Upamanyu Biswas
Prime Video’s ‘Étoile‘ is rife with ballet-dancing scenes, particularly as the show dives into the inner world of two world-renowned ballet companies who swap talents and artistic staff to revitalize their businesses. Creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino wanted to capture the artistic skill of these dancers in the most realistic manner possible, bringing a new challenge for Lou De Laâge, who plays Cheyenne Touissant, a fiery ballerina who draws massive audiences everywhere she goes with equal parts personality and skill. While her character’s eccentricities may be hard to fathom at times, Cheyenne’s innate skill at ballet dancing is one of her defining characteristics, leaving De Laâge with a significant task as she set down to prepare for the role.
Lou De Laâge Trained Extensively For Her Role Despite Her Ballerina Past
While ‘Étoile’ boasts a talented cast of actors and dancers, perhaps no one had as much on their plate as Lou De Laâge when preparing for their character. The actor had previously been trained in ballet dancing during her childhood. However, it was more akin to a hobby rather than a lifelong ambition. She stated it was more her mother’s dream than her own. As such, it was the central topic of many arguments between her mom and her. The lessons ended when De Laâge turned 18, after which she focused her efforts on acting. Thus, it came as a significant challenge when the role of Cheyenne ended at her doorstep, prompting her to return to ballet lessons and find her rhythm again from scratch.
“When I had this part, I thought why did I stop? Because I had to re-learn ballet and it’s really hard. I don’t know if you have, tried but it’s really hard,” De Laâge said. On top of her ballet classes, the actor also had to focus on gaining fluency in English, which was not her strong suit either. To that end, she had to work on several fronts to get herself ready to play Cheyenne, the witty and over-the-top dancer at the heart of the show. The actor juggled her time between demanding physical training, English, and voice lessons. Overall, she spent around a year taking daily ballet classes and Pilates in preparation for her role. This was aided by the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes, bringing her some more time to train herself.
The result of her preparation was evident when filming began, as De Laâge was able to inhabit her character more instinctually. However, her dance scenes still required the use of a double. Constance Devernay-Laurence stepped in for the complex dance routines performed by Cheyenne. However, the creative team did not want the dance-double’s work to go unnoticed. As a result, she also plays a character within the series with her own lines. Thus, a combination of training and doubles was utilized to bring Cheyenne’s lithe dancing abilities to life, affording her a larger-than-life aura, which she also inhabits in her normal scenes. In many ways, she becomes the show’s central heartbeat, setting down a marker for the emotional moments while also bringing real energy to the screen.
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