Pauline Chalamet’s Sweet 16
Sweet 16 is our rapid-fire Q&A series.
Pauline Chalamet is an actress best known for her role in the comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls and Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island. She stars in the new series Switch, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Pauline took time to answer our 16 questions about the movies and movie experiences that have made her life sweeter!
1. First movie you fell in love with
Matilda. There were others I was watching on repeat, but fell in love with, obsessed, had to go to Blockbuster every Friday night to rent the same movie… Matilda.
2. Last movie you fell in love with
I Love Boosters
3. A movie scene you’ll never shake
When Joel is running in Montauk as his memory is starting to be erased in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
4. A movie scene that never gets old
In Bridesmaids, at the engagement party when Melissa McCarthy says, “I didn’t introduce myself. Is this your man?” And it’s not her man, she just assumes that they’re together. That gets me every time.
5. Favorite movie theater in France
Le Louxor in Paris. It’s at the Metro stop Barbès-Rochechouart. I love their programming and they have this huge room that has a balcony and a bottom room. I just love seeing movies there, even in their smaller rooms.
6. Favorite movie theater in the United States
I have a soft spot for IFC because growing up in New York that’s where I used to go see a lot of movies with friends after school.
7. A performance that makes you LOL
The French comedic actor Louis de Funès in The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob.
8. A performance that makes you cry
There are so many that always make me cry. Finding Nemo. Fantastic Mr. Fox. Sophie’s Choice.
9. Favorite childhood movie memory
On Christmas Day, my mom took me to go see The Rugrats Movie when it first came out. I was very, very young and we were the only people in the theater, and my mom made this joke that was like, “Excuse me, sir, can you take your hat off? I can't see the screen.” And I was dying of laughter. I kept saying, “Can you tell him to take it off again?” It was the funniest thing ever to me.
10. Theater snack of choice
In France, they do half and half of salty popcorn and kettle corn, so I like to do that. In the U.S., I like to do just a small popcorn with some M&Ms or Crunch.
11. Lesson you learned from a movie
I’ve learned many, many, many lessons from The Parent Trap. I learned if I was going to pierce my ears, how you do it yourself. I started dipping Oreos in peanut butter. I learned that with a lot of hard work, you can trick your parents pretty easily.
12. A movie quote you use a lot
“What’s the 411?” —The Parent Trap
13. Rainy day movie
I’ll always turn on a François Truffaut movie or Agnes Varda—all those French New Wave movies are kind of what made me want to be in movies.
14. Movie you’ll defend forevermore
Annette, Leos Carax’s movie with Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. I will defend that till I die. I saw that multiple times in the movie theater. I think it’s unbelievable. Talk about a movie that makes me cry. I love that movie.
15. Movie you want played at your funeral
Maybe I’ll let people see the first short film I ever made. And then hopefully I will have directed another movie, a feature film, so maybe I’ll show that too.
16. Movie you’d pair with Switch
Y tu mamá también