Why did Pierre Niney and Alain Chabat ultimately refuse to appear in the film?

On Sunday November 17 at 9:10 p.m., Canal + broadcasts Daaaaaali!. A crazy comedy by Quentin Dupieux, in which several actors play Salvador Dalí. However, Alain Chabat and Pierre Niney, planned for the casting, ultimately do not appear in the costume of the famous painter.

An extremely prolific director, Quentin Dupieux enjoys chaining projects together. One of the latest, Daaaaaali!unveiled on February 7, 2024 in cinemas, will be broadcast this evening on Canal +. The opportunity to find Anaïs Demoustier, Romain Duris, but also no less than five different actors in the shoes of the famous Catalan artist Salvador Dalí. Jumbled together, we will find Gilles Lellouche, Edouard Baer, ​​Jonathan Cohen, Pio Marmaï and Didier Flamand equipped with his famous mustache. Although announced, Pierre Niney and Alain Chabat ultimately did not take on the famous role… But why then?

Daaaaaali! : surrealism on every level

Daaaaaali! takes us on Judith Rochant's funny journey. At the very beginning of the eighties, she will have the opportunity to see one of her dreams take shape: meeting the painter Salvador Dalí for an interview. Problem, she is not from the inner circle and is not really a journalist, so when the artist arrives and realizes that he will not be filmed, he goes off on a tangent, visibly disappointed. Gathering her wits, she will talk to her producer, Jérôme, and try her luck again. Will she finally manage to ask him a question?

Daaaaaali! or the success of a non-biopic

Breaking more than ever the idea of ​​the classic biopic, Quentin Dupieux did things his own way to Daaaaaali! Here, no linear story, but rather dreamy fiction, in the mind of a unique artist. Thus, the filmmaker relied on several performers and not just one, in order to further blur the lines. A tribute in which Pierre Niney and Alain Chabat, planned for the casting, did not ultimately participate. In the press kit for his film, the director explained why: “In a very natural way, almost, they felt that they had nothing to bring to Dalí. That something wasn't working, that it was stuck. In this kind of film, everyone expects the performance. How is so-and-so doing? playing this or that guy that everyone knows? It can be amazing sometimes. But no more than what do we do? can't get tired of it. We're always surprised.”