1. He “didn’t know” Franck Dubosc
“I didn’t know Franck Dubosc. I had never even seen one of his films. (Editor’s note: Everyone standing et Rumba life). I thought he was doing funny things, showing his underwear in Camping, all that. When he contacted me, I said to myself: it’s weird, why does Franck Dubosc think of me. I read the script anyway, without preconceptions. And I understood. Above all, I found it very well put together. Afterwards, I only spoke with him. He is very nice, very kind. Rigorous, too. The guy’s not Mr. Trumpet: he goes to bed pretty early, and he can make you play a take a lot of times as long as he doesn’t get what he wants. He’s not Doillon, but hey… At first, I found him a bit annoying, but after three days, I trusted him completely.“
2. He “loves” the Jurassians
“I was quite happy to still play a policeman, because in general you wear a unique costume: you don’t have to bother changing clothes all the time. Alas, these outfits are super thick and with the belt, the bulletproof vest, and the uniform, I was freaking hot! However, I was sold polar temperatures: we were filming in the Jura. I stayed there for six weeks without returning: it was a bit hard. I had a nice room in a sort of hotel Shining. But I was often there alone: the others returned to Paris at the weekend, but to go to Belgium, it was super complicated: you had to go through Geneva. So, I stayed there with a makeup artist. It was beautiful: I had a view of Mont Blanc, but it worried me a little, the snow, and the mountains even more. So, after a while, I had my fill of it. But I loved the Jurassians.”
3. He “isn’t tired” of comedy
“I’m not tired of comedy, but it’s true that I’ve done a lot of more ‘serious’ films. Above all, I made films without means, which would not have been made without me. There are even things I do whose humor I don’t share at all. But it’s often friends, or a friend’s wife. Sometimes, I know, I should be careful. My agent – I’ve had the same one for 30 years, poor thing – tells me: we don’t make films out of friendship. Me, yes. I haven’t changed in 30 years: I continue to try things and say to myself ”Okay, I think your thing is a bit rotten, but I’ll do it for you”. Afterwards, perhaps the spectator says to himself: ”But shit, you’re not selecting well”. But there is no recipe: if we were certain of a way of doing things and of succeeding, all the films would look the same. Failure is part of the job. And I am a craftsman.“
gullI have always had a healthy relationship with people. I only receive kindness. And lots of gifts, Well, it’s often alcohol
4. He likes his relationship with the public
“When people ask me, it’s not so much to talk to me about cinema as about my character. I have a “coffee buddy” side to them, I think. And I have no problem talking with them. I have always had a healthy relationship with the public. It must be said that I only receive kindness. Sometimes I’m very depressed, then someone says a very simple, kind sentence to me, and it makes me feel good. I get a lot of gifts, too, everywhere I go. Well, it’s often alcohol.“
5. He likes being an “old fart”
“Be 60 years old (Editor’s note: he celebrated them in September), That gives you permission to be an old fart. That’s good because when I was young, my friends nicknamed me “old head”. It’s true that I’ve always looked old. And inside, it was the same: I always had, let’s say, conservative ideas. I’m a man of routine: I go to bed at 7:30 p.m., I get up at 5 a.m. My wife finds it horrible, but she watches TV, and I don’t like it: in the evening, I prefer to go and read in bed. Music is the same: I don’t listen to the music my wife listens to, it’s all old fart stuff. But I’ve been listening to old fart stuff since I was 16. So, yes, being 60 years old has a practical side since now I have the right to be an old fart.”
6. He no longer wants to quit cinema, “but…”
“I’m not misleading you when I say I want to quit cinema. I really wanted to try something else; unfortunately it didn’t work, I wallowed. But if I did, for sure, I would have stopped cinema. What is it about? No, I’m not saying what it is, it will harm me. And then, maybe it will work next time, who knows?…”
7. He feels “heavy” by the world around him
“The world today? I feel heavy. First of all, I have no connection with IT: I must have 32,000 emails, I don’t consult them. I’m not interested. I don’t have social media, I don’t have anything. That’s where I tell you, the advantage of being 60 is that I can take refuge by saying: ”It’s not my fault, it’s not my generation.”
