TIFF up-and-comers: Léa Seydoux of ‘Blue is the Warmest Colour’

In the second part of this ongoing series (see part one, TIFF up-and-comer Daniel Brühl here), we continue our look at actors who are likely to break out at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival

Next up is French actress Léa Seydoux, star of the Palme D’Or winner “Blue is the Warmest Colour.” Seydoux has flirted with Hollywood stardom in the past, but despite a number of high profile bit parts, she hasn’t yet broken out stateside. That seems likely to change after “Blue's” much buzzed about festival run, which caps off with an appearance at TIFF 2013. The controversial and sexually explicit film has had old world audiences and critics buzzing since Cannes – no small feat, considering how unfazed most Europeans are by sex and nudity on film.

What do you know her from?

Seydoux is best known on this side of the pond for her role as French assassin Sabine Moreau in 2011’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” opposite Tom Cruise. The 28-year-old actress also had bit parts in Quentin Tarantino’s World War II movie “Inglourious Basterds,” Ridley Scott’s gritty medieval actioner “Robin Hood,” and Woody Allen’s time-hopping rom-com “Midnight in Paris.” In her native France, Seydoux is primarily known for her role in the 2006 film “La Belle Personne” (a part that earned her a French Academy Award nomination for Most Promising Actress) and the 2012 period drama “Farewell, My Queen,” starring her “Basterds” co-star Diane Kruger.

What is she in at TIFF 2013?

Seydoux co-stars in director Abdellatif Kechiche’s “Blue is the Warmest Colour,” an erotic coming of age drama about a love affair between two young French women (Adèle Exarchopoulos and a blue-haired Seydoux). It’s one of the most talked about movies on the festival circuit right now, primarily due to a graphic and lengthy sex scene (reportedly lasting around 10 minutes) featuring the young leads. In addition to earning the coveted Palme d’Or (the top prize at the Cannes film festival), Seydoux and Exarchopoulos were awarded a special prize for their raw performances in the movie.

The general consensus among reviewers is that “Blue is the Warmest Colour” is an absolute triumph, but a few – including the author of the graphic novel on which the film is based – have lambasted Kechiche’s film for being pornographic. Who will TIFF audiences agree with? You can watch the NOT SAFE FOR WORK trailer for "Blue is the Warmest Colour" here (contains nudity).

What does the future hold?
Despite the big Cannes win, “Blue is the Warmest Colour” will be ineligible for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars next year. The reason? An antiquated Academy rule that states a film must be released in its country of origin before Sept. 30 to be nominated. However, while the film itself cannot be nominated for an Oscar, there is a slim possibility that either Seydoux or Exarchopoulos could sneak into the Best Actress category.

Seydoux has several French films lined up, including a big screen adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast,” directed by Christophe Gans (“Silent Hill”) and starring Vincent Cassel (“Trance”). She also has a role in Wes Anderson's star-studded new film "The Grand Budapest Hotel," due out next year. Seydoux will likely continue to appear in French films, but you can also expect to see her start cropping up in Hollywood projects, too.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 5 to 15.