USA, Los Angeles

Fireflies

"In Los Angeles, I didn’t meet any of the stars that sparkle in the Hollywood sky, but a few pretty fireflies worthy of attention, the ones that scoffers call the MAW – Models Actresses Whatever..."

Abstracts

"(…) They land in Hollywood, usually by Greyhound or after a three- or four-day drive, from the four corners of this immense country, to conquer the West and… fame. Their vocation isn’t necessarily to become artistes, but to make a name for themselves in this world of appearances… 'I’m pretty, yes, but you haven’t seen my photos!'… I felt great tenderness, often compassion, and sometimes admiration for these plucky girls.

They worked hard, usually carrying trays in restaurants rather than winding through film sets… This is how I met Ariana, who served coffee in my hotel in the mornings. Ariana was nothing like a MAW. Singlehandedly, she was capable of blasting apart this cynical term, not least because she had a genuine vocation, one that was well thought out."

Extract from Zoé Zoé, Femmes du mondes, 2007, Éditions Gallimard