In a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday night, Academy Award-winner Marion Cotillard confirmed the answers to a few massive questions that have been floating around the Internet as of late. One, she did not have an affair with her Allied co-star Brad Pitt, as the tabloids have been claiming, and is therefore not responsible for his split with Angelina Jolie. Two, "many years ago" she met her current partner/the love of her life, and his name was not Brad Pitt, thank you very much. And three, yes, gossip magazines, she's pregnant with her and her partner's second child together. It was a lengthy post that included some majorly awesome burns aimed at tabloid media — "to all the media and the haters who are quick to pass judgment, I sincerely wish you a swift recovery," someone get this woman a medal — as well as begged a few questions. Though the most obvious is, of course, when is Cotillard due, a lesser obvious but still as important question is: Who is this partner Cotillard speaks of?
Don't fault yourself if you don't know — unless you're French, extremely interested in French films, or a huge fan of Cotillard's, it's likely you haven't heard his name before. So, just so we're on the same page: Cotillard has been with her partner, French actor, director, and screenwriter Guillaume Canet for nearly 10 years now, after meeting each other and starring in a film together in 2003, Jeux d'enfants and reconnecting in 2007. Canet, who was married to National Treasure star Diane Kruger from 2001 to 2006, is somewhat of a superstar in France: just peep this February 2009 French article about him in Gala.fr, which calls his path to stardom, "l'irrésistible ascension d'un golden boy," — in other words, "the irresistible rise of a golden boy."
Canet began his career in showbiz as an actor, after his dreams of both becoming an equestrian (as he told The Guardian in 2007, he gave up on his dreams of that when he suffered an injury while practicing) and of joining the circus (though he did join one when he was 14, according to The Guardian: "I would go to the circus in the morning and school in the afternoon. I'd do juggling, balancing on a plank of wood on a barrel. That was my first contact with an audience and I loved it.") were dashed. After first appearing in Phillippe Haïm's Barracuda in 1995, he quickly went on to appear in a slew of other award-winning French films, and was even nominated for a César (French Oscar) for his role in 1998's En plein cœur. He began directing and writing in 1998, and in 2006, won his first César for Best Directing in Ne le dis à personne.
Though Cotillard and Canet didn't become an item until after his relationship with Kruger ended, the duo remained friends after Jeux d'enfant. According to The Guardian's 2014 profile of Cotillard, the duo reconnected after Canet's divorce, and now, they're "equivalent to Brangelina" in France, in terms of fame. (Side-note: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have since split, but you know, whole 'nother story.) Despite this, they're also quite a private couple: As Cotillard told The Guardian, privacy laws in France are strict enough to allow them this, and she wouldn't trade it for. "Having your picture taken in the street and put in a magazine won’t change your life. But what happened to people in England, hacking phones. It’s vomit. It’s sick. This f*cking changes your life."
That doesn't mean the couple doesn't work together, though. Since getting together, they've appeared in a number of films together, many Canet's own: 2010's Little White Lies, 2013's Blood Ties, and the upcoming Rock'n Roll. Additionally, they had one child together in 2011, Marcel, and now it seems that they're expecting their second.
Cotillard and Canet seem extremely happy together, and I'm overjoyed that Cotillard hasn't let the gossip currently marring the media get to her.
