Amélie Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet Looks Back on Classic, Reveals Why Audrey Tautou Was 'Depressed' by Fame (Exclusive)

In 2002, audiences were whisked away to Paris in Amélie, filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet's whimsical French romantic fantasy that made a star out of Audrey Tautou.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Sony Pictures Classics has re-released the Oscar-nominated film back into theaters, while Jeunet has released a humorous new short film, titled The True Story of Amélie Poulain, that reveals the surprising backstory behind Tautou's beloved heroine.

In Amélie, Tautou's titular character is a waitress in a Montmartre, Paris bar who takes delight in observing people and letting her imagination roam free. One day, she finds her purpose in life: to solve other people’s problems. When an off-beat young man, Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz), enters her life, she's forced to look within and examine her own happiness.

In a conversation with PEOPLE, Jeunet, 70, looks back on the movie's five Oscar nominations for Best International Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing; why Tautou didn't take to stardom after the movie became a phenomenon at the worldwide box office (it ended its run with a whopping $174 million); and how Yann Tiersen's iconic score was imagined.

Jeunet had no idea the movie would become a phenomenon

"When you are in front of your white page, you think, who is going to be interested by this s---? You have some doubt, it's normal," says Jeunet. "And the first reaction was very bad, because it was Cannes Film Festival."

In fact, when the future classic was submitted to the Cannes Film Festival, it was rejected by the prestigious event's programming team.

"But it was the best advertising we could have, because it was such a scandal in France," recalls Jeunet. "It was good for us in fact!"

He wishes the film won one of the five Oscars it was nominated for

"I miss the statue, because it's a beautiful one," he says. "I miss it on my shelf. Probably the next time I come on Hollywood Boulevard, I will buy a fake one."

Tatou didn't love the newfound attention like Jeunet

Jeunet says he was overjoyed the film received such attention from worldwide audiences, but that for Tatou "it was the opposite, because she hates to be known."

"After Amélie she was totally depressed," he says. "And she told me, 'I will change my job. I will quit because I hate to be recognized on the street. I hate when some people take a picture of me without authorization.' And I said, 'Okay, they are looking for a cashier at the supermarket and I'm going to push you.' And she told me, 'Yes, I know I am lucky.' I said, 'Yes, you are lucky. Don't complain. Okay? Life is tough for everyone. So you make an effort, you will survive.'"

"But she has a strong character," he adds. "When we met Jacques Chirac, the president, for a screening for family, she was a little bit late, and Jacques Chirac told her, 'Oh, I thought you weren't supposed to be here.' And she said, 'You have to check your sources.'"

"She's able to do everything," he says of her acting. "She's funny, she can cry, she can laugh. And she's very precise, in term of technique. She's a perfect actress for me, totally perfect."

The iconic score by Yann Tiersen was a bit of coincidence

It's hard to imagine Amélie without its enchanting score, but as Jeunet recalls, composer Yann Tiersen was brought onto the film in a random bit of happenstance.

"One day on the way to set, the driver put a CD on and it was Yann Tiersen," he remembers. "I didn't know him. I believe in signs. It was some kind of good coincidence."

"And I met him, but I have to say, he didn't care about cinema," says Jeunet, who somehow convinced the composter to sign on. "His music is so perfect in this film," marvels the director. "It's a perfect match."

Amélie is now playing in theaters nationwide.