Crafting characters: Screenplay archives from a star-studies perspective (Love Is My Profession, Claude Autant-Lara, 1958).

This article examines the value of applying a star-studies approach to screenplay archives, using the 1958 film *Love Is My Profession* (original title *En cas de malheur*), directed by Claude Autant-Lara, as a case study. It highlights how the screenplay's multiple variants, shaped by screenwriters Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost, were influenced by the involvement of two major stars—Jean Gabin, an established figure of classical French cinema, and Brigitte Bardot, a rising icon of the French New Wave—whose personas affected character development and narrative choices. The study draws on extensive archival materials, including handwritten notes and correspondence, to show how star personas and production contexts intersected during the film's creation, impacting casting decisions, character portrayal, and screenplay revisions. This approach underscores the importance of considering screenplays not only as narrative texts but also as socio-historical documents that reflect negotiations among filmmakers, stars, and producers within the cultural and economic frameworks of their time.