“I would also add the Belgian one. It’s a Belgian franchise, a Belgian hero, and the adventure was written and directed by a Belgian. Why aren’t you proud of that? You always underestimate yourselves, as if you suffered from an inferiority complex!”
Let’s say that we don’t push it too far and that we often take a step back from things…
“Well, you shouldn’t have any, because you are an inexhaustible well of artists. And you have to be proud of “Largo Winch”. You can’t get more Belgian than that.”
Of course, since everything comes from a comic strip created by the great Jean Van Hamme…
“I started with the classics like “Tintin”, “Lucky Luke”, “Asterix”, “The Smurfs” and a bit of “Gaston Lagaffe”. I discovered “Largo Winch” when I was told that I was going to audition for the first film. Then, I rushed to the Fnac and bought the first three albums. I devoured them and, above all, I told myself that they couldn’t take anyone else but me for this role. There were too many things in common.”
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Which ones?
“In thirteen years, the character and the actor have matured. They have aged in a good way. I admit that I worked hard for that (smile)! The hero is also more fragile than before, which makes him endearing. He is less quick… In the first two opuses, the character played the guy from the comic strip. He had a certain youth, an enormous passion, but remained an eternal post-adolescent in his head. A rebel at heart who had nothing to lose. Today, he is the father of a teenager who is himself a rebel. So, in life, when faced with his child, can we still allow ourselves to be someone who only thinks of himself? No. You have to ask yourself the right questions.”
Which ones?
“‘What values do I want to instill in my son?’, ‘Have I given him a good education?’ This goes both ways: parents educate children, but children, with their questions, shake the parents’ certainties.”
Are you thinking of a specific scene in the film?
“You’re going to laugh, because it seems superficial… Largo Winch has the iconic knife that we know him for in all the comics. A knife that his father left him. In short, it’s his favorite accessory: he and his dagger are inseparable. In one scene, Largo feels the urge to talk to his son about it, like his father once did. And there, his son makes him understand that he will never be like him, but above all that in 2024, he will not solve all the world’s problems with a knife!”
How do you see the evolution of action films over the years?
“First of all, we can congratulate ourselves on being part of a good franchise. I think I know six in the whole of world cinema: “James Bond”, “Jason Bourne”, “Indiana Jones”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “John Wick” and “Largo Winch”. So the pressure is constantly present. We have to renew ourselves, move forward. That’s what we did with the opening action sequences, then the sled chase. Obviously, we’re not shooting “Fast and Furious 325″! There’s no question of doing spectacular stunts like in Hollywood films, where the budget is multiplied by five.”
A model of the genre that continues to make you dream?
“Jean-Paul Belmondo was a hero to me. I arrived in France when I was 9 years old. “Les Morfalous” is the first film I saw. I grew up with Belmondo and Bruce Lee. In my personal life, I practice a lot of extreme sports: freefall, combat sports, car racing on ice, I fly helicopters, etc. So, why not when I was asked to do it in front of a camera?”
In short, happy?
“Yes, I had things to prove. And mouths to shut.”
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