PARIS – Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu has been named a new ambassador of L’Oréal Paris in France.
The actress-producer will appear in a campaign for Age Perfect Collagen Expert starting June 9.
Leroy-Beaulieu said it was a huge surprise that L’Oréal Paris approached her.
“I thought it was a great thing to do, because it gives you a platform to try to share things with people,” Leroy-Beaulieu said of the ambassadorship. “Not that I’m a big, wise woman that knows everything at all. It’s about things you think you can share. It’s great, and I love what they do with women.”
What she hopes to impart as a L’Oréal Paris ambassador for France is: “Let’s not put ourselves into boxes and put everybody else into boxes.
“We’re in a very polarized society, and we keep on damning people and putting them into boxes. It’s easier, obviously, for our understanding of the world, and it’s also easier because we are scared,” she said.
“But it cuts us off from everything and each other,” Leroy-Beaulieu continued. “I have this utopic idea that we could try to loosen these doors that we shut on people and try to be open.”
That’s true about a person’s age. “Life is like a succession of different experiences,” she said. “It has nothing to do with numbers. Let’s just be very soft and cool about that. There’s something about softness – about fluidity.”
Leroy-Beaulieu said: “It’s also about sharing ideas.”
She has always been partial to skin care, even as a child.
“I remember my grandmother taking me to these salons to do aesthetic things, like cleaning up my skin,” Leroy-Beaulieu said, recalling when she was a teen. “So, I always loved creams. Makeup – much less. Makeup is more for my work. In real life, it’s just mascara – and that’s all.”
“I’m very happy,” said Leroy-Beaulieu, of the start of her adventure with L’Oréal Paris.
Marie-Julie Monnot, general manager of L’Oréal Paris France, said in a statement: “She brings a unique vision of a flourishing and uninhibited beauty that resonates deeply with the brand’s mission to give every woman the means to believe in her personal values and take the place she deserves in society.
“By audaciously celebrating age as a strength, Philippine breathes a surge of freedom, becoming a true source of inspiration for women around the world,” Monnot said.
L’Oréal Paris in the statement described Leroy-Beaulieu as embodying “French chic, known to all generations in France and abroad.”
“Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu is a model of perseverance and daring, who encourages living each stage of life with strength, showing that the perfect age is today,” the brand said.
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu
Photo by Cass Bird/Courtesy of L’Oréal Paris
She grew up in Rome among a family of artists, then moved to Paris at age 16 to begin theater studies and pursue a career as an actress. Leroy-Beaulieu made her film debut in “Surprise Party,” directed by Roger Vadim. Two years later, the movie “Three Men and a Cradle,” directed by Coline Serreau, propelled Leroy-Beaulieu’s career. In the latter, she portrayed an assertive, independent mother. Her performance in that was nominated for a César for best supporting role.
Leroy-Beaulieu later, in her 50s, acted in the award-winning cult series “Call My Agent!” in which played Catherine Barneville. In the series “Emily in Paris,” she is Sylvie Grateau.
“Originally written for a younger actress, creator Darren Star recognized in Philippine the ideal interpreter for his protagonist – politically incorrect and sassy, with a vulnerability hidden behind great self-confidence,” said L’Oréal Paris. “It’s a character with whom she claims to have learned lessons to better channel and radiate her inner strength.”
Next up, Leroy-Beaulieu will be a lead character in Carlos Saldanha’s Brazilian film “I00 Days,” which retraces the true story of Amyr Klink, an explorer who after numerous failed attempts became the first man to row across the South Atlantic in 1984. Leroy-Beaulieu also produced that film that is due out this year.
“Then I have another project after we shoot ‘Emily in Paris’ season five, which is going to be shot this summer,” said Leroy-Beaulieu. “After that, in probably September, October, there’s something else coming up, but I don’t want to talk about it yet. I’m very superstitious with these things.”
She did mention, however, there’s a theater project slated for 2026. And for her production company, Leroy-Beaulieu is on the hunt for a new genre.
“With my associate, we’re thinking maybe a thriller is something I should do, because I’ve never done a dark thriller, and that would be interesting,” she said. “I’m really excited. A lot of good stuff is coming up.”
