|
'For this film, one of the trickiest things was to avoid descending into caricature, so I did some
research, and wound up meeting Alain Chanone, a dance hall singer in Clermont-Ferrand.
With Chanone and his band, I discovered a world with its rituals, settings, sounds and public.
followed his band (which became Gérard’s band in the film), on the road, lived for a while in
Chanone’s farmhouse (which became Gérard’s home in the film) and everything fell into place
quite naturally.
'I had Depardieu in mind when I was writing the screenplay - he’s the actor I wanted to film ever
since I was very young. He was my David Bowie or Mick Jagger. Even if it sounds naïve, I never
had any doubt that I would work with him. He understood that the character required restraint.
He understands everthing, anyway... I wanted people to discover a new facet of his acting genius. He was wonderful on set, both committed and inventive - and he can sing!'
Xavier Giannoli
|
