Cannes 2012: Marion Cotillard could win best actress award Director Jacques Audiard used special effects to digitally remove Cotillard's legs in the post-production process, and the results are remarkable. Critics were divided over the film - some calling it the best of the year so far, others hating it - but all agreed that Cotillard's performance is outstanding. Speaking at the Cannes press conference, the actress said: "Playing a character who spends most of her time in a wheelchair, you just have to use your imagination and imagine that you don't have legs any more. I really had to get under the skin of the character. When I read the screenplay I was overwhelmed. Schoenaerts is being hailed as this year's Jean Dujardin - a European actor who was little known before the festival but who is destined for Hollywood stardom. Dujardin went on to win the best actor Oscar for The Artist, which screened at Cannes in 2011. Schoenaerts, a 34-year-old Belgian actor, first caught critics" attention last year in Bullhead and his performance in Rust and Bone as a noble but violent character has drawn comparisons with Ryan Gosling in Drive. Cotillard was full of praise for her co-star. I think Michael is a tremendous actor. I wish him a stupendous career," she said, likening him to Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis. Schoenaerts has already come to the attention of Hollywood film-makers. He said: "There is definitely stuff moving in the States but I'm quite young, I take my time and look for exciting projects. I'm not in a rush. Audiard's last film, A Prophet, won the Cannes Jury Prize and earned an Oscar nomination. Rust and Bone is a strong contender for this year's Palme d'Or, which will be announced on May 27.