After My boy by Christian Carion, released in 2017, Guillaume Canet and Mélanie Laurent come together in a new feature film loaded with emotions, but above all with history. They respectively embody Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette during their incarceration in 1792 in the Temple tower, awaiting their trial, before execution. A part of their lives and the history of France that no one had yet told on screen. The notebooks of Cléry, Louis XVI's valet who remained with him during his imprisonment and until his death, greatly inspired the filmmaker Gianluca Jodice. It was while reading a passage about the trial of Louis the Last that the director had the idea of revealing the last months of the king and his family.
Before its official theatrical release, The flood was presented at the opening of the Locarno festival, which was held last August. Mélanie Laurent and Guillaume Canet, transformed in this drama thanks to the magic of makeup and prosthetics, were both honored with the Davide Campari Excellence Prize, to reward their entire career. On the occasion of the release of the feature film this Wednesday, December 25, 2024, the duo agreed to return to The Pathfinder on the set, the difficulties they may have encountered or even their relationship to their historically emblematic characters. Encounter.
How did you feel when you were asked to play Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI and when you read the script?
Guillaume Canet: I was quite surprised that people thought of me. I didn't necessarily see any resemblance to Louis XVI! I met the director, who seemed very invested in this project and this part of French history, which I didn't know much about. I was very happy, especially when I read the script. I found the character very interesting, in his psychological state. This man who is a little lost in a role that doesn't suit him and that he is incapable of leading. As his father, Louis XV, said: “After me, the flood.” Hence the title of the film!
Mélanie Laurent: It was a real shock to read. The scenario is very well written and structured. Three acts with three very strong titles: The gods, The men et The dead. It's quite rare to be an actor in such a well-written role and historical characters. These are new costumes to put on which are terrifying, but we have this chance to talk about a part of history where the films often left off.
Do you recognize yourself in your characters?
G. C. : I have a few things in common, in the difficulty of being with people. It's something that speaks to me. In the description of the character that I read, particularly in the notebooks of Cléry, who was his valet, he describes a man who doesn't really like noise and people. It's true that I'm someone who doesn't feel very comfortable when there are a lot of people. Other than that, I feel very different from him in character. I don't think I ever thought I was a god [rires] !
M. L. : When I prepared the film, I read Zweig's biography. I have been angry with Marie Antoinette many times. When I saw the lack of curiosity, the lack of desire to connect with everything around him… I feel very opposed to all that. I am often criticized for having too much curiosity. [rires] ! Afterwards, you have to love the characters when you play them. I have a lot of empathy for any complex character who finds themselves confronted with death and who, when it is too late, wants to become a mother, to be interested in politics, to be a good wife, to understand things… Who leaves behind a lot of frivolity to be interested in everything. There is something in the area of “already too late” which is exciting to play and watch, which totally represents humanity which is always waiting to be up against the wall to wake up… [Rires]
G. C. : The flood is actually one of the films where I had the most transformations. I had four hours of makeup every morning. I already had a lot of makeup on on the set of Rock’n roll (2017) and I had the same type of prosthesis. But I didn't have the costumes of Louis XVI…
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M. L. : For my part, I was very happy during the moment of total withdrawal, from Act II onwards. When I took off this wig, I took off the corset and dress. Very quickly, in the film, Marie-Antoinette no longer needs this presence. She no longer wears jewelry or makeup. I was often in my pajamas then. I only had five minutes to prepare. We didn't have the same makeup hours with Guillaume [rires] ! I sympathized a lot! It's also very pleasant to play the ugliness, the ghostly side. Only work on dark circles, tire out the face and play with skin. For an actor, it's nice to let go of that and no longer have to act fresh or presentable.
Was one of the strongest scenes, the one where Marie-Antoinette can no longer hold back her emotions and bursts out, the most difficult to play?
M. L. : It was at the start of filming. There was one side: “It’s cool, we’ll get rid of it” [rires]. I have a memory of the moment I saw in the script: “She screams like an animal and legend has it that we could hear her on the other side of Paris.” When I read this sentence… I didn't really know how we were going to approach it [rires]. I didn't know what I was going to do with it until I made it. I never scream, so it's complicated for me to play a scream. As a result, my voice goes into the high notes and is not at all controlled. [rires]. That's what terrified me. When we know the feelings or emotions we have in life, we know what to hold on to. A scream was dizzying for me. We didn't do many takes and I don't know if I could have done more, if only in terms of endurance. I remember breaking my voice very quickly.
G. C. : I don't remember a scene that was particularly complicated. On the other hand, there is a scene that I had a lot of fun shooting, the one where I speak with the executioner. It's a long scene that could have been complicated, but I had a lot of fun, because I really had time to put something together. I experienced an extremely pleasant moment as an actor. It's very exciting for an actor to have time to perform without being interrupted. It's a beautiful memory.
The floodby Gianluca Jodice, with Guillaume Canet and Mélanie Laurent, 1h41, in theaters December 25, 2024.
