"She maneuvers this world so beautifully": Colette Dalal Tchantcho on playing a "deliciously manipulative" character in Dangerous Liaisons (Exclusive) 

After Serpent Queen and Becoming Elizabeth, Starz is all set to premiere Dangerous Liaisons, its latest period drama, slated for a November 6 release.

A prequel to the original novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, the series brings us the origin story of Marquise de Mertreuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, the scheming ex-lovers who resorted to revenge and seduction to get what they desired.

The upcoming Starz series is a peek into the world of white aristocracy of 18th-century French court, which Camille and Pascal learned to navigate at a young age. In light of the upcoming premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, Sneha Haldar from Sportskeeda engaged actor Colette Dalal Tchantcho about playing the vicious and conniving Ondine de Valmont, who stole the show with her charisma.

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Colette Dalal Tchantcho comments on the script and her manipulative character

Starz's Dangerous Liaisons is a modern take on the dysfunctional on-and-off love story of Camille and Pascal, two iconic characters of French literature. It acts as a prelude and offers us a glimpse at how Marquise de Mertreuil and Vicomte de Valmont came to be who they are as seen in the novel and its adaptations. Discussing the script and what caught her eye about it, Tchantcho reveals:

"What I thought when I read the script is I love the fact that it's a prelude to these iconic characters that we already know so well from a classic that, you know, is precious to a lot of people."

She further added:

"So I made the decision to take the role as Ondine because I saw so much opportunity in contributing to diversity during this period on the screen. And also, I just love being so deliciously manipulative and s*xual and intelligent!"

Talking about what encouraged her to take on the role of the widow de Valmont, Colette revealed:

Ondine is such a delicious character, isn't she? And she maneuvers this world so beautifully and the tips and tricks that she bestows upon Camille, it just makes me feel like it's so interesting to see what Camille then does. But it's interesting, isn't it, to see how one comes up with these things and then bestows them, and then you see it filter through the world."

Indeed, Ondine is shown to be cunning and intelligent, who takes in the directionless and naive Camille, to build her up into a character as sharp and manipulative as herself so that Camille can make her place in the elite circle.

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Tchantcho talks about getting into the shoes of Ondine and her own reflections on her Dangerous Liaisons character

Colette Dalal Tchantcho is indeed fun to talk to, as she does not mince her words or hold back on what she thinks about her role in Dangerous Liaisons. The actress let readers into her secret of how she stepped into the shoes of such a manipulative woman like Ondine:

"I felt like once I was able to give myself permission to be this s*xual being, I felt like the work didn't feel so much. It came naturally then"

On being asked how closely she relates to her role in Dangerous Liaisons, Colette says:

"Oh, my goodness. I think we would be similar fashion-wise. I love putting on a show. I love clothes and, you know, really presenting my personality and expressing myself. I think I always know what to wear for what occasion. And also, I think the same way that she is a black woman in this world navigating through discriminations to society. I am too, you know?"

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Stay tuned to learn more about Colette's comments on representation and diversity in Dangerous Liaisons. Also catch the show premiering this November 6, 2022, exclusively on Starz.