“4 hours of makeup every morning”, “micro-prosthetics”: Tahar Rahim recounts his metamorphosis into Charles Aznavour

The transformation is impressive. After playing the serial killer called “The Serpent”, Tahar Rahim has once again made a physical change on screen for Mr. Aznavourscheduled for release in theaters on October 23.

A careful transformation

In this film by Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade, the 43-year-old actor bears a striking resemblance to Charles Aznavour. The result of a long period of work carried out on the sidelines of filming.

“There was work to find the right posture for Charles, to move like him. And that was a lot of observation work,” he confides in Seven to eight.

Tahar Rahim explains in detail the tools used to bring the famous singer back to life. He mentions “micro-prostheses” on the eyelids, under the eyes, at the nose levelor even eyebrow waxing “to make them look like Charles’s.”

Nothing has been left to chance, including details specific to the singer’s physique. For this, “four hours of makeup every morning” were necessary.

Not forgetting his lips, which were a little unusual. “He was slightly prognathous,” explains the actor, who mentions his “slightly prominent lip.”

He explains: “I was fitted with a splint, which I wore for three months beforeso that I can get used to it and it becomes a part of me, so that I don’t have to think about it anymore.”

Tahar Rahim in the grip of doubts

By transforming himself physically in this way, Tahar Rahim was keen not to disappear completely behind the character.

But the exercise was a pleasure for the actor who “loves” slipping into other people’s shoes like this. He also confides that this “allows him to have more confidence in [lui]”.

If the result is a success with Charles Aznavour, Tahar Rahim first let himself be invaded by doubt before embarking on his metamorphosis. Because, the two men are very different physically.

“How am I going to believe it? How can the public believe it?” he wondered then. Especially since “Aznavour was an immense personality, an immense artist. I thought to myself, the person and the personality are almost impossible to achieve. But how am I going to do it? So I was very scared,” the actor confides.

Alongside its transformation, Tahar Rahim also took several hours of singing lessons every day for six months so that his voice would be closer to that of the singer. Near the goal, all that remained was to refine a few details. The voices of the two men were then mixed for certain notes. The rest came only from the actor.