“It’s the story of a great French captain of industry, played by Christian Clavier, a master of the world whose power is entirely based on a kind of personal charisma: he’s the kind of guy who enters a room where three thousand people want to get him out of his job, and who will come out half an hour later to applause. But one day, all this charisma disappears following a childhood trauma that resurfaces.”On March 25, 2005, Vincent de Brus confided in his latest project: L’Antidotefilm broadcast Tuesday August 27, 2024 at 9:10 p.m. on C8. From our colleagues atAllocinethe one who mainly specialized in documentary production tells the behind the scenes of this film in which Christian Clavier, Thierry Lhermitte and Jacques Villeret appear. The latter plays a decisive role because, when the business leader played by Clavier “begins to sweat, smell, stammer”a certain André Morin seems to have the effect of a real antidote. A comedy among the last in which Jacques Villeret appeared.
A look back at the first (and last) collaboration in cinema between Christian Clavier and Jacques Villeret
Still with our colleagues, the director talks about the collaboration between the two main actors: “The couple had never existed on screen: this is therefore the first time that we will see a duo and a permanent ping-pong between Christian Clavier and Jacques Villeret”. And the latter works wonderfully. “They are both extremely attentive and extremely ‘docile’ in relation to what I want for the film, but at the same time the rebound and the complicity between them are extraordinary. Almost at the end of every take, we have additional dialogue that is established on the fact that one says something stupid and the other rebounds instantly. And what is very strong is that it is always in the situation: it is always something that we could keep in the editing”. When it was released on March 30, 2005, the film attracted 721,149 spectators in theaters. But one important character was missing. And for good reason, Jacques Villeret died a few months earlier, on January 28, 2005 at the age of 53. The actor, who won a César in 1979 as best supporting actor for Robert and Robertthen in 1999 as best actor for The Dinner of Fools was carried away by internal bleeding, following an illness.
What did Jacques Villeret think of L’Antidotea film before the release of which he died?
Also interviewed by AllocineAgnès Soral, who plays Nadine Marty (the CEO’s wife) in the film, spoke about the actor while she was still fresh. “Playing with Jacques Villeret was a dream. I almost did La Soupe aux choux but Louis de Funes found me too big and preferred to hold back Christine Dejoux, a very talented actress but smaller in size. I then went to the casting for Effroyables Jardins but I wasn’t selected. In the end, here I am on L’Antidote”she had said. Then she added about the deceased: “It was a film that Jacques loved deeply: he was happy with the film, happy throughout the shooting, he was in love and was going to marry his fiancée [Seny, ndlr]. I am happy to have been able to say goodbye to one of the greatest clowns in French cinema. We will miss this kind of people, because I don’t know if we will let actors of this kind be born, at a time when we are witnessing a certain smoothing and we are afraid of personalities”. The same year, in addition to L’AntidoteJacques Villeret appeared in three other films, namely Iznogoud, The Grey Souls et The GodfathersThese are the last audiovisual vestiges, the final point to the career of a touching and endearing actor.
