Louis Garrel. “My mother used to write to me when I was little to tell me how disappointed she was after an argument.”

Make no mistake. The Little PrinceAdapted for the screen a dozen times, it does not offer itself another cinematic version. St. AixPablo Aguero’s film focuses on the personality of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Louis Garrel), straining his friendship with Henri Guillaume (Vincent Cassel).

The story takes place in Argentina in 1930, when two Aéropostale pilots are looking for a solution to cross the Andes mountain range. When Guillaume goes missing during a flight, Saint-X decides to go look for him, despite the danger. Because this episode of the French writer’s life was little known, Louis Garrel agreed to embark on the adventure, and because the idea of ​​recounting this steadfast friendship with his friend Vincent Cassel appealed to him.

Madame Figaro. – What was your relationship with Saint-Exupéry before this film?
Louis Garrel. – If in France, The Little Prince almost imposed on us as soon as we get out of childbirth, I have to admit that I did not particularly relate to this author. I was interested to explore a little-known part of its history, and to have an Argentinian director born in the foothills of the Cordillera take it on.

Do you know why director Pablo Aguero thought of playing Saint-Exupéry?
I think he saw Saint-Exupéry as clumsy, a bit moody, a man who wrote in his notebooks instead of steering the plane, and that’s how he imagined me. In fact, I am more of a weakling than a dreamer. And Pablo Aguero, of course, didn’t know before our meeting that I’m phobic about flying.

How did you slip into the writer’s shoes?
I should have been like him, elusive and with my head in the clouds. I read all his flight logs; These are very beautiful travel stories in which we find a kind of pride, because very few people had his experience of the sky at that time. who got his hands dirty.

Pablo Aguero probably didn’t know before we met that I have a phobia of flying

Louis Garrel

How was Vincent Cassel the ideal actor for the role of Guillaume?
I met Vincent Cassel about ten years ago in the movie Maven. My king. I already had a crush on the actor because he always tries something new. He often moves on his own, changes his voice, body, creates and knows how to play with his body. I also like the fact that he is embracing being an actor. The profession is often criticized, turns into narcissism, which is not false, but really tells him that he loves it. It gives him a form of pride that I admire. We have become friends, and in life we ​​often argue because We are not alike at all. This is also what enriches friendship.

You, who are also a director, would you like to direct it?
Yes, but I’d be a little afraid of boring him because I imagine he needs a director who’s confident to direct him, but the biggest doubter is me…

What is left of your childhood?
Aveyron. My paternal grandmother had a house near the Tarni Gorges, and when I go back there, I find this place extraordinary. Other than that, my Parisian life consisted of seeing my friends in the courtyard. About ten of us were the same age, and I spent my time sleeping at each other’s houses.

Vincent Cassel and I often argue because we are not at all alike, which is also what makes friendship so rich

Louis Garrel

In the film, Saint-Ex works for Aéropostale. Which letters have been important in your life?
A good friend sent me a blank letter one day saying: “Dear Louie, this is the effect you have on me…” It was cruel, but almost a work of art, so I remember it well. And my mother used to write to me when I was little how disappointed he is after the argument. So much so that today, when I receive a letter, I always imagine that it is a criticism. (Laughs). I have not perpetuated this with my children, I prefer to say things to their faces.

Which father are you in life? ?
I try to make my kids worry as little as possible because they will inevitably have to deal with this as adults. But I reassure myself that there are characters; I, for one, am so worried that I would be able to demoralize people during the Trente Glorieuses.

Where do you feel most free today?
in Italy. The hysteria of the Italians suits me very well, and I am very comfortable there, neurotically speaking. They love the French, and when I start speaking Italian, I feel like I’m a hybrid version of myself there. The language creates this, we become a different person.

I am so worried that I would be able to demoralize people during the Trente Glorieuses

Louis Garrel

Then the public will find you Dog 51, By Cedric Jimenez…
Yes, this is my first science fiction film. The story is a distant adaptation of Laurent Gaudet’s novel and takes place in the year 2045. Paris is then divided into zones that separate the social classes, and is controlled by an artificial intelligence whose inventor is killed. Opposite Gilles Lelouch and Adele Exarchopoulos playing on the resistance side.

And your next film as a director?
I am in the middle of writing.I like to make some melodious, sentimental films, even if I don’t know if the genre is very popular… The success of my previous feature film, the innocent It’s probably a bit of pressure on me, but I’ve always had stage fright, ever since my first short film.

Saint-Aix, By Pablo Aguero, with Louis Garrel, Diane Kruger, Vincent Cassel… Released on December 11th.