Benoît Magimel spoke in a long interview given to the magazine Society in its June 8 edition. An interview during which the actor returned to his first role at 13 in the film Life is a long quiet riverrevealing in passing the stamp he had received. The film is broadcast this Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 9:25 p.m. on TMC.
Benoit Magimel has a busy cinematic news. Last May, the 49-year-old actor was present at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for the promotion of two films: The passion of Dodin Bouffant of Tran Anh Hung et Omar the strawberry d’Elias Belkeddar. This Thursday, June 8, the magazine Society revealed in its pages an interview with the actor who twice won the César for best actor: in 2022 for During his lifetime and in 2023 for Pacifiction: Torment on the Islands. The opportunity for him to look back at the very beginning of his career, when he was 13 years old.
Benoît Magimel: “I saw five films every weekend“
At that time, the French discovered him in the role of Momo Gooseberry in the movie Life is a long quiet river d’Etienne Chatiliez. It was in 1988. The opportunity for our colleagues to ask him the following question: “Did you always imagine yourself as an actor?“To which he replied:”I tell myself that now, because before, I didn't dare, it felt like 'I'm telling myself', but I think I was made for that, yes, from the start. Even in primary school. I had a little body expression class and I already wanted to act as a clown, to seek the light, to be loved for something. And since I saw five films every weekend“His mother took him.”from time to time“at the cinema in Paris, she who was a nurse”in liberal“. “She worked hard“, he continued.
Benoît Magimel: a first role at 13 and a first salary worth…
In the rest of the interview, Benoît Magimel told how he found himself in the casting of the film Life is a long quiet river. “An ad in the newspaper. They were looking for 13 year olds and I sent a photo booth with a note“, he said. And in terms of salary, how did it go for him? “I find myself in front of Jean Becker's son, Louis, who was production director. Imposing, a little strong, he said to me: 'How much do you want?' I didn't even know what he was talking to me about. 'Thirty thousand, is that okay with you?' Thirty thousand, what's this crazy thing?' When I got home, I said to my mother: 'Mom, what does it say there, look? Is it three or four zeros?' Even if it's blocked on an account, it's crazy!” he said. And continued: “Then July-August arrives, we shoot in a three-star hotel with other kids, we have a blast, it's the holidays, I want the director to be happy and in fact, I realize that it's is not that hard“. Note that Benoît Magimel also revealed to our colleagues this role which he refused with Gérard Depardieu.
