Renaissance Woman - Bambou
The Celebrated Actress On Spiritual Balance And True Happiness
For those who truly understand the elements of style, Caroline Von Paulus A.K.A. Bambou remains as ever an enduring and bold, albeit reticent, icon. One maybe tempted to place her in the context of her late partner, the legendary Serge Gainsbourg, but Bambou is truly a renaissance woman in her own right: actor, singer, model, entrepreneur, mother—she truly transcends any genre or conventional classification. Perhaps now more than ever, Bambou embodies the quintessence of what it means to be a modern woman. In this extract from her extended interview in Author Book 2, she discusses beauty, happiness, and the world.
“Happiness is to feel incomplete agreement with yourself as often as possible”
–Bambou
Oona: Who is Bambou, and who is Caroline Von Paulus?
Bambou - It is difficult to describe yourself as you can not have an objective perspective. Bambou and Caroline are the same person.
Oona: What name you go by in your private life?
Bambou - Bambou.
Oona: Let’s time-travel a little, to when you were the transcendent muse of Serge Gainsbourg in his final years. How did you meet? What attracted you to Serge initially?
Bambou - I met Serge at a gathering. What seduced me was his awkwardness, his intelligence, and his humour. I found him beautiful and incredibly sexy.
Oona: What was your relationship with Serge like once it evolved into collaborations and working together?
Bambou - To work with him was hard. He was looking for perfection.
Oona: When have you been most satisfied in your life?
Bambou - The birth of my son, Lulu.
Oona: Who is your role model, and why?
Bambou -I do not have a role model. Maybe Mahatma Gandhi.
Oona: Tell me about an accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career and in your personal life?
Bambou - My son, Lulu. To have been able to raise him alone, to educate him and to send him into the real world.
Oona: What does perfection mean to you?
Bambou - Perfection doesn’t exist, but we can try and get close to it.
Oona: What is happiness to you?
Bambou - Happiness is to feel incomplete agreement with yourself as often as possible.
Oona:What does beauty mean to you?
Bambou - Beauty is the reflection of the soul.
Oona: What attributes of the people that you surround yourself with have in common?
Bambou - They regain the balance between the Ying and the Yang.
Oona: What’s your personal mantra?
Bambou - Om Namah Shivaya.
Interview by OONA CHANEL , Introduction by SEBASTIAN PERLMAN, Pictures by SYLVIE CASTIONI, Fashion Stylist FANELIE PATRAS, Assistant stylist -IRIS LEPAPE, Make up Artist - OCÉANE SITBON GHOULA, Hair stylist - JONATHAN DADOUN, Talent - BAMBOU, IMG, Casting director - GÉRALDINE L’HENORET, Digital retoucher - LUDOVIC CABRIN Ludovic Cabrin Special thanks to Studio Montmartre
