“Fashion is not really the subject of The House “, says Lambert Wilson straight away (Appointment), who plays the central role of a fallen designer in this French series by José Caltagirone (The fighters) and Valentine Milville (The Office of Legends) stamped Apple TV+. For the actor, the essence of fiction lies elsewhere. “It’s about power interactions, family problems, betrayals, generational clashes, social clashes too, between the aristos and the nouveau riche,” he warns.
Lambert Wilson is thus in The House Vincent Ledu, this fashion pope, not without evoking a Karl Lagerfeld or a Hubert de Givenchy, who sees his empire tremble after the large-scale diffusion of a racist comment. The story of the fall of a king, all in all. “Someone who has to come down from his throne is like a character in Shakespeare who has to question himself and then almost dies from not being able to do so”, illustrates Lambert Wilson. If the protagonist seems monstrous at first, he will nevertheless gain humanity over the course of a series that is less Manichean than one might think. “Vincent, he is confronted, from the first episode, with an expiration date that is imposed on him by everyone because he made a misstep”, underlines the French actor.
In The Houseit is, in fact, a question of exploring family dynamics — oh so dysfunctional, gangrened by the most odious baseness. “What fascinated me was family ties, this kind of tragedy where people kill each other, like the Atreides,” says Carole Bouquet (For your eyes only), who plays Diane Rovel, Vincent Ledu’s greatest rival. “There is not a moment of peace between anyone in these two families,” adds the icon of French cinema. And Pierre Deladonchamps (The stranger of the lake), a member of the Ledu siblings on screen, insists: “They are all crazy and take revenge on the others in turn.” In the series, no generation of Ledu or Rovel is spared from resentment. “It’s incredible how, deep down, we pass on the good and bad sides without even realizing it,” notes Carole Bouquet.
Passing the torch
According to Pierre Deladonchamps, the hostility between the Ledu and the Rovel also helps to clear the way for the torchbearers. “There are plenty of things that tell the old world that it will now have to adapt,” he says.
” In The Houseas in Richard IIthe problem of inheritance is fundamental,” mentions Amira Casar (Call Me by Your Name), who plays Perle Foster, outsider of the family business, eternal muse of Vincent Ledu and much more… “We saw it in Picasso and in many painters, even in ordinary families: it is very, very difficult to inherit, to receive,” she continues, specifying that her character has always evolved according to the few crumbs left by Vincent, at his own discretion.
“In fact, everyone suffers in this series,” Amira Casar points out. A shared pain that is all the more resounding. “But Perle, at a certain point, will succeed in emancipating herself and taking power when she welcomes a younger generation into the Ledu household to make a revolution in the world of fashion,” explains the Franco-British actress. Independent brands, recycling, archiving, women’s empowerment: The House also addresses the current issues of an environment often criticized for its lack of ethical responsibility, particularly in the ongoing ecological disaster. Perle Foster thus navigates the series by learning from the new avant-garde generation while providing it with — almost — unconditional support.
But, regardless of the generations involved, the objective is above all to save the Ledu house, whatever the cost. “There is also a time when this coexistence between different ages is complicated because today, people are still brilliant at 60, 65, 70 years old and they do not necessarily want to give up,” says Antoine Reinartz (Anatomy of a fall), which is in The House Robinson Ledu, the unloved nephew who dreams of taking Vincent’s place.
Who then becomes more legitimate to take over the reins? “It’s hard because we say to ourselves that the time of the young has arrived and, at the same time, I completely understand the character of Lambert Wilson, who created everything for decades and who continues to have talent. Why would he give up his place?” asks Antoine Reinartz. Even if the intrigues do not always leave room for doubt, the conflicts never cease to amaze the viewers…
Doing in lace
In the Ledu family, we also discover Paloma Castel, this illegitimate “daughter of” who has just arrived from Berlin and who will be entrusted with the new role of artistic director of the Ledu house, to the detriment of her nephew Robinson. “I find that Robinson is quite a visionary, but also, because of this sprawling and quite violent family in its relationships, it is difficult for him to emerge,” thinks Zita Hanrot (Fatima), who plays Paloma. “Despite the tensions, I feel like Paloma and Robinson are both very much part of their time with their own ideas,” she says, while her character willingly challenges the representation of women’s bodies and diversity in fashion.
Eventually, The House would still be a bit like the fashion world. “They are obsessive neurotics looking for something that is ephemeral and fragile, but also has a lot of depth,” notes Zita Hanrot. According to her, this quest for singularity at all costs, a bit marginal and punk, brings a certain relief to the series since, each in their own way, the protagonists are all crossed by this duality.