Brigitte Bardot: remember the French actress’ interview with Rita Lee, in 2018: “Death is monstrous”

At the time, Bardot had recently published the book “Lágrimas de combat” (Globo Livros), in which she recounts how she channels her fame to help animals. “All battles are difficult. There is no hierarchy in the pain of animals. But what will forever be marked as the most unforgettable is the fight against the seal massacre, which was a victory achieved after 30 years of waiting,” he said.

Rita Lee: You talk a little about your daily routine in the book. He says he understands animals better than his vet! How do you explain your connection with them?
Brigitte Bardot: It is the mystery that exists between the mother and her children.

RL: Was cinema for you what music was for me: always walking on the edge of the abyss?
BB: Cinema was of great help to me in becoming the celebrity that I now put in the service of animals. When I was making films, I was deeply dedicated to them and everything I did in order to be the best and succeed in what I did.

RL: Why did you never agree to make films in Hollywood?
BB: Because I never liked it.

RL: We remain beautiful and dignified without resorting to cosmetic procedures. When did you realize this would be your path?
BB: I am a natural woman, I accept what nature and time impose on me.

RL: How do you understand God through animals?
BB: Each of us imagines God in a different way: does he exist? Does He not exist? But, in my imagination, I think that He gave animals everything that human beings lack: natural beauty, exemplary courage, extraordinary dignity in the face of death, a need to survive on a daily basis without making a career out of it, unprecedented loyalty to one’s herd, to one’s fellow human beings, without having to divide one’s land and property. In addition, they are endowed with wisdom in the face of the inhuman conditions to which we constantly subject them.

RL: In the book, you mention Saint Francis, the Virgin Mary (I would love to see your little chapel at the La Garrigue estate!) and Saint Brigitte… what is your spirituality? Do you do rituals? Do you believe the spirit continues after death?
BB: I have a true love for the one I call “my Little Virgin”. I had a small chapel built for her to which I turn when I need to retreat, accompanied by my dogs, my cats and all those who want to follow me. A little pig accompanied me the other day. It’s a wild place close to the sea: I let my thoughts fly, I meditate in my own way, I let myself be invaded by the calm, the wild scent, the sounds of the sea. I then recharge my batteries with the courage that I sometimes lack. Death scares me because it is monstrous and I only love what is beautiful.

RL: What do you think of zoos?
BB: Zoos are prisons for the innocent. A prison world that is often unhealthy and cramped and drives animals crazy, deprived of space and companionship.