In Suddenly alone, Thomas Bydegen’s film about a couple’s shipwreck in extreme conditions, Gilles Lelouch stars behind closed doors with Melanie Thierry. A conversation with the actor of all challenges.
His slate is full for the next few months. Just finished filming the adaptation After them their children, by Nicolas Mathieu and a bit of a wink was expected Sooooooo !By Quentin Dupierre, Gilles Lelouch will be filming in February Rembrandt, by Pierre Scholer, with Camille Cotin. 2024 will also mark the release Love fu, his second solo production. But for now, he’s showing off Suddenly aloneThomas Bidegein’s extreme adventure based on the novel by Isabelle Autissier (Suddenly, alone, Éditions Stock, 2015), about a couple in crisis who, following a shipwreck, try to survive on a hostile island. Meet an actor who doesn’t hesitate to step out of his comfort zone.
Madame Figaro. – Were you hesitant before accepting this shooting under difficult conditions?
Gilles Lelouch. – The opposite. Even before I read the script, I stepped into the adventure. the desert island, the shipwreck, survival actors, even directors were fantastic. The script finally won me over with its Bergmanian side that explores romantic relationships. The film is an allegory about a couple, the storms we can experience together, and how we can win against the predicted death.
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Melanie Thierry and you alone on screen. Challenge ?
It was quite dizzying. When you’re filming in Iceland at -12°C for two months under dark skies, it’s important to bond with your partner. I had immense admiration for Melanie’s work, and I discovered a rare and reserved woman who does not displease me. There’s a wild side to her that not only fits the context of the film, but I find it valuable in a society and environment where we expose ourselves too much, where we’re constantly promoting ourselves.
How to find valves in such a shoot?
Ultimately, I didn’t go through this experience as something difficult. We are so ingrained in this profession that it feels good to face something different. Modern adventure, hyper-connected and frenetic, is often limited, sometimes sclerotic, and I was happy to get away from that and live with the rhythm of the elements, rediscover nature.
We are so ingrained in this profession that it feels good to be exposed to something different
Gilles Lelouch
Is it central to your life?
Founder: I grew up near Fontainebleau and often go to the family home to recharge my batteries. I need it like I need to travel. Cinema, which allows me to discover other areas and ways of life, remains my main escape. I even believe that my choices often reflect my desire for something else.
Gilles Lelouch and Melanie Thierry suddenly alone By Thomas Bydegain. Photo: SP
Are you single?
I am the opposite of a single person. I’m just happy to share. I don’t see the point in admiring myself in front of the Northern Lights.
This is why you realize to break the loneliness?
Yes and no. Outside the time of filming, the loneliness of the director is much greater than that of the actor. When you leave the board, you are left alone with your choices. If your vision is clumsy or disjointed, that is your sole responsibility. The mental load is abysmal. If you start opening Pandora’s box, it’s endless. To stay current, I keep this phrase in mind. “It is loyalty to your choice that saves your choice.”
This film inverts male-female codes. Something recurring in your filmography?…
It is not a militant, but a spontaneous choice. Large bathroom, for example, was born from a simple observation. I saw depression, melancholy, loneliness in the men around me, and by telling them, I offered a face of masculinity that was not expected of me. The strong and core image of the alpha male I was given has crumbled…
It was the education I received Jurassic Park compared to what today’s youth rightfully demands
Gilles Lelouch
And back Pupil where you were responsible for the child…
Jeanne Herry imagined me where no one had gone with me. He opened up a lot for me, inside me. I am fortunate to have been enlightened by intelligent artists who have helped me grow. I think, for example, of my friend Audrey Diwan, who made me understand the importance of activism, the need to sometimes impose barriers.
Have the women in your life also participated in this deconstruction?
I have a teenage daughter and a stepdaughter and they won’t leave me alone. Thanks to them, I am aware that we have to review the codes and reflexes of other times, review the place of women and our way of working with them. I am 51 years old and the difference between my generation and my father’s is already big.
In other words.
It was the education I received Jurassic Park compared to what today’s youth rightfully demands. Even if my mother compensated with the strength and love of her life, I grew up with my father’s strictness and authority, already more pronounced than those that were instilled in him. It will take decades to deconstruct patriarchal codes so that we no longer use, for example, silly little phrases that we mistakenly thought harmless.
Suddenly alone is an allegory for a couple, for the storms we can weather together
Gilles Lelouch
You just flipped Love fu , written with Audrey Dewan. What state of mind are you in?
Happy. I’ve fantasized about this film for fifteen years since Benoit Poelvoorde gave me the book, and the story has evolved over the years, especially in terms of genre representation. The female character suffers less, is less passive. I’m currently in editing and, in the current context, I enjoy isolating myself in my bubble. The film is set in the 1980s and 1990s, and as a nostalgic old boomer, taking refuge in the memories and music of the time serves me well.
suddenly alone By Thomas Beidegen, with Gilles Lelouch, Melanie Thierry…Theatrical release November 27th.
Source: Le Figaro
