
An actor plays different types of human beings, and even if their skills aren’t shown on screen, I still believe it is important that we know what our character can and likes to do outside of their work and their relationships. So the more I learn, the more I can use it for my acting.
Learning new skills reminds me that no matter what you work towards, you need to practice a bit more every day to grow. I used to believe that when you learn acting, then that’s it, you don’t have anything else to do. I used to believe that Meryl Streep wasn’t practising every day because she was Meryl Streep. But I was drastically wrong! Acting is a skill like Piano or Photography, and you need to practice a bit every day to get better at it.
There’s also a quote that I love that influences me to learn new skills every day: “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”. And that is just so true. So I want to be prepared for anything so that if an opportunity comes, then I’ll be ready to jump in.
Juliette Cochet – Credits
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