Every first Saturday of the month, France 2 broadcasts his successful show Laurent Delahousse just after 8 p.m. The Papotin Meetings, in which apprentice journalists with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) question a celebrity. After Philippe Etchebest last month, it is Benoît Magimel who agreed to take part in the exercise this Saturday, May 4, 2024. The multi-awarded actor, known for having won two consecutive Césars for best actor in 2022 and 2023, spoke about his complicated childhood, which caused him many problems that he tries to get rid of on a daily basis.
Asked about his childhood, Benoît Magimel experienced a lot of difficulty opening up. Moved, silent, the actor who is preparing to celebrate his 50th birthday this May 11 had a hard time splitting the armor. Born in Paris, son of a nurse and a bank employee, he has a brother named Arnaud and a sister, Bénédicte. But from this seemingly normal childhood, Benoît Magimel retains many gray areas: “I don’t want to tell things in detail… Parents who separate, a single-parent unit, I had to manage the family a little, I had to carry it a little, kid. There are children who should not do certain things…” he explained briefly.
Benoît Magimel prey to demons
Revealed at the age of 13 by his role as Momo in Life is a long quiet river by Étienne Chatiliez, Benoît Magimel will soon celebrate his forty years of career. A journey recognized by the public and by the profession, but which has not always been the happiest. Asked about his “demons”Benoît Magimel recognized them with sincerity, even revealing to fight against “death impulses” who persecuted him for a long time.
“For a long time I had a demon on my right shoulder and an angel on my left shoulder fighting with each other. Fortunately, the angel, at some point, will defeat the demon. You have to try to push them away as much as possible. I had times when I had very strong life drives and very strong death drives.” explained Juliette Binoche’s ex-companion. And to continue, philosophically: “I often say that you should try to be kind to yourself. We are not perfect and we should not judge ourselves too harshly. We are fallible“.
Sentenced to 3 months in prison in 2017
Benoît Magimel had many problems with the law and with drugs, a fact that he never denied, and against which he always fought publicly and proudly. In March 2016, the actor had to be taken into police custody after having mowed down a 62-year-old woman in Paris, while he was driving without a license. Traces of cocaine had been found in his blood tests. He was sentenced in June 2017 to a fine of 5,000 euros for knocking down the sixty-year-old, and to another fine of €1,200 for driving under the influence of drugs.
In September 2017, Benoît Magimel encountered new problems with the law. He was arrested while driving a car going the wrong way. The police then discovered in his vehicle bags of white powder containing heroinwhich earned him a new sentence, heavier than the previous one, of three months suspended prison sentence, with obligation of care.
