Charlotte Bouteloup: A word on the starting point, the genesis of this film?

Dany Boon: The initial idea came to me during a holiday with my children at Club Med. I’d been chatting to a restaurant manager of French origin who’d never set foot in France and whose parents had met at the Club. I thought it would be an interesting idea to tell the story of a character living in the world of Club Med, a world somewhat apart. Then I spoke to people who were going to Club Med in countries where there was malaria or yellow fever, and when I asked them if they were getting vaccinated, as you know, I’m a bit of a hypochondriac (Laughs) – they’d reply: ‘No, no need, we’re at Club Med. ’ And I thought, ‘That’s crazy,’ as if viruses or germs stopped at the Club Med door. That’s when I came up with the character of Tridan, a child who grew up at Club Med in Mexico and had to change friends every eight days. And then, when I was filming La Ch’tite Famille, my mum came to visit me on set with my childhood sweetheart from Year 6, saying, “I’ve got a surprise!”; I remember feeling a bit embarrassed.

Charlotte Bouteloup: Do you remember your first love?

Charlotte Gainsbourg: I was four years old; he’d given me a handbag that smelled of leather (Laughs). It was black, it was absolutely adorable, I was crazy about him.

D.B.: The one who came to the set with my mum was Valérie, my fifth-year primary school sweetheart, I had a very brief fling with her (Laughs). I remember we’d gone with the school to see an exhibition on ancient Egypt; it was a bit dark, we held hands and had a quick snog. Then there was Christelle, then Nadia, then... (Laughs)

Charlotte Bouteloup: Charlotte, before filming with Dany, were you familiar with his comedic style?

C.G.: Yes, very much so. I’d filmed with Dany in Yvan (Atta)'’s Ils sont partout, and I’d had a lot of fun. Then, when Yvan filmed Dany 8 rue de l’Humanité (Netflix) for Dany, he came back from the shoot looking so happy, it seemed so joyful that I told Dany I’d love to work with him. Well, I don’t know how I put it to you?

D.B.: You sent me a message saying you’d seen my film, that you’d liked it and that you wanted to work with me, and I was very happy!

C.G.: That’s something I really don’t do very often! (Laughs)

D.B.: And I was delighted because it’s not that I hadn’t thought about it, but I’d told myself, ‘Right, I’m going to get turned down.’ But as is often the case, there’s a bit of magic and the stars align! It’s brilliant because, when I found out it was you, I ‘lightened’ the character a bit, who, at the start, is a bit lost and a bit of a nympho, and then, whilst reading the script, you said to me: ‘Oh no, that’s a shame, she could do this and that.’ So I added a few things (Laughs).

C.G.: I find it funny to poke fun at myself; it’s amusing to exaggerate the traits. It was great fun to play. Even though Roxanne, my character, is very ‘open’ about sex, it’s never sleazy; she’s not naive but she has a very fresh side.

Charlotte Bouteloup: And a very realistic side, because she reminds us of many women in their fifties, single in big cities and chasing after men who don’t want to commit.

D.B.: It was important to me to write about a woman, a fulfilled woman in her fifties who takes control. It’s a sort of revenge for these city women, who are ultimately quite lonely because they aren’t admired enough or treated well by men.
And then I found it interesting to draw a parallel between this idea of childhood love, with a very childlike, very pure vision of love and relationships, and the way people meet today on social media. On dating apps, there’s a very sexual side to it; you connect via photos, then comes sex, and perhaps feelings come later.

Consuming before loving, I find that surprising. I remember a couple who came to see me at the theatre and who’d met via a dating app. The girl, who’d actually come on her own, told me that during their dinner before my show, the man had kept ‘swiping’ to see if he could ‘match’ with other girls. That really struck me. And on the other hand, my 23-year-old son once told me with great pride: ‘I met a girl “in real life” at the library.’

C.G.: That’s funny!

D.B.: He was really happy about it, about having a romance that started somewhere other than on social media.

Charlotte Bouteloup: People in the industry say that comedy is the hardest thing to do. Do you agree with that?

C.G.: In the end, yes. But for the few comedies I’ve done, the shoots were always cheerful, it’s nice to have a crew that laughs; it sounds a bit silly but it’s really enjoyable! And then on this film, it was very family-oriented; we shot part of it in Belgium with a very warm Belgian crew!

Charlotte Bouteloup: Is this a genre you’d like to explore more and more?

C.G.: Not too much, either. Besides, I can’t do everything; my range is quite limited.

D.B.: Oh no, I don’t agree at all; your range isn’t limited at all, quite the opposite!

Charlotte Bouteloup: Was this your first time working with Kad Merad in a film?

C.G.: I didn’t know him personally. He’s so friendly! So easy-going! And funny, very funny! He made me feel completely welcome in the duo he forms with Dany.

D.B.: He’s generous!

Charlotte Bouteloup: Dany, it’s been nine years since you last cast Kad. Why did you wait so long?

D.B.: He said something to me that annoyed me, so there you go! (Laughs) More seriously, I needed a really good idea to work with him again; a sequel was out of the question because I don’t like them. I really wanted our reunion to be justified.

In this film, the relationship is different from the one we had in our previous ones. Here, he plays a very unlikeable yet sympathetic character. His character is suffering; he has a hard life because he never makes the right choices. It’s the same with my character: once we’ve moved on from the gags about the GO who leaves the Club Med world and comes up against the reality of the outside world, what are we telling? Where’s the story? It wasn’t about doing a sketch. Kad’s character is very cynical and very dark, just like many lonely people in big cities; when people take the tube, when they’re stuck in traffic, they get annoyed with one another. Kad’s character is a private hire driver, he gets poor ratings from his customers who think he never speaks. But even though he’s chasing money because he needs it, he could drive his customers with a smile. My character, who’s just come out of his life at Club Med, says: ‘If we smile, it’ll be easier.’ It’s this contrast between the two characters that interests me.

I remember, in fact, that I had a sketch in which I talked about Parisians, saying: “I’ve never seen a Parisian smile; I’m not even sure they have teeth!” (Charlotte Gainsbourg bursts out laughing)

C.G.: At first, that was part of the Parisians’ charm. I was born in London, but I grew up in Paris; I’m a true Parisian, and a Parisian from Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It was funny for me to go to England because I’d come across taxi drivers who were so nice. It’s a bit harsh what I’m saying about Parisian taxis; I don’t want to speak ill of them, especially as they were so affectionate towards my father [Serge Gainsbourg], but it’s true there was a big difference. These days, we Parisians don’t have much charm left. I spent six years in New York and over there, people are always smiling, they’re ‘welcoming’, it’s artificial but it’s really nice! (Laughs)

Charlotte Bouteloup: Dany, on this film, you’re the actor, director and screenwriter. How do you cope with the pressure?

D.B.: I don’t really feel any pressure; I put pressure on myself because I don’t want to let down the people I work with, or my audience. And I want my actors to be happy, comfortable with what they’re doing, and for there to be a real connection. What interests me is telling stories and doing so with a family we create during the shoot.

As for the rest, I deal with anxiety, stress and nervousness through work. What’s really tough about a one-man show is that you’re all on your own, and what’s brilliant about cinema is that you create a family with it, with artists in every role who have incredible talent and who bring something genuine to the film. As you know, I have big ears set quite far apart, and that’s on purpose – it’s so I can listen and hear when people say to me, ‘But don’t you think it would be better to…’ I love that!

C.G.: I was really surprised that we did a read-through with so many people; I’d never done that before.

D.B.: Yes, there were quite a few actors and department heads at the read-through. It’s actually a very nerve-wracking stage for me because reading the script out loud without any embellishments is very hard; it’s the raw text, so if there are any longueurs or weaknesses, I feel like burying myself underground.

Charlotte Bouteloup: Over time, do you manage to take a more forgiving view of what you’re doing?

C.G.: Not at all. I see everything that’s wrong, but I think that’s normal; I’m a good judge. The things I don’t like jump out at me, usually at the end of filming. I’d love to go back to the first scenes so I could rework them.

D.B.: I don’t think there’s any clumsiness at all; I’m a huge fan of her work. She brings something very powerful to the film and something extraordinary to her character. In fact, someone said to me, ‘But you’ve actually made a romantic comedy,’ and I replied ‘Oh really?’, I was the first to be surprised, and then afterwards I thought to myself, yes, of course, I’m telling the story of a man who rediscovers his childhood sweetheart, so yes, actually, it is a romantic comedy; I hadn’t realised that before (Laughs).
In fact, I think that if I’d gone with an actress who was a bit more slapstick or a bit more ‘comic’, the film wouldn’t have been as powerful; we’d have gone in a different direction. Charlotte has incredible subtleties in her acting.

C.G.: You see, for example, the hospital scene, I feel I messed it up.

D.B.: Oh no, I don’t think so at all! I assure you I don’t! (Laughs)

C.G.: It’s really nice, when you’re not used to filming funny scenes, to feel like you’re taking a leap of faith! I really went for it because I had complete faith in you; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to.

Charlotte Bouteloup: Last year, you made a lovely film about your mum, Jane par Charlotte. Did that make you want to direct again?

C.G.: I’d love to, but I don’t know how to write. I’d need to come across an idea that’s personal enough for me to feel I’ve got what it takes. I’m not a ‘doer’; I don’t have the technical skills. The documentary about my mother was because it was something that touched me deeply. I allowed myself to film a bit haphazardly, well, using whatever means I could find. I wouldn’t know how to make a film, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking I’d like to.

Charlotte Bouteloup: With your experience in the industry, what have you learnt to do differently?

D.B.: Over time, you learn, but you still make as many mistakes as before. Today, I’d refuse to act in films where the director hasn’t done enough groundwork, for example. I’ve sometimes asked questions of a director who was a bit lost, and they’d reply, ‘Ah, I don’t know.’ Well, that ‘I don’t know’ is terrible. I said to him: ‘You’re afraid of messing up, but in this case, it’ll be everyone’s mistakes, and it’s better if they’re your own mistakes because at least there’ll be your perspective and they’ll be your errors, and surely the film will have something unique about it, rather than everyone giving their opinion and it being everyone’s mistakes.’

C.G.: I’m less shy now, though. As a young adult, it was very difficult for me. In scenes, for example, I couldn’t push myself unless someone else pushed me. I felt so held back; my body got in the way, everything was awkward. I was fed up with myself. Today, I’m more relaxed, things are better; with age, things aren’t so serious.

Charlotte Bouteloup: Dany, you have a very strong, very authentic connection with the audience. In fact, every time, you go on a big tour of the provinces to show your films.

D.B.: Yes, and that’s very important to me!

C.G.: Dany has a very special connection with the audience, so I want to see that.

D.B.: First of all, you mustn’t lie to yourself; you mustn’t make films for the wrong reasons. That’s also why I don’t make sequels. People pestered me to make Les Ch’tis 2 and I’m delighted I stood my ground and didn’t do it. Fame, it changes. For me, it’s a completely abstract thing; it’s like snobbery towards comedies, it’s fleeting.

(He coughs) Sorry, I swallowed a wasp! (Laughs)

I’ve always had a really great connection with the audience; it comes from stand-up, from the stage, from always being in contact with people. Before I did Les Ch’tis, I thought I was well-known, but actually no, it’s become something so crazy! The main thing is that I keep my feet on the ground and carry on writing, working, telling stories that amuse me and that continue to amuse people.

Charlotte Bouteloup: Charlotte, you’ve also had a strong connection with the audience since you were very young.

C.G.: Yes, but for me, it’s different. I’ve benefited from the great affection people have had for my parents for a very long time. Even though in the 70s and 80s, people weren’t kind to my parents, in fact, my sister Kate and I got a proper telling-off at school. Since then, and even today, people are madly in love with my parents. It makes you feel humble because it’s not just me that people like.

D.B.: But of course you are!

C.G.: No, very often people come up to me to say they adore my parents, which is incredibly kind, but I just need to take people’s kindness a bit more to heart myself. Especially as we aren’t always kind to ‘the children of’. There was L’Effrontée, which was very popular; lots of teenage girls identified with that character of an awkward young girl, but after that, I had very little popular success, there was Prête-moi ta main, but that’s pretty much it. Then I had the chance to meet Lars von Trier! I was so lucky!

D.B.: And Iñárritu!

C.G.: Yes, I loved Iñárritu, but it was a small role.

D.B.: Yes, but the film (21 Grams) is magnificent and it was a well-deserved international success! Actually, the difficulty was having two very famous parents and starting a career at a young age.

C.G.: Yes, but it helped me because I started at 12 and, at that age, you don’t realise anything; I felt no pressure.

D.B.: You have the soul of an artist, not just in acting; you have a keen eye, you take magnificent photos. You were immersed in an artistic environment where your father did everything. He drew, he painted, he wrote, he sang.

C.G.: Yes, in fact, growing up, I never thought of myself as ‘just’ an actress; my mother dabbled in everything too.

D.B.: That’s what’s important; they gave you that foundation. Very often, the children of famous people need to be brought back down to earth because they don’t really realise it; they think fame is the end goal, and, quite often, achieving success too young is difficult to handle.

C.G.: They constantly warned me against getting a big head, making it clear that everything could change overnight. I got that from my mum: never being satisfied with myself, always questioning myself. Obviously, that helps me avoid getting a big head, and then Yvan (Attal) is a brilliant safeguard too.

D.B.: For me, my mum is very important; she’s always kept me grounded, she couldn’t care less about fame. I’ve seen artists’ mums take credit for their children’s success, and I find that really shocking. It reminds me of the time I did my first show at the Olympia; my mum came down from the North to attend the premiere and I said to her: “ Mum, come here, I’m going to introduce you to the manager of the Olympia,” and I said, “Jean-Michel (Boris), come here, let me introduce you to my mum,” and then I saw that my mum was sulking. I was a bit flustered, so I took her aside and asked her what was wrong.

And she said to me: “ ‘But are you on first-name terms with him? Are you on first-name terms with your manager? That’s not how I brought you up!’ (Laughs) When I ring her to tell her we’re making the biggest hit in cinema with Les Ch’tis, instead of saying well done, she says to me: ‘Don’t buy a new car! ’ When I bought her a house, it wasn’t to be too big. That’s what I love and what’s important; I grew up in that sort of atmosphere and I’ve always wanted to reassure her, not by saying ‘Look, Mum, I’m becoming really famous’, but rather ‘Look, Mum,  I make a living from my writing and my work’, a bit like a craftsman.

Article written by Charlotte Bouteloup to be found in volume 3 of Oniriq Magazine

Translated by Bethszabee Garner