Italian
Celebrating excellence: Mélanie Laurent and Guillaume Canet honored at Locarno
A shared moment of recognition
In a delightful twist of fate, Mélanie Laurent and Guillaume Canet will both receive the prestigious Excellence Award Davide Campari at the Locarno Film Festival. This accolade celebrates their remarkable contributions to cinema. Canet expressed his joy, saying, “I would be sad if Mélanie was getting it all by herself, and I would feel awkward if I was the only one. It’s wonderful that we are getting it together.”
A new take on historical figures
Their latest collaboration, “The Flood”, directed by Gianluca Jodice, offers a fresh perspective on the lives of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. The film portrays their final days in isolation and poverty, far removed from the opulence typically associated with their reign. Laurent, who plays Marie Antoinette, based her performance on Stefan Zweig’s book, “Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman.” She explains, “She wasn’t stupid; she wasn’t obsessed with partying, but she had a husband who was asexual. He was nice to her but she was bored. She wasn’t supposed to have any power, and he was unable to lead. They weren’t the bad guys; they weren’t cruel on purpose. They were victims as well – of many things.”
A complex relationship
Laurent’s portrayal of Marie Antoinette is deeply empathetic. “We forget these women were married off at 14 to someone they barely knew. Louis XVI was like a child; he looked at the world in a naïve way,” she reflects. The film delves into the nuanced relationship between the royal couple, highlighting the tenderness and mutual affection that existed despite their dire circumstances. “In the film, it’s a very complex relationship because there’s so much tenderness between them. She really liked him, and he was probably in love with her, in a way.”
Stripped of grandeur
“The Flood” is not your typical historical drama. It strips away the grandeur and focuses on the human aspect of the monarchy’s fall. Laurent notes, “We’ve made so many movies about these events, and when you picture Marie Antoinette, you think of lavish parties and hundreds of extras. Here, all this wealth is taken away. They go from the richest people to the poorest ones over the course of 24 hours.”
Canet, who plays Louis XVI, adds, “It makes it interesting. In his journals, valet [Jean-Baptiste Cléry] expressed how Louis XVI was experiencing all this, how shy he was, and totally disconnected. I realized he suffered from some form of autism. He kept focusing on locksmithing and his favorite clocks. When his father was dying, he said, ‘After me, the flood.’ He knew his son wouldn’t be capable of being the king of France.”
The challenge of transformation
Transforming into these historical figures was no easy feat. Canet shares his struggle with the physical transformation, “We were doing all these makeup tests, and I wasn’t happy with it. I knew it could help, but it also hid and limited my expressions. I was showing what we came up with to people around me and the response was good, so I finally allowed myself to dive into the process.”
Laurent adds, “When your makeup artist is actually making you look like shit… There is something about it that feels so good. You don’t have to be beautiful and sexy, so all you care about is the emotion you have to deliver. It gives you so much strength.”
A journey through cinema
Both Laurent and Canet have had illustrious careers, working with renowned directors and actors. Laurent has collaborated with Tarantino on “Inglorious Basterds” and starred alongside Ewan McGregor in “Beginners.” Canet has appeared in “The Beach” and Jerry Schatzberg’s “The Day the Ponies Come Back.” Despite their success, they acknowledge the challenges they still face in the industry.
Laurent shares a recent experience, “Someone was driving me yesterday – I am shooting another movie right now – and she was telling me all about my career. ‘…And you’ve worked with Brad Pitt! Twice!’ I thought: ‘That’s true!’ But I am in a weird place right now, confidence-wise, so maybe it’s good I am getting an award.”
Creating opportunities
Canet emphasizes the importance of creating one’s own opportunities, especially as a director. ”Now, I just want to do the things I haven’t done before. I can do that because I don’t have to wait for the phone to ring,” he says. “I’ve always had this passion for directing, and maybe that’s how I express myself better, but I like being an actor – so much. I might be wrong, but I think I am actually improving. I am getting to play more complex characters.”
Overcoming industry biases
Despite their success, both actors have faced skepticism as they transitioned into directing. Laurent reveals, “At least in France, less so in the U.S., I’ve really felt it, and I’ve lost so many projects. Many are afraid I will be annoying on set or give out directions to the crew. Which is so not the case, because you actually start to understand directors even more. There is a price to pay, but I have no regrets. The pleasure of directing a movie, that joy of having a dream and seeing all these people who help you achieve it, is what I love the most. Maybe one day it will be completely normal for actors to direct.”
Balancing dual roles
Laurent is currently working on a new project where she will both direct and star. She admits to feeling anxious about it but finds inspiration in others who have successfully balanced both roles. “With the next movie I am working on as a director, I was already getting anxious. I was wondering if it’s a good idea for me to play the main part and then I realized everyone does it. When I see Bradley Cooper in ‘Maestro,’ I am not shocked by it – it feels right.”
She concludes, ”It has been a while since I got a part like this one, since I could cry, scream and feel like a proper actor again. Directing gives me so much pleasure, and now that I’ve started doing it, I can’t stop. But it was so much fun to really act again.”
Explore more
For those interested in diving deeper into the works of Mélanie Laurent and Guillaume Canet, check out the trailers and information pages for their notable films:
Their journeys in cinema continue to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide.
