Mother of 10-year-old twins, the fruit of her love affair with Jean-Marie Bigard, Lola Marois transmits to them her love for music and cinema on a daily basis. Vigilant, she is worried about the influence of reality TV but tries not to brood over them too much! Interview excluded for the Journal des femmes.
Born very premature, Bella and Jules celebrated their 10th birthday on November 11th. Their mother Lola Marois sees to instilling values in them and protects them from the dangers of social networks. Proud that they are budding artists, like her husband Jean-Marie Bigard and herself, she encourages them to believe in their dreams! We met this actress who calls herself both mother hen and very attached to the respect of certain principles!
You are the mother of Bella and Jules, to whom you dedicated the book To tomorrow my loves… The courageous fight of my very premature babies. What mom are you?
Lola Marois. I don’t know if it’s due to prematurity or the fact that I’m a completely paranoid Jewish mother sometimes, but I’m not the most relaxed mother. But I also let them live their lives and I’m not always on their backs. They do lots of activities and sleep over with their friends. But no doubt because of their prematurity and their difficult start in life, I am even more attentive. I was brought up by women. I am a Sephardic Jew on my mum’s side and the mother hen side is not usurped (laughs) But I try to work on a daily basis so as not to suffocate them too much!
“I am very strict about the rules of decorum”
How do you distribute the roles at home with your husband Jean-Marie Bigard?
Lola Marois. We are artists and free electrons and we were not necessarily made to be model parents. We are not very traditional. But in the end, we like, as we get older, to be more and more concerned with our role as parents. When my kids were babies, I was still a big party girl. I loved the party and the night and I was a night owl. The more the years pass, the more I calm down and I take pleasure in doing activities with them. I become a better mom over time and I catch up with them when I left them to my mom or nannies.
Who embodies authority at home?
Lola Marois. I feel like it’s me they fear the most. When I get angry, they understand that we must not exceed the limits. My children are scorpios. My daughter is pretty cool but my son has a strong character and sometimes he wants to stand up to us and I can’t stand him answering me. I am very keen on the rules of propriety, politeness and respect for his parents. Sometimes I have to crack down to make myself heard and I have more of that role than my husband.
Do your children want to follow in your footsteps or that of your husband?
Lola Marois. They are artists at heart. We encouraged them to do so. They have been playing the piano for 3 years. They had a national competition and performed in front of a lot of people and they loved it. My daughter also had a casting for the TV movie Sam on TF1. I don’t know if she will be selected but she learned by heart the role of a little virtuoso taking part in a competition. They also break dance and hip hop with his brother. They are passionate about songs and my son is starting to write little rap texts. They were raised in music because there is always music in my house. She is part of my life in an almost pathological way (laughs). Sometimes I fall asleep and wake up to music. I also transmitted to them the love of cinema and literature. Jules is following in his father’s footsteps a little more. He especially wants to make people laugh and already does so in class! He’s a real clown. Bella has a deeper artistic sensibility than her brother and loves lyrics and songs. They have the artistic fiber even if I don’t know if they will make it their job.
“Social media is too dangerous”
What are their relationships?
Lola Marois. They are very fusional. When they start laughing together, they have their own language and we are excluded from it. On the other hand, when they argue, they really do! My son has a competitive spirit and doesn’t hesitate to tell his sister when she hasn’t succeeded in something, whereas he has! On the other hand, when Bella passed her casting, he was very happy for her. They need to love each other and tear each other apart too and have a real strong bond.
Do your children have access to social networks?
No way ! I’m very on top of that. I sometimes post photos of them on my networks after asking their permission, but they don’t have Instagram or TikTok. They don’t have a cellphone either. When they’re in 6e next year maybe I’ll give them a small laptop but no internet so they can only call me if they have a problem. But I don’t want them to apply for at least 13 years. It’s too dangerous.
I make war on my husband when he makes jokes below the belt, they don’t need to hear that
Does that scare you?
Clearly. This may seem quite strange because I am quite extroverted but I am very strict on certain points. I make war on my husband when he makes jokes below the belt because I tell him they don’t need to hear this now and it’s too soon. Social networks are the door open to all vices. When I come across Instagram accounts of influencers or reality TV candidates, I am sometimes bewildered. It is true that I have a little problem with reality TV (laughs). These are younger and younger girls who use their image for profit. If I want to put sexy photos, I do it but I studied. I had my baccalaureate, I have a bachelor’s degree in literature, I worked and I have nothing to prove. But these girls go on television at 20 and it becomes their business. I’m just warning my children about this and I hope Bella doesn’t take cues from these young girls but I don’t think so with the education we give her!
Exclusive interview that cannot be resumed without the mention of Women’s Journal.