She was mentored in acting by her aunt and uncle, French performers Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud.

She worked with Rohmer once again in 1978, in the role of Guinevere in Perceval le Gallois and she also has a cameo in his Chloe in the Afternoon.

Barrault is not fluent in English and therefore has generally turned down offers to appear in English-language films.

In 2015, she came to Los Angeles on tour to perform in the play Les Yeux Ouverts, in which she portrays French author Marguerite Yourcenar.

[3] Barrault's first husband was producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, whom she married in 1965.