The star of more than 100 films, for some of the world's best directors, Catherine Deneuve is undoubtedly one of the greatest actresses of modern cinema. She recently visited Australia to promote her role in the intense After Him, and we were sure to be present at her Sydney press conference for the film.

A star is someone who stills the room. It's a quality. You can't fake it and you can't bottle it. Catherine Deneuve has it in spades. She always had it and, even 45 minutes late for her press conference and with a heavy cold, she still has it. As soon as she walks into the hotel conference room a thousand flash bulbs explode.

It is minutes before the snappers are called off. Ms Deneuve sits and waits without any apparent sign of irritation. She is effortlessly stylish in her brown sweater and beige slacks, her face a little thicker than it was in her early years. She peers over her square tinted spectacles like a rather beautiful school teacher perhaps knowing that the questions will all be the same as a hundred times before.

Does she find it burdensome being a 'living legend'? No, only the work really matters. You have to work at it. Nothing is as easy as it seems and there is always the possibility of total failure. "You have to be the best you can expect yourself to be, at the very minimum," she clarifies.

Does she mind looking at rushes? "There are no rushes anymore." She misses that about the digital age but, by this stage, she has a pretty good idea of how well she has done anyway.

It is obvious a few minutes in that, despite her undeniably French accent, Deneuve (who apparently speaks half a dozen languages) has better English than most of the people in the room. Would she like to use that amazing English to go to Hollywood as Depardieu and Binoche have done occasionally? "My attitude to that is typically French," she confesses. "I never considered playing a character that does not interest me just because it would be for Hollywood. The proposals I got were not very interesting."

What French films has she enjoyed recently other than After Him? (the searing drama of grief which played in this year's French Film Festival and was consequently picked up for general release in Sydney and Melbourne). She pauses for the first time. Then she immediately seizes upon Abdellatif Kechiche's The Secret of the Grain. "That was a great film. It is so good, so original. I really thought he had something to say", and she particularly admired the way he worked with the (largely non-professional) cast.

She has worked with some of the greats; Bunuel - "he could be difficult. Very intense" - Demy and Truffaut. It was Truffaut she recalls best because he was so good at developing rapport with his actors. "He took the time with us."

And what Australian films did she like? This time she appears temporarily stumped. She obviously thinks in directors. Someone says Peter Weir. "Yes of course. I had forgotten him. He is great." And Campion? Surprisingly, Deneuve lights up. "I adore her films. I had forgotten she was Australian." She is 'adopted' the audience murmurs. Deneuve gets the joke.

Before we know it she is politely calling a halt. Considering that she is ill she has been an absolute trooper. Has she been proud of what she has achieved? The wisdom keeps coming. "I grew up with films. It has been my whole life. But you must have something else otherwise it is just a stupid life." It makes you feel that you should go and learn some more languages. It is obviously good for the brain.

After Him is in cinemas in Sydney and Melbourne from March 27.