What I like a lot in my job is the possibility of meeting artists, personalities, talents and of exchanging with them. I decided to share with you these little moments, not an interview (I am absolutely not a journalist), but rather a conversation with an artist that I love to talk friendly about his relationship to fashion, to clothes and of course to shoes and perhaps discover it in another way.

The second interviewee who kindly took part in the game is Michael Cohen.

Philippe Zorzetto: For my second meeting “La mode et moi”, I am very happy today to talk about clothes, fashion, style and of course shoes with Michaël Cohen. Hello Michaël.

MC: Hello Philippe.

PZ: Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

MC: My name is Michaël Cohen. I am an actor, director. To introduce myself outside of my work, I enjoy life. We'll say.

PZ: Enjoyer of life, okay (smiles). And when you were a child, did you dream of being an actor? By the way, where were you born?

MC: I grew up in the suburbs of Sartrouville, I felt very bad about myself. I often hear that from a lot of actors. Very bad about myself, very shy, withdrawn, not happy. And around 12, 13 years old, I had an illumination, like what the theater, the acting profession would save me from this life that I did not like. It has become obvious. At 15 I dared thanks to a chance meeting and I started theater lessons, the Cours Florent. I got on stage and found my place right away. I knew that I would never leave her again and that I would never let go. It is a vocation that comes from "I don't know where".

PZ: A vocation. It's not bad to have a vocation…

MC: I was lucky to have a vocation young. It's a great chance.

PZ: And how is your day organized when you're not filming, when you're not in your acting profession?

MC: When I don't have a date in the morning, I like to work at night

PZ: Are you a night man?

MC: I likes to work at night, that means staying at home reading, or writing, watching movies or going out. For me, acting is also soaking up other people like a sponge, what they have to say, the way they talk, how they move, how they look at things, so I'm also a vampire of the night. It means that I want to use everything that's out there. So when I don't have a date in the morning, I live at night. And for me living at night is also work. I never stop working, I always have something to read, learn, write, even think about. I like having nothing to do to think, to dream.

PZ: like a gestation period…

MC: Yes

PZ: It is often said that the clothes for an actor are very important in a film to fit into the character skin. Is that true?

MC: Yeah, the clothes, the hairstyle. Even accessories, a jewel, a watch, a fake tattoo. It's very important.

PZ: Do you pay attention to your look? Tell me a bit about your relationship to fashion.

MC: I like fashion a lot, but I'm not trying to be fashionable, I like to see what people are doing. creators. It's a form of artistic expression that interests me. I like to see fashion shows, or see those who create, like Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent for example. But on the other hand, I'm not fashionable.

PZ: How do you define your style today?

MC: That's complicated. I think I've kind of had the same style for a very long time. I've been told that I have a dandy rocker side.

PZ: It's not bad being a dandy rocker. Has your look changed over time? When you were a teenager?

MC: Yes, when I was a teenager I was in the romantic era, big coats, that went to the floor, the big scarves, then I got rid of all that. It's true that I dress the same all the time. A pair of boots, jeans, a shirt or sweater and a leather jacket. In particular a leather jacket that I bought in Lisbon 15 years ago and that I wear like a second skin. Sometimes I buy clothes, I want to change, but I don't wear them often.

PZ: Because you have a really defined style?

MC: No I don't I haven't defined anything at all, but I dress a bit like a superhero who would have the same costume all the time,

PZ: For convenience?

MC: Because I I feel good inside. Because I like to go unnoticed in the street. I like not to catch the eye, because I'm lucky to have a job that when you're in the light, catches the eye. So in my everyday life, I don't necessarily need to attract attention. And then I have a kind of Batman fantasy when he opens his closet and he has all his Batman costumes…

PZ: So, every morning it's Batman at Michaël Cohen's

MC: Yes

PZ: So in your opinion, there is no such thing as a fashion faux pas?

MC: Well…

PZ: Since you're always in the same clothes?

MC: I don't know if I'm making a fashion faux pas for someone. Fashion faux pas do not exist in absolute terms. Not so long ago, I was told that it was very trendy to put on flip flops with socks, whereas at one time it was a fashion faux pas. So I would never allow myself to say that someone is making a fashion faux pas, because six months later it will be the trend. And then what counts is to feel free, not to dress according to the looks of others. This is where you get creative.

PZ: Do you remember the first pair of shoes you bought?

MC: (Thinking) I think they were biker buckle boots. Kind of like the ones I bought from you.

PZ: Harley Davidson?

MC: Yes

PZ: What year was that?

MC: It was in the 1990s, and by the way afterwards I lost them and I asked the Elephant man costumer to find them and I brought them back.

PZ: Do you go shopping, real shopping, or rather shopping on the Internet? Are you more of a thoughtful purchase or a purely compulsive purchase?

MC: I'm not into buying clothes on the internet yet. I still need to try them. Honestly, if I walk past a store, even if I haven't decided to buy a piece of clothing and there is a crush, I go home. It's window displays that attract me.

PZ: I come back to shoes. Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that remind you of a movie role that you kept?

MC: That I kept, no. But since I'm an actor and I've been filming, I've always tried my best to have boots. You will notice that I often have a pair of boots in my films.

PZ: But do you think the director appeals to you too because you have a well-defined style?

MC: No. I like the gait that boots give us. I don't like to wear sneakers, I'm not a big fan of classic shoes.

PZ: Do you maintain your pair of boots or not at all?

MC : So, no, not at all. I don't maintain them. Sometimes I wipe them down with a baby wipe and it's not bad.

PZ: You like it when they're a little beat up.

MC: Yes I like when they lived.

PZ: And how many pairs of boots do you have?

MC: I must have about thirty. You should know that I am lucky to have a job where I am offered things after filming, and I keep the shoes.

PZ: One last question, do you have any advice for people to look good in their pumps?

MC: Know their size well and then...

PZ: Very judicious.

MC: And then I'm going to say again what I said earlier: don't give a damn about how other people look. Because there will always be someone to judge and from the moment we free ourselves from judgment, we are a "King"

PZ: Thank you very much Michaël. See you very soon this time, with a guest. See you soon and thank you

MC: Thank you Philippe