Bernard Campan is an actor, comedian, director, screenwriter. He is inseparable from the comic trio Les Inconnus, with Didier Bourdon and Pascal Légitimus, whose return to TV is expected shortly. He is also a director, he also co-signed the production of the film Almost with his friend, the philosopher Alexandre Jollien, in January 2022.
After performing Ivan Calbérac’s play: The tasting, Bernard Campan is releasing an adaptation to the cinema, this Wednesday, August 31. A story that tells of an encounter between two beings who seemed to be heading towards a devastating loneliness and nostalgia, but who will find themselves, even find themselves. Isabelle Carré is the feminine face, as in the play, the one that will capsize her heart.
franceinfo: Jacques is divorced, manager of a wine cellar, and Hortense is involved in associations and wants to enroll in a tasting workshop. In fact, it’s a real romantic comedy as you like them?
Bernard Campan: Yes, I like when humor mixes if not with drama, at least with a depth and the work of Ivan Calbérac leads us to that. Whether in the play or in the film, where we are more romantic than pure comedy.
After Remember beautiful things, you find Isabelle Carré. It’s true that it works perfectly between you, there’s a kind of obviousness that comes out when we look at you both. It is also for you?
Still. But a good cast isn’t about finding an actor for a character, it’s about finding the actors together, it’s about the relationships between the characters.
“Isabelle Carré and I are a very good cast for a love story. We appreciate each other and I think there is mutual affection and admiration. With her, it’s simple and pleasant.”
Bernard Campanat franceinfo
Teacher parents, so it’s surprising to choose this path. You could have done like them. What is the click then? Where does this desire to take the Simon course come from?
Do the Simon lessons, not especially. I didn’t even know they existed. It was my mother who made me do them. She said : “No no. You got your baccalaureate, okay, but you’re not going to go around the world like you plan. You’re going to Simon class. You like to do theater, you are going to do theater“. So, she forced my hand a bit. And my mother too, when she was young, would have liked to do theatre. When she was preparing her lessons for the École Normale in Paris, she had asked René Simon: “Do you think I can do theatre?“Learn a lyric and come audition and I’ll tell you. She was so scared of a negative response that she never did. So I think I caught up, a little bit, on some cross-generational stuff.
You will struggle at the beginning, until the “little theater of Bouvard” where something will actually happen. And above all, this incredible meeting between you, Didier Bourdon and Pascal Légitimus.
We had known each other a little before, at the café-théâtre. I had played with Didier at the café-théâtre. But it’s true that at Bouvard, that’s where we felt this affinity, this desire to stay together. Then we had found each other, so in the end, it was our destiny, wasn’t it? Then, thatIt was going badly at Bouvard, it was complicated and it was better to leave. In fact, it was our chance.
This adventure, where it is especially very, very beautiful, is that it has been driven from the start by the love of the French. It’s touching to have this public that evolves more with additional generations.
I am more affected today than I was then. It’s normal, time has passed. So it’s all tinged with nostalgia on the part of people, it’s often: “You rocked my childhood“, so now it’s more: “You rocked my mother’s childhood“, soon it will be my grandmother’s childhood! We are starting to age, you can feel it! But it’s still very touching.
What is also important is that at some point, everyone needed to chart your course. You also understood very quickly that you needed that to grow, to evolve differently?
It’s true that when Didier was starting to shoot the leading roles, I looked at it with great envy. When will roles be offered? I was afraid it would never happen eventually, and it came thanks to Zabou Breitman.
Zabou Breitman trusted you completely. It’s amazing what she’ll do with you and Remember beautiful things. Afterwards, she will call you back for several other films. I have the impression that she was one of the people who gave you confidence in yourself.
Yes, who taught me to do, despite the lack of confidence. When I read the script for the film, I had Zabou on the phone and I said to her: it’s wonderful, it’s beautiful, and she replied: “Alright, alright, but do you wanna do it?“I would love to do it, but I don’t know if I can.”But that’s not your problem, it’s mine. I know you can do it, so you gonna do it“I have always needed, and Didier also had this role at one time, someone who supports me, who carries me a little. It’s invaluable.
What are you afraid of?
I’m afraid of not being funny. I’m afraid of being ridiculous.
I’m always afraid of doing too much, so I’m always in restraint. I turned down a lot of roles that I found too extreme because I was afraid of screwing up. I’m afraid of a form of ridicule.
Bernard Campanat franceinfo
We have the feeling in this film that you have touched serenity with your fingertips. Finally, this journey is a bit of a quest…
If we are artists, it is because our art must nourish our existence and our existence must nourish our art. You can’t really compartmentalize. So yes, I feed on my work, I try to progress, to evolve. On the set of The tasting, I was 62 years old, I said to myself: it’s incredible, I’m over sixty, I have a nice role with Isabelle. With Ivan, we are a team, we appreciate each other so much, but what luck! Enjoy, savor it. There you go, I think maybe it’s age that allows it or not, but in my case I feel like it allows me to enjoy things a little better.