The face of actor Michel Blanc is one of the most familiar, and beloved, of French cinema. His smooth skull and his singular tone of voice, as if perpetually annoyed, have distinguished him for decades, in drama as in comedy. With his considerable gifts for the game, of course. Passing through Montreal, Michel Blanc presents the dramatic comedy at Cinemania The leadersby Julien Guetta, where he has fun, and has fun, as a vile scoundrel.
“I play a bastard, but a real one! exclaims the actor, obviously delighted, during a portrait interview.
His character is called Jean-Pierre: he is the uncle of the protagonists, Antoine and Christian, two brothers with contrasting temperaments. Antoine works at the port of Cherbourg and earns a necessary extra income by getting involved in Jean-Pierre’s shenanigans, while Christian is the eldest bohemian passing through who rightly fears the influence of uncle on brother.
“When I was offered this role, I said to myself, hey, I’ve never done that. I’ve played all sorts of guys, likeable or unlikeable, but a lawless mobster who’s willing to sacrifice his own nephews in the name of his dealings…”
Michel Blanc’s composition turns out to be all the more pleasurable as neither he nor the screenplay tries to soften the character’s monstrosity. “He’s garbage throughout. There is not a single moment when he becomes endearing. He’s hateful all the time. »
A professional turning point
It takes a certain generosity to play that. In fact, many actors prefer to avoid villain roles altogether.
“But that’s what’s interesting about this job. You know, I didn’t become an actor to play myself. »
We readily believe it: even in Tiredness, his second film as a screenwriter and director (Screenplay Prize at Cannes), he embodied a satirical version of himself. For the record, in this 1994 success, “Michel Blanc”, a famous actor, has his identity stolen by an unscrupulous double. A brilliant number of self-mockery that one.
Although at the time, this former aspiring pianist who had become a member of the Splendid troupe (The Bronzed and its sequels) no longer had to prove his comedic skills.
“It’s funny because, when I started in the business, I only landed small roles in auteur films: Bertrand Tavernier [Que la fête commence, Des enfants gâtés]Claude Miller [La meilleure façon de marcher]Serge Gainsbourg [Je t’aime, moi non plus]…And then there was The tanned and Tanned people go skiing, in 1978-1979, and the “authors” all stopped calling me. They must have been afraid that the public would see in me only Dusse [son inénarrable personnage dans lesdites comédies]. »
It is the triumph of Evening dress, by Bertrand Blier, in 1986, which reminded Michel Blanc fondly of the “authorist” fringe of French cinema. The actor forms there with Miou-Miou a lost couple who falls under the influence of a charismatic character played by Gérard Depardieu, with the key homosexual affair, cross-dressing and prostitution.
“It was a comedy too, but completely crazy. I had never done such a thing. »
It is thus films that mark a turning point in a career. ” Exactly. Evening dress is one. With this Interpretation Prize won at Cannes, all of a sudden, filmmakers who had never thought of me began to imagine me in different roles. You never know at the time that a film will have this kind of impact on the rest of a journey. »
dramatic actor
In 1989 came another of these pivotal films: Mr Hireby Patrice Leconte, already at the helm of the famous tanned. Taken from a novel by Simenon, this police work where Michel Blanc embodies a solitary guy obsessed with his neighbor across the street (Sandrine Bonnaire), but not for the reasons we think, exudes a bewitching deadly romanticism. Again, the actor had “never done such a thing”.
“This film…,” murmurs Michel Blanc, with a smile on his face. This almost mute character, this black atmosphere… To this day, I wonder if I was too young for the role. »
Faced with this doubt, it is argued that Mr. Hire precisely seems to be ageless, and that this adds to the unusual aura that emanates from the character. Michel Blanc opines: “You are right. And it’s true that he seems ageless. »
With this film, audiences, critics and, yes, filmmakers discovered Michel Blanc, the dramatic actor. Since then, he has alternated comedies and dramas without however making any distinction in terms of acting.
“What matters is the sincerity of the actor. It is necessary to play with truth what is written. In the case of a comedy, for example, when it is well written, the more you play true, the more funny it will be. I don’t have a deterministic approach to drama and comedy. »
Here, Michel Blanc pauses, pensive.
“From you to me, I’ve done a lot of comedies. However, I do not have the impression that I could still evolve much in this register. It would risk being reminiscence, repetition. While in dramatic roles, I’m left with a sense of novelty. I’m tempted by that, by these adventures that I know I haven’t already experienced. »
We listen to it, and we feel it is ripe for another of those films which “mark a turning point”. However, Michel Blanc does not intend to accept just any offer on the pretext that it is a golden role.
“I turned down good projects because I didn’t want to work with such and such a director, because I didn’t like his reputation. I always inquire. At the start of a career, you tend to accept everything, because you say to yourself: “I have to exist”. Afterwards, with a bit of luck, we can become more demanding. I have become. »
A new stage
Since 1974, Michel Blanc has been in the credits of almost 75 films, slowing down the pace a little, but barely. In recent years, he has been overwhelming as a homosexual doctor in Witnessesby André Téchiné, and staggering as an indispensable cabinet director in The exercise of the statea role that earned him a César.
“During the past year and a half, I have acted in three films: The leaders, where I have this great secondary role, and two others, where I hold the main roles. It’s been a long time since I’ve had so many projects. »
Ripe for a little rest? Do you think! “I don’t want to be left alone. I tend to fall apart when I remain inactive. You know, I still have the same pleasure to play. Well, that hasn’t changed. I am 70 years old. It’s a shock to say. Because it’s a step: I moved into the senior category. »
Let Michel Blanc be reassured: time has only refined his talent, which is immense. So that what we feel above all in his presence is deference.
The film The leaders premieres at Cinemania on November 3 and 5.