Sixty years of career and always the same desire to act, to go on stage… At 88, the actor Pierre Richard is part of the popular French cinematographic heritage. It is however to our Swiss colleagues of the newspaper The morning that he granted, on January 31, 2023, a long interview, on the occasion of his new play. Indeed, 90 minutes with… will be launched with our Swiss neighbors from February 9th. A show where “Le Grand Blond” recounts his most memorable encounters: from Gérard Depardieu to Louis de Funès, via Jean Carmet, Mireille Darc, Eddy Mitchell… accompanied by an orchestra of seven musicians. A unique life journey! “I couldn’t resist the project”, explains the actor then interviewed by videoconference from Brazil. A country where he likes to rest, to recharge his batteries. Especially since he is coming out of a long health test.
“I couldn’t move two meters because I was in so much pain”
On the set ofAsterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, he interprets Getafix, the druid who is the only one to possess the secret of the magic potion. A major role in the adventures of the intrepid Gauls who can’t live without it… apart from Obélix, of course. And when asked about the filming process, Pierre Richard mentioned the heavy worries he had to face to carry out his mission as an actor: “I didn’t shoot for long, because at the time I still had a lot of pain in my left leg. I had a massive osteoarthritis crisis. I came to the set with crutches and, when we said ‘motor!’, they took them away to give me a big wooden stick..”, tells first in all simplicity the eternal François Pignon of the comedies of Jacques Weber. And to continue:I couldn’t move two meters because I was in so much pain. Surprisingly, it can’t be seen. The paradox was also that I couldn’t walk, but I couldn’t stand sitting. I let you imagine my mood, after three hours of makeup… ” A real test therefore for the actor who nevertheless ensures to find the film “very beautiful and very well filmed”, not to mention the controversy around this French blockbuster that some consider devoid of humor.
See also: Guillaume Canet and Asterix atomized by a former columnist for Laurent Ruquier!
VF