Aged, emaciated, battered, then re-muscled! Pierre Niney did not have an easy task during the five months of filming “The Count of Monte Cristo”, which is released in French-speaking theaters on June 28, 2024. In playing the prestigious character of Edmond Dantès, hero of Alexandre Dumas’ novel, the 35-year-old French actor went through multiple physical transformations.
How did this role come to you?
By phone call. I will remember this moment all my life. For me, it was like giving Hamlet to an Englishman. In France, the story of “The Count of Monte Cristo” is absolutely legendary. This novel had such an impact on people. So it was a gift from heaven.
Your character’s love story is terrible…
Yes, it is the promise of a happiness that will never happen. And then this man is betrayed by those close to him and sacrificed on the altar of power. So it’s terrible. I think it’s one of the worst forms of love.
During these three hours of film, your character is often mistreated, and then you were very thin…
It’s true that my body has undergone a lot of changes. I had to be muscular for the first part of the film, when he is young, in love and innocent. And with the help of a nutritionist who has been following me for several films, I had to dry myself out for the part where my character was in prison. Then I had to go back to the gym to play a damaged man hell-bent on revenge.
You imitate accents perfectly. English, especially…
I trained with a coach. And I’m lucky to have someone in my life who speaks English well (editor’s note: his wife, Natasha Andrews, is Australian). I love this language and I practice it a lot. Besides, I would like to have roles in English.
Edmond Dantès has many faces to deceive his world… All these masks that you wore, were they not unpleasant?
Quite a bit, I have to admit. Especially when it’s hot. It was about 150 hours of makeup over 80 days of shooting. That’s a lot. I know the makeup artist well… more than my own family, now (laughs).
