French director François Ozon’s latest film is the dramatic comedy The New Girlfriend.

It features actor Romain Duris (Heartbreaker, Chinese Puzzle, The Beat that My Heart Skipped) as David, who is mourning the death of his wife, Laura.

When her best friend Claire (Anais Demoustier) drops by David’s house to see how he is coping, she finds him caring for his newborn child while dressed head-to-toe in his late wife’s clothes.

The film is an entertaining mix of melodrama, mischievous humour and suspense as Mr Duris explores his alter ego, Virginia. Here, Mr Duris talks about the role.

Q: How did you get involved in The New Girlfriend?

A: François Ozon called me and said he wanted to talk to me about a role: “I think you’re going to like it because I’ve heard you want to play a woman.” And that was true. I’d wanted to play a woman ever since childhood, when my big sister would dress me up as a girl for dinner with the family or with friends of my parents. I was her doll and I loved it. Maybe the simple pleasure of being a girl back then was already a way for me to be an actor.

Q: What appealed to you about the story?

A: I loved that the audacity of this transformation is triggered by grief, filtered through the eyes of Claire and made possible through feelings of friendship, then love. The subject of David cross-dressing to become Virginia is treated profoundly and sensitively. It’s not just a gag or a showcase for an actor. I love how it sparks off, with David telling Claire very sincerely that dressing up as a woman is his way of filling the maternal void his daughter is suffering from. His desire to cross-dress is beautiful and consistent with his entire being; his motives are very human, and generous.

Q: How did you prepare physically for the role?

A: I had a coach and choreographer, Chris Gandois. I learnt to walk in heels, sit down at a table and cross my legs, etc. It was mostly about being comfortable. I knew that finding the right moves for Virginia, without exaggeration, would allow me to feel the character and her femininity, and to speak in her voice, whether low or high. One thing was certain: I didn’t want to play the drag queen. That would be wrong, François and I agreed on that. We didn’t want people making fun of Virginia. The humour needed to come not from the gender switch but from situations.

Q: You lost weight?

A: In the script it was made clear that Laura’s clothes would be tight on me. But when I started working with Chris, I couldn’t see any correlation between a little fat and the woman in me. That sensation wasn’t helping.

On the contrary, I needed to have a small waist. I know I’ve got a tiny waist, all the ladies tell me so I wasn’t about to play a woman without using that! So I went on a diet to feel more in touch with the character. Losing weight also made my facial features more delicate.

Q: We’re talking a lot about Virginia, but what about David?

A: The tricky thing was actually playing David, that’s when the real questions arose. The easy answer would have been to play him as the opposite of Virginia: sad, dark, a broken man. Then he becomes Virginia and the light returns.

But I didn’t want that. Nor did I want to accentuate his virility. David does not turn into Virginia to run away from pain or frustration but rather to find himself. And for pleasure.

Q: Did playing a woman allow you to explore a side of yourself you didn’t know?

A: When François asked me what my best profile was I had no idea but I loved pondering such questions, finding out that one of my profiles is more masculine than my three-quarter profile, where my nose disappears a little. I was confronting questions that are no doubt more familiar to actresses but these questions are an integral part of our profession, even for men. We’re constantly drawing on feminine forces when we act, giving ourselves over to a character, surrendering to a gaze, expressing emotions.

In the 20 years I’ve been acting, I’ve been trying to push back my masculine side, and now, suddenly, I’ve burst through the door!

Q: Has this experience given you a new approach to your profession?

A: An actor gets few opportunities to embody such a radical transformation and this has given me wings. Today, thanks to Virginia, I’m less afraid to take my time, to fully experience my characters. Virginia is one of the roles that has had the biggest impact on me. I’ll miss her!

• The New Girlfriend screens at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Sunday, October 11 at 5.15pm as part of the Weekend Film Series which also features Sundance Film Festival audience award winner, Meru, at 3pm. Reserve tickets by calling 294-0204 or visiting Oceans gift shop.