Alex Lutz and Daniel Bruhl. “Great enemies always have a complicated relationship”

When we meet, their complicity is as obvious as their on-screen rivalry. In Becoming Karl LagerfeldProduced by Jerome Salle and Audrey Estrugo, Daniel Brühl slips into the shoes of the German fashion designer, former artistic director of Chanel, alongside Alex Lutz, who plays businessman Pierre Bergé. A show that the two actors presented as part of the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, April 7. To discuss with them the complex relationships between their characters, Agnes Jaoui’s contribution to this series, adapted from the work kaiser carl signed Raphael Baquet, or the challenges undertaken by the man who embodies one of the greatest creators.

Madame Figaro. – How did you feel about presenting your show? Becoming Karl Lagerfeld During the Cannes Film Festival.
Daniel Bruhl. – You cannot imagine a more glamorous beginning of the series. Being in Cannes, in this prestigious cinema, which is probably the most famous in the world, and presenting our show during the festival is the best way to introduce this program.

Tell us about your meeting?
Alex Lutz. – I had already met Jerome Salle, who told me about the series. He assembled the cast, and Daniel and I met at a script reading.
DB – As an actor, you lie all the time. We always pretend to be perfect on the first day. I pretended that I could speak French very well, and I remember that the first reading was terrifying for me. I thought everyone was speaking so fast, so naturally, and I didn’t feel comfortable at all. I said to myself. “I have a big problem there.” (Is laughing) But slowly I felt great love, respect and generosity towards me from this gentleman (he designates Alex Lutz, editor’s note) but also Arnaud Valois (aka: Yves Saint Laurent, Editor’s Note) and Theodore (Peler, The translator of Jacques de Bascher, Editor’s note)
AL – During this reading, we felt we could question the script. We also wanted to help each other. We knew that if this quartet (Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld and Jacques de Bascher, Editor’s Note) did not take, the series would not work. We were really happy to see that this foursome worked and it didn’t fade during filming.

Several years after Karl Lagerfeld’s death, the designer continues to fascinate. why
DB – Like Andy Warhol, Karl Lagerfeld has become a timeless pop culture icon. We’re not just talking about the person he was. Therefore, it was interesting for me to be involved in a project that evokes the human side of Karl Lagerfeld, not that he was an immortal and artificial figure whose memory will forever mark us. Knowing that he continues to exist in people’s minds would certainly be a wonderful thought for Karl Lagerfeld. But again, I wanted to find out who he was as a person before his character was born.

It’s quite exciting to think that Pierre Bergé and Karl Lagerfeld, at arms length, could pair perfectly and find each other in many places.

Alex Lutz

The relationship between your two characters, Pierre Bergé and Karl Lagerfeld, is quite complicated. How would you describe it?
AL – It is a form of admiration, sympathy and nervousness, hatred mixed with fear of territories. There is an emotional, romantic space and a professional space. In Pierre Bergé, there is certainly an opportunity to see that this creature who arrives will leave a lasting mark on the world of fashion, beyond what could have existed between Karl and Yves Saint Laurent, in their past, sincere and deep friendship. Pierre Bergé may have nothing to fear from Karl, but I think he knows very well that this guy is going to be part of something important that will put him in danger in his own current zone. It’s not just a matter of space, but what it’s all about personally. It’s pretty exciting to think that these two, with guns drawn, could get along great and find each other in many places. Then there are emotional and relational upheavals that complicate the situation. And then, great enemies always have a complicated relationship. Remember Alain Prost’s tears when Ayrton Senna died. We heard him gasp as he commented on this accident, while they told each other the horrors of their lives.

What was the biggest challenge for you in approaching your character?
DB – The fact of finding one’s own truth, of avoiding the classic traps of biopics, of not becoming a copy or a clown, a caricature. I had to fill the image with my own thoughts, feelings and instincts, to create something new. I also had to be brave, not to be afraid of other people’s opinions or my own thoughts. There were many obstacles and overcoming them was an exciting feeling. The day it works, you tell yourself you hit something and keep climbing the ladder to find your truth. The best part of my job is when all the words you’ve read a thousand times come to life and other actors take the stage. I shared many beautiful moments on set with Alex and Arno, but also with Theodore (Pellerin, translator of Jacques de Bascher, editor’s note), which was a revelation to me. It was the first time I had such an emotional relationship with a man. I told my wife I was sorry but I would be in love with a man for a few months before I got back to him. He said. “It doesn’t matter, he’s a great person.” We played a fascinating foursome and everyone was 100% invested.
AL – I just wanted to take this opportunity, since we haven’t talked about it much, to share the joy we had working with Agnes Jaoui on this series, which is already so important to our cinema. I wanted to salute the actress that she is, the very modern embodiment of the house of Chloé. Suddenly we’re looking at him like we’d look at a colleague today, and I think his interpretation of Gabi Aghion brought something very powerful. It allowed us to better understand the world of fashion at that time and its challenges.
DB – She is also the only woman in the series who treats Carl right, unlike Marlene Dietrich or his mother. We had some great scenes with Agnes.