Over our two espressos, the Belgian actor, a recent writer, spoke to me about Bertrand Blier, Depardieu, his shows, his Jewishness and his uncle Henri who never returned from Auschwitz.
Riton Liebman is still a star. We found refuge in a 20th century brewerye district and, very quickly, a man called out to him: “ But I know you; I know you ! “. Riton shakes his hand; he asks her where they met. “ I worked on a film that you starred in », declares the man. He is a cinema technician.
“Dick, ass, hair, hole!” »
I take advantage of this pleasant moment to hold up Riton’s book, Riton Liebman, the neighborhood star (Séguier, coll. L’IndéFINIE; 2024): “ This book is fantastic! Buy it! » I said to the technician. Tremendous ? That’s an understatement…
Also read: Thank you Mr. Tiveyrat!
We laugh a lot when reading this extremely abundant opus where shadows sometimes pass through. Plus, let’s not forget that Riton shot Prepare your tissues, by Bertrand Blier, with Depardieu who, in this film, does not fail his reputation. Riton testifies: “ Suddenly, there is a voice that echoes in the corridor, a voice that screams, that sings, that laughs : ”Dick, ass, hair, hole!” With the voice comes a jacket, a cap and long hair. ” Hello my old ! I’m Gérard; Show the text… Ah! Ah! Holy Bertrand! So kid, did you have a good fuck today? You have to fuck! You have to fuck! If you didn’t fuck well, you can’t enjoy…”. »
– So Depardieu immediately spoke to you about ass?, I said to Riton.
– Yes and so ? I talk about ass too. Not you ?
I nod, laughing. The tone is set.
– You haven’t had many articles in the left-wing press…
Old man, he was interviewed on the show The Big Headson RTL.
– It’s true, and you know why? Because I don’t shut up.
A man of the left, he does not practice ambient and smug neo-feminism. And here we go… We talk about hands on the buttocks and other fiddling. Indeed, Riton is not a neo-feminist. “ I don’t want you to film with Bertrand Blier, that dirty phallocrat », yelled his mother when, at the age of 13, he responded to an ad to play the role of the little boy in Prepare your tissues.
He didn’t listen to Mom, a sixty-eight-year-old Belgian psychotherapist. He played in the film, enjoyed the experience and discovered his vocation as an actor: “ I didn’t want to go to high school at all », he says. “ And I said to myself that acting would be an excellent alternative; I wanted to live at night, sleep during the day. » Finally, his days became white as powder and his nights black as the addiction from which he finally escaped…
A difficult name to bear
In front of our cafes, Riton jumps from rooster to donkey. And I’m trying to catch up with the wagons. I understand that before writing his story, he created and performed several shows, stand-ups, including Liebmann, renegade, in which he recounts his father, a university professor known, particularly for his pro-Palestinian positions. For a Jew, that’s bad for her! Besides, I end up asking Riton if he feels Jewish.
– Yes!, he replies like a cry from the heart. On the other hand, Israel means nothing to me.
Let’s talk about Riton Liebman’s Jewishness: his parents named him Henri in homage to his uncle who never returned from Auschwitz. Difficult to carry, very difficult and we understand certain things better.
After an hour of interview, I leave Riton, whom I cannot help but call by his first name:
– Come on, goodbye Henri; see you soon !
Moved, I did not take out my handkerchief.
288 pages.
