This blog post is (probably) going to be Slate’s first and only reaction to an amazing document that Marion Cotillard recently released online. As you may know, the French actress has been in the news for some reason—probably because she has a movie coming out, and surely not because salacious gossip tied her to the impending divorce of her co-star.
By way of response to those rumors, Cotillard posted a photograph to Instagram that shows… actually, we’re not sure what it shows. Maybe the seagull represents our innocence and freedom unsullied by the slings, arrows, and watercolor Rorschach blots of tabloid culture?
In any case, what really matters here is the lengthy text that runs beside the image in both French and English. If you’re used to Instagram captions describing people’s meals or whatever, put your reading glasses on, because this one’s a doozy. We reproduce it here in full:
This is going to be my first and only reaction to the whirlwind news that broke 24 hours ago and that I was swept up into.
I am not used to commenting on things like this nor taking them seriously but as this situation is spiraling and affecting people I love, I have to speak up.
Firstly, many years ago, I met the man of my life, father of our son and of the baby we are expecting. He is my love, my best friend, the only one that I need.
Secondly to those who have indicated that I am devastated, I am very well thank you. This crafted conversation isn’t distressing.
And to all the media and the haters who are quick to pass judgment, I sincerely wish you a swift recovery.
Finally, I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both whom I deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment.
With all my love
Marion
There’s a lot to admire here, not least of which is the sometimes eccentric actress’ clarity and seeming calm. Celebrity gossip may well be our only true international sport, but Cotillard’s nod to how stories like this one affect others is a further inducement to focus on the celebrity couples we still have (including Cotillard and her own partner, Guillaume Canet, with whom she is expecting a second child).
Cotillard’s decision to convey her message through Instagram might seem a little peculiar, but in a statement in which you’re declaring that members of the media (as well as “the haters”) are literally ill, maybe non-traditional channels are the best. (Or maybe she was just trolling publications that inexplicably weighed in on whether or not she’d comment through social media.)
Ultimately, we’re just glad that Cotillard spoke up, and we want to state for the record that we echo January Jones’ response to the post:
With all our love,
Slate
