The story at the heart of the opera “Carmen” stuck in Benjamin Millepied’s mind from his childhood into his adulthood. With his new film by the same name, the choreographer-turned-director has reimagined George Bizet’s 19th century original into a modern immigration tale set on the present-day U.S./Mexican border. Melissa Barrera plays Carmen and Paul Mescal, her love interest, Aidan.
Millepied, Barrera and Mescal stopped by TheWrap and Shutterstock’s Interview and Portrait Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival to speak with TheWrap’s Editor in Chief Sharon Waxman about adapting the tragic love story about a femme fatale for modern audiences while remaining true to Carmen’s character.