Lea Seydoux, one of France’s most famous actresses, may miss this year's Cannes Film Festival after testing positive for Covid-19.
The Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol star has been fully vaccinated against the virus but tested positive while working on a film, her publicist Christine Tripicchio confirmed on Saturday.
Seydoux is asymptomatic and isolating at home in Paris, hoping that negative tests on consecutive days could allow her to still attend the festival in the South of France.
The Spectre actress was set to be one of the most ubiquitous stars at Cannes this year. She stars in four films at the festival, including three that are vying for the top Palme d’Or award – an honour she shared in winning with 2013’s Blue Is the Warmest Colour.
At Cannes, Seydoux stars in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch; in Arnaud Desplechin’s Deception; in Bruno Dumont’s France; and in Ildiko Enyedi’s The Story of My Wife.
On Saturday, Cannes organisers trumpeted the success of the festival, which is requiring either proof of full vaccination or a negative test taken within 48 hours for entry. Masks are required inside cinemas and the festival has introduced an advance-booking system.
Cannes is also testing around 4,000 people daily. Several thousand people attending the festival were tested on Friday and none received positive results, a representative said.
The world's biggest cinema showcase, which kicked off on the French Riviera last Tuesday and has so far drawn stars from around the world despite health crisis restrictions, was cancelled in 2020 owing to the pandemic.
Hollywood stars, including Matt Damon, have made the trip to France for Cannes' return, though attendance overall is down from previous years.
The 2021 event marks the first major fully-fledged film festival to be held since the pandemic began.
- Additional reporting by Reuters
