It was through a message sent to AFP on Friday, June 17, that we learned of the death of Jean-Louis Trintignant. Very quickly, the tributes multiplied, both by his ex-wife Nadine Trintignant and by his former filming comrade, Alain Delon. It is also impossible to miss a reaction from Claude Lelouch, director of the most cult film of the actor’s career: A man and a woman.
Interviewed by the newspaper The Parisian, Claude Lelouch recounted how he learned of the death of Jean-Louis Trintignant and his little misadventure that followed… Indeed, he was driving his car and returning from Beaune (Côte-d’Or). “It’s a funny coincidence when you think thatA man and a woman takes place in the middle of motor racing. Moreover, just after hearing the news on the radio, I was stopped by the police for speeding. I told them that I had just learned of Jean-Louis’ death, they recognized me and they let me go. It’s quite disturbing to have learned about it on the radio, too, so important in A man and a woman”, confided the director, upset.
Claude Lelouch had Jean-Louis Trintignant turn in A man and a woman, with Anouk Aimée, released in 1966 and became cult. The film received numerous prestigious awards including the Palme d’Or at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, the Oscar for best foreign film in 1967 and the Oscar for best original screenplay. “Jean-Louis was the first person who said yes to me, and with that yes, I was able to do everything else, he opened all the doors of this profession to me.“, added the director who assures that he had plans to make him shoot one last film.
While Jean-Louis Trintignant’s health had been declining for a few years – his family, however, ensures that he died of old age – Claude Lelouch still had regular contact with him. “We spoke on the phone from time to time and we had seen each other at the Cannes Film Festival during the climb of the steps of my film The Most Beautiful Years of a Life, in which he played, in 2019“, says the director.
Note that the funeral of Jean-Louis Trintignant will be private, according to his wishes.