{"id":4563,"date":"2025-04-16T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/?p=4563"},"modified":"2025-04-17T18:17:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T18:17:57","slug":"ralph-fiennes-and-juliette-binoches-reunion-after-nearly-30-years-ive-never-felt-that-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/ralph-fiennes-and-juliette-binoches-reunion-after-nearly-30-years-ive-never-felt-that-before\/","title":{"rendered":"Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche\u2019s reunion after nearly 30 years: \u2018I\u2019ve never felt that before\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Ralph\t<\/div>
The Return is the first time Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have worked together since 1996’s The English Patient (Picture: Maila Iacovelli)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s hard to pin down exactly why it was that The Return<\/a> brought Ralph Fiennes<\/a> and Juliette Binoche<\/a> back together for an onscreen reunion nearly 30 years after their last film, but the pair certainly seemed enchanted with the idea from the start.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the obvious attraction of filming a version of Homer\u2019s mythic epic the Odyssey.<\/p>\n

\u2018The script worked for both of us: the idea of it, we hadn’t worked together, and they’re hugely iconic characters, Penelope and Odysseus,\u2019 Fiennes, 62, ticks off as the starting points while talking to Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

He was committed already and wooed his former Wuthering Heights co-star Binoche when she visited him while they were both shooting in Georgia, gifting her Emily Wilson\u2019s translation of the Odyssey.<\/p>\n

Binoche, 61, was \u2018thrilled\u2019 that they finally had something to work on together again, following their second collaboration on 1996\u2019s Oscar magnet, The English Patient \u2013 \u2018Of course I wanted to do it!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018What brings two actors together is a mystery, but I think there’s a belief that you can make something that is rewarding, not just for yourselves, but for the people who are going to see it,\u2019 muses Fiennes of The Return being the catalyst for their long-awaited reteaming.<\/p>\n

\u2018But I don’t know how to analyse it, except it’s like energies that are sort of coming together in a positive way.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"ROME,\t<\/div>
Revered actors in their own right, the pair star as one of Greek mythology’s most famous couples, Odysseus and Penelope (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pair made this movie under the stewardship of Italian filmmaker Uberto Pasolini, shooting in Corfu, the Peloponnese and Rome during 2023, and Binoche was taken by how passionate Pasolini was about the production.<\/p>\n

\u2018He had precise ideas about what he wanted, because he had the script and the story for many, many years. Since he was a little boy, I would say that was probably his dream [that] one day I’ll do something with it, because the story meant so much to him.\u2019<\/p>\n

She smiles as she describes the filmmaker as \u2018sort of controlling in a way\u2019, prompting Fiennes to laugh as she recalls how the cast offered their own input as they began working on The Return with Pasolini.<\/p>\n

\u2018And he was happy with the ideas, but he was keen to do both \u2013 his way and our way,\u2019 the award-winning French star<\/a> adds.<\/p>\n

Fiennes leaps in \u2013 the pair are seated together, relaxed, on a worn sofa in a Soho club \u2013 to offer his take on that discussion and \u2018the idea that you don’t have a plan, as an actor\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018You’ve learnt your lines, you\u2019ve thought about it, but also you need to go, \u201cI don’t know what’s going to come at me.\u201d And, of course, a director should be prepared and have thoughts \u2013 and often, there are some directors that have thought it down to every shot and angle.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"The\t<\/div>
Writer-director Uberto Pasolini’s (pictured) passion for the project struck his actors (Picture: Maila Iacovelli \/Fabio Zayed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It sounds like Pasolini was in the latter camp, with years of dedication to a planned vision, but Fiennes calls their discussion \u2018a benign debate\u2019 where Binoche put forward the argument that their more spontaneous acting choices might not necessarily fit in with Pasolini\u2019s planned shots.<\/p>\n

He hastily adds: \u2018Those are my words, but the implication was, allow us the space to discover. So have your plan, but please let it be flexible for what we might bring, which might hopefully add to what you’ve thought about.\u2019<\/p>\n

The actors are very comfortable in each other\u2019s company, sharing talking duties and happy to take the lead or chime in where appropriate or just sit back and listen to the other answer \u2013 Fiennes often has his eyes closed while paying attention to Binoche or considering his own remarks.<\/p>\n

\n
Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Do you plan on watching The Return?<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The story of the Odyssey is one of the most famous in all Greek mythology, where its hero, the wily Odysseus, is away from his home of Ithaca for 20 years \u2013 10 years fighting in the Trojan War and 10 years trying to get back through all manner of trials and tribulations. Meanwhile his wife Penelope attempts to keep a gaggle of suitors \u2013 intent on the power and wealth marrying her would bring \u2013 at bay and raise her and Odysseus\u2019 restless son, Telemachus.<\/p>\n<p>Focusing on just the final portion of his story, where Odysseus washes up on the shore of his homeland but opts to keep his identity hidden, The Return is far more about personal relationships than any fantastical gods and monsters.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22913892 lazyload\" alt=\"The Return, directed by Uberto Pasolini, with Ralph Fiennes (Odysseus), Juliette Binoche (Penelope), Charlie Plummer (Telemachus), Marwan Kenzari (Antinous), Claudio Santamaria (Eumaeus).\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247650495-93d9.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Binoche was pleased to see Penelope interpreted as more than simply ‘the faithful wife waiting’ after her husband has been away from home for 20 years (Picture: Maila Iacovelli)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22913891 lazyload\" alt=\"The Return, directed by Uberto Pasolini, with Ralph Fiennes (Odysseus), Juliette Binoche (Penelope), Charlie Plummer (Telemachus), Marwan Kenzari (Antinous), Claudio Santamaria (Eumaeus).\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247650497-5ad3.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Charlie Plummer plays the couple’s now adult son, Telemachus, who struggles with the strain of his father’s long absence (Picture: Fabio Zayed\/Maila Iacovelli)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fiennes talks through his reaction to filming their first interaction onscreen with Odysseus in the guise of a beggar as \u2018for both of us I think, in different ways, strong emotionally\u2019 after so much time apart \u2013 as characters and actors.<\/p>\n<p>As for Binoche\u2019s response to the scene as an actress, she reveals she dreamt of it ahead of time.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Suddenly, when you’re in it, it’s, \u201cOh my god. It’s going so fast!\u201d You’re, like we say in France, <em>ca t’echappe<\/em>, it\u2019s escaping you, in a way. But that\u2019s part of making movies, you try to give the best you can \u2013 but the best is not the biggest. It’s the right place in you and, after that, it’s the art of the editing, where it goes back and forth.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Binoche is also pleased with how Penelope is shown in the film, with the slightly \u2018surprising\u2019 element of her being \u2018p***ed off\u2019 with Odysseus.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Uberto\u2019s script made Penelope strong. Not the faithful wife waiting, with the weaving. She positions herself into the story. And I think it’s an invention of how you transform a book into a film, a point of view.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The actress later muses on her character being \u2018full of contradictions\u2019 as she attempts to hold onto her sanity and navigate \u2018a lot of responsibility, a lot of hard situations\u2019.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Return | Official UK Trailer | Starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cB3NtzIDrYQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u2018So I understand her being upset with Odysseus, and it’s going to take time in order to reconcile. It’s not this easy situation and happy ending where Penelope says, \u201cYes, come my love \u2013 just in time!\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The indie film has only garnered more recognition and relevance since the announcement in December that Oppenheimer\u2019s Oscar-winning director Sir Christopher Nolan was <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/12\/24\/christopher-nolans-next-movie-confirmed-mythic-action-epic-unbelievable-cast-22245902\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">also making his own big screen version of Homer\u2019s Odyssey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the somewhat predictable question as to comparisons between them (Binoche brushes it off with a laugh and \u2018Well, you\u2019ll have to see the film!\u2019), Fiennes is happy to indulge it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We know it’s a very big budget, that seems to indicate they’re going to go all out for special effects and gods and monsters and extraordinary set piece moments of Cyclops and Scylla and Charybdis and Calypso \u2013 so all that’s bound to be there, I suppose. I don’t know. I mean, Kirk Douglas did it many years ago,\u2019 he says of Nolan\u2019s anticipated, more fantastical, interpretation.<\/p>\n<p>He continues: \u2018What I loved about Uberto’s take was it attempted none of that. It\u2019s pared down. It’s like a sort of lean Western, where there’s just a few people in the landscape. It boils down to a family drama in this version.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22913897 lazyload\" alt=\"The Return, directed by Uberto Pasolini, with Ralph Fiennes (Odysseus), Juliette Binoche (Penelope), Charlie Plummer (Telemachus), Marwan Kenzari (Antinous), Claudio Santamaria (Eumaeus).\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247650494-7100.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Fiennes describes this version of the Odyssey as ‘very, very pared away’ and like a Western (Picture: Maila Iacovelli \/Fabio Zayed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22917280 lazyload\" alt=\""The Return" - Red Carpet - The 19th Rome Film Festival\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2179599509.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Pasolini, who has been keen to make a version of the Odyssey since childhood, laughs with Fiennes, Binoche and actor Claudio Santamaria – who plays Eumaeus – on the red carpet (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018I’m sure it’ll be \u2013 he’s a brilliant director, Christopher Nolan, <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/28\/seagull-gets-real-eyeful-matt-damons-shredded-body-film-set-22807877\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">he will do something epic, magnificent<\/a>, but very, very, very different. Not at all what we would do.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The other element of The Return that\u2019s made waves in the press is Fiennes\u2019 impressive physical transformation for the role \u2013 where <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/12\/harry-potter-icon-unrecognisable-rugged-transformation-greek-king-21978583\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">he was dubbed \u2018Swoldemort\u2019 for his toned physique<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I wonder if it\u2019s uncomfortable to have a performance analysed in terms of how his body looks, or if he\u2019s gets validation from people appreciating the effort that went into it?<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We did a lot of work with a wonderful trainer, because I knew my body would be seen and I wanted it to be believable for that sort of man with that sort of past and history,\u2019 he shares before giving insight into the toughest part \u2013 the diet.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018All the sort of little creature comforts and things like no wine \u2013 once a week maybe \u2013 and very, very meticulous. But the masochist in me sort of went for it,\u2019 he reveals while explaining he was in a \u2018state of hunger all the time\u2019 for three to four months.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22916939 lazyload\" alt=\"14070609 Ralph Fiennes looks unrecognizable as he reunites with Juliette Binoche for The Return\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247725338-83f4.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The 62-year-old actor has already attracted a lot of attention for his ‘meticulous’ physical transformation for the role (Picture: Bleecker Street)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We also discuss how The Return has been described as \u2018the Odyssey with PTSD\u2019, with Fiennes acknowledging that \u2018the label came up in discussion, sure,\u2019 but he didn\u2019t research it, turning to Pasolini and the script instead.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was more interesting what he was encouraging me to think about, which was on the page, the sense of, \u201cI don’t know that I can come home. I don’t know who I am. I don’t know\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>This was coupled for the actor with Odysseus\u2019s \u2018wrecked\u2019 physical state.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was helpful for me to think less of PTSD, but the specific beats of each. But I did lock into the sense of I’m lost, it\u2019s someone who’s a bit, in a very profound way, spaced out by not knowing himself.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>As for any favourite scenes or moments as Binoche and Fiennes reflect, Fiennes\u2019 immediate response is self-deprecating, despite his<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/02\/26\/ralph-fiennes-might-miss-winning-best-actor-oscar-this-bizarre-reason-22630635\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> recent third Academy Award nomination<\/a> for Conclave \u2013 \u2018I think you always look [back] and think, \u201cOh I could have done that differently!\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22916856 lazyload\" alt=\""The Return" - Red Carpet - The 19th Rome Film Festival\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2179601324.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Fiennes was struck on set by ‘an energy’ he’d never felt before while making a film (Picture: WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018Better?\u2019 interjects Binoche with a laugh, before offering her favourite scene, which sees a recovering Odysseus emerge from the hut where pig herder Eumaeus has been looking after him, fully nude.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It’s a beautiful moment, because it’s done with humility, and it’s about coming home, you’re coming back naked, and yet with all the uncertainties of how it’s going to evolve.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The pair also both love the scene at the end where Penelope bathes Odysseus.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When we shot it, I felt some connection\u2026 I can’t explain what it was \u2013 maybe it’s to do [with] we shot it towards the end, and so we had played through all the more difficult, jagged moments. And so in a funny way, you and I came together in that moment, and the symbolism of washing and cleaning, and the tenderness of that,\u2019 Fiennes shares.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018And the healing, yes,\u2019 adds Binoche. \u2018It reminded us of The English Patient, I think. Just kidding!\u2019 she laughs. I suggest at the very least the thread that connects all three sets of characters she and Fiennes have now played is their tumultuous relationships.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Tormented couples,\u2019 agrees Binoche.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22913895 lazyload\" alt=\"The Return, directed by Uberto Pasolini, with Ralph Fiennes (Odysseus), Juliette Binoche (Penelope), Charlie Plummer (Telemachus), Marwan Kenzari (Antinous), Claudio Santamaria (Eumaeus).\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247650493-f143.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The Return is Fiennes and Binoche’s third film together after The English Patient and their first project together, 1992’s Wuthering Heights (Picture: Maila Iacovelli \/Fabio Zayed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Warming up to the recollections, Fiennes then praises \u2018the power\u2019 of the scene where Penelope challenges the suitors to string Odysseus\u2019 bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axe heads to win her hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018[It] was so potent to watch you do that,\u2019 he adds to Binoche, before revealing it allowed him to experience something he has never previously felt while making a movie.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Often on a film, it’s all broken up and you know that somewhere it\u2019s going to be put together and it’s going to be \u2013 hopefully \u2013 good. But very rarely are you part of the making of those pieces.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Sometimes it was a bit chaotic and there were lots of technical things, but I always felt, my God, the components of this scene are somehow holding the space, despite all the movement of cameras and changing and the actors leaving the set and the scene, the energy of that final confrontation \u2013 it was on the set. It was an energy.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I’ve never felt that before,\u2019 he emphasises. \u2018I\u2019ve never felt this \u2013 as on film, you have these bits and you think the editor will make it work. But it was an extraordinary thing, that scene.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Return is in UK cinemas now.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\">Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Return is the first time Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have worked together since 1996’s The English Patient (Picture: Maila Iacovelli) It\u2019s hard to pin down exactly why it was that The Return brought Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche back together for an onscreen reunion nearly 30 years after their last film, but the pair certainly seemed enchanted with the idea from the start. There\u2019s the obvious attraction of filming a version of Homer\u2019s mythic epic the Odyssey. \u2018The … <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/16\/ralph-fiennes-and-juliette-binoches-reunion-after-nearly-30-years-ive-never-felt-that-before\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> “Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche\u2019s reunion after nearly 30 years: \u2018I\u2019ve never felt that before\u2019”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4563"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4563"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4576,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4563\/revisions\/4576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}