Creating a Classic Christmas Character: France’s Chloe Francois as Sparkle of Follow the Fairies

Television advertisements can be as moving and grand as any full length feature film. Even more impressive, when done at the highest level, they can elicit a powerful array of emotions in mere minutes. There is likely no better example of this than the Christmas advertisements that accompany each holiday season. The Mark & Spencer 2014 Christmas TV advert “Follow the Fairies” in aid of Make A Wish UK has become one of the most beloved of its kind, being declared one of the, “Top 10 Christmas Advert of All Times.” French model and actress Chloe Francois appears as Sparkle in this production, one of the two fairies who travel about during the Christmas season cultivating the moments that bring people together. As part of the Mark & Spencer global campaign, Chloe follows in the footsteps of Twiggy, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Helena Bonham Carter. Directed by Philippe André (of the award-winning films Delicate Gravite and The Rope) and shot in picturesque London and Prague, “Follow the Fairies” is filmmaking magic at its best; Ms. Francois’s performance is an essential part of this. The lasting embrace of this advert by the public is warming to Ms. Francois who states, “The many positive feedbacks from the English people on the launching of the M&S Christmas ad touched me a lot. I didn’t expect it. This advertisement is highly awaited every year by the English. They are very fond Christmas time and are very curious of what Marks & Spencer prepares for them. Every year the brand does it’s best to surprise its consumers and make them dream.”

For Ms. Francois, the magic of this TV advert began with the shooting locations which consisted of London and Prague (at the same historic locations as used in Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy, the 1998 version of Les Misérables, Mission Impossible, and Casino Royal). Sparkle (Chloe) and Magic were required to fly in the story, which was the result of both actresses spending long days in a flying harness. Throwing one’s self off into the air at substantial heights while maintaining balance, flexibility, beauty and style is not for the faint of heart. These daring acrobatics were not the primary focus for Chloe who was intent on bringing a strong sense of personality to Sparkle. She conveys, “Embodying Sparkle means something more to me than simply bringing an aesthetic to the role. She wasn’t a boring character! I loved playing Sparkle with a cheeky fairy energy. I brought my own interpretation of Sparkle by creating a gesture of its own that came to me by immersing myself in the character atoms. To me, Sparkle is a free soul with a great heart. In life she’s passionate. She has too much energy and has trouble managing it. Sparkle is a loyal team partner, very funny. She never hesitated to go on an adventure and take the lead when needed. She likes logic and wants to restore the balance in the world. Her motto is that nothing’s impossible!”

Being part of a Christmas holiday tradition like these Mark & Spencer Christmas productions has created a recognizability with a wide section of the public, one vastly different from those who know Chloe from her appearances in Cosmopolitan magazine and print campaigns. It’s evident that what Chloe Francois is excited by the opportunity to explore characters and connection through the many avenues she undertakes and notes, “Shooting days can be very long sometimes but when you love what you do, you don’t mind. Being featured in a magazine like Cosmopolitan is exciting but so is being strapped to a flying harness and playing at having full speed collisions with a fairy partner and swirling into a horizontal fall. One might be a bit more painful but it’s all part of the experience.”

Writer: Arlen Gann