Released in 1998, The Cons Dinner remains an unforgettable comedy, and inseparable from the performance and genius of Jacques Villeret. But did you know that the most famous François Pignon almost did not agree to play in the film following a conflict with its director? Serieously explains everything to you.
Nobody forgot The Cons Dinnerand this for many reasons. Among them, there is obviously Jacques Villeret. Unforgettable in the role of François Pignon, the actor allowed this character, and the film, to anchor itself in our lives and become memorable and quite simply cult.
The Cons Dinner : the conflicts linked to the adaptation to the cinema
A comedy released in 1998, directed by Francis Veber, adapted from his own play directed by Pierre Mondy. In this one, Jacques Villeret already played the role of the “idiot” who finds himself facing Brochant, played for his part by Claude Brasseur on the stage, before Thierry Lhermitte took over his role on screen.
If these changes in the casting caused some friction behind the scenes, notably on the side of Gérard Hernandez who had a lot of difficulty swallowing having been replaced by Daniel Prévost in the costume of the tax inspector Lucien Cheval, other tensions existed before the film was even made. Yes, it's quite hard to believe, but Jacques Villeret almost never appeared in the film adaptation of Cons Dinner, and this because he was extremely angry with Francis Veber.
Francis Veber removed Jacques Villeret from The Goat cause of Lino Ventura
It is Francis Veber himself who has returned many times to this story which marked it, between him and Jacques Villeret. To understand it better, we have to go back to the end of the 70s, beginning of the 80s. At that time, Veber had the idea of creating what would become The Goatand is thinking of Lino Ventura to carry his film, and also to co-produce it. « I told Lino [Ventura] who had played The Troublemaker: 'I want us to escape the studios, to co-produce the film together.' He said to me: 'Okay, 70% for me, 30% for you.' I was ready for anything, he was the star« remembered the filmmaker in the documentary Just a clarificationdating from 2019.
-A project that started out rather well, but which came up against the character of Lino Ventura: “ I give him the script to read, and I tell him that I have an actor to play the unlucky guy, it's [Jacques] Villeret. He said to me, 'I don't want it!‘ » It is this categorical refusal from Lino Ventura which will be the starting point of the clash between Villeret and Veber. « I lose Villeret who is mad at mebecause he had read the script and believe me, he had seen the nugget. I called him myself, because I felt it was up to me to tell him. He started to hate me!“, remembered the director.
Jacques Villeret almost never played François Pignon in the film!
Lino Ventura finally approached Gaumont to be paid, but came into conflict with the house's historic producer, Alain Poiré, and Francis Veber thus found himself without actors to shoot The Goat. If he finally managed to find a shock tandem, composed of Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu, Veber had to flatly apologize to Jacques Villeret who was, rightly, very saddened and upset.
A little more than 10 years later, in 1993, Francis Veber began writing the play The Cons Dinnerand obviously thinks of Jacques Villeret for the role of François Pignon. If the actor accepts, he remains affected by his failed experience at the cinema with the screenwriter, and will therefore take a long time to say “yes” to him to resume his role in the big screen adaptation.
After postponing the script for many weeks, Jacques Villeret finally agreed to play in the feature film released in 1998. We know the rest: more than 9 million spectators in theaters, three Césars including Best Actor for Jacques Villeretand scenes and lines that have become cult and that we never tire of seeing again and again, even almost 30 years later.
Related News :