All French cinema has been in turmoil for more than 24 hours and the announcement of the death of Niels Arestrup, a great actor, revealed to the cinema late in life, notably thanks to his incredible performance in A prophetby Jacques Audiard. A film for which he won the César for Best Supporting Actor. A reward that he obtained on two other occasions, for My heart stopped beating in 2006 and Quai d'Orsay in 2014. The three-time Cesar-winning actor died at his home in Ville-d'Avray (Hauts-de-Seine) at the age of 75, following a long illness.
Shortly after the disappearance of Niels Arestrup, his wife, Isabelle Le Nouvel, wanted to speak publicly in a press release sent to AFP. “I am extremely sad to announce the death of my husband, the immense actor Niels Arestrup, at the end of a courageous fight against illness. He passed away surrounded by the love of his family”she wrote. Considered one of the best actors of his generation, the actor who had a Danish father and a Breton mother, however, did not leave only good memories. Another French actor didn't like him and didn't mince his words about him when asked about him in 2017. “I hate this man. He's one of the few. He knows why and there's nothing to worry about.”declared Clovis Cornillac at the microphone of Europe 1. The actor's enmity towards Niels Arestrup comes from a dispute between his mother, the actress Myriam Boyer and the latter during their collaboration in 1997 for the play Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
Sandrine Rousseau asks questions about Niels Arestrup
This Sunday, December 1, shortly after the announcement of the death of the actor, who became the father of twins at the age of 63, the politician Sandrine Rousseau spoke on X (formerly Twitter) and it wasn't really to praise the artist. “Niels Arestrup, do we separate the man from the artist in the obituaries or not? I ask”blurted out the deputy for the 9th district of Paris, provoking strong reactions in the comments. “Okay, so not even 24 hours of decency towards the family of the deceased. This constant need to attract attention and choose the virtue of the day is fantastic”retorts an Internet user.
If she does not mention anything in particular, Sandrine Rousseau is certainly referring to the controversies which took place during the career of Niels Arestrup. The latter was accused of having slapped Isabelle Adjani during the play Mademoiselle Julie, which allegedly pushed the actress to stop the play. “I have never hit a woman in my life. I swear to you that I did not slap Adjani”assured the late actor in the show We cannot please everyone in 2001. This Tuesday, December 2, the latter reacted unvarnished to the disappearance of the actor, whom she did not really spare. “Personally, I unfortunately have nothing positive to say about the man. My memory of the theater partner remains a significant trauma. But Niels Arestrup was a great actor”she confides to Le Parisien.
