For more than a dozen years, the name of Xavier Dolan has been, for most moviegoers, synonymous with a brilliant screenwriter and director. The titles I killed my mother, Tom at the farm and Mommy, among others, parade. However, before this early career as a filmmaker, there was already that of actor, but also that of voice actor: a profession that the main interested party has never abandoned. These days, he embodies in the French version of Lightyear beloved astronaut Buzz Lightyear as seen in the movies Toy Story (toy story): a great contract, as Xavier Dolan agrees.
“I discovered the first two Toy Story as a child, at the cinema, with my parents and friends; at six and then at ten. The third, I was an adult, but these are films that I discovered with enormous enthusiasm and wonder. I liked seeing the characters evolve, but also Pixar’s art. Interpreting a character from this universe is a huge dream. »
What’s so special about Lightyear, is that we are dealing with a different version of the character as well as a distinct narrative context. So that in English, after Tim Allen lent his voice to Buzz, Chris Evans took over. At home, Xavier Dolan succeeds Mario Desmarais.
For the record, Xavier Dolan has dubbed Rupert Grint, alias Ron Weasley, among others, in the adaptations of Harry Potterand Taylor Lautner in the series Twilight. He is also, in Quebec, the official voice of Timothée Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name, Dunes).
Animated film or not, Xavier Dolan had to respect the vocal interpretation created by Chris Evans.
“I know his work well. I’ve seen all the MCU movies [Univers cinématographique Marvel] and its Captain America is iconic. In Lightyear, he explores a more comical, more blundering register. It was nice to try to imitate; a stimulating amalgam of beautiful nuances. In dubbing, creative licenses are limited. We hear someone say something in English and our mandate is to redo it in French to the best of our ability, in our cultural nuances, without appropriating anything other than the humanity and the tone of the character. . It’s not up to us to decide the story. The profession of voice actor is done in the shadows, but also in humility. »
“Magnificent laboratory”
Precisely, Xavier Dolan is an admired and award-winning filmmaker, who has plenty of projects (he is in full post-production of the miniseries The night Laurier Gaudreault woke up, based on the play by Michel Marc Bouchard). He continues to work as an actor for other filmmakers, as in It: Chapter 2 (It: Chapter 2) Where Boy Erased (erased boy)… These are trades, unlike that of voice actor, of light. But, obviously, Xavier Dolan finds his account there.
“It brings me a lot. It feeds me and allows me to grow as an artist. I love to observe. When I dub an actor, I watch him play, I absorb… It’s an exceptional showcase of the work of all kinds of performers: not just the one I’m dubbing, but those all around, not to mention the artisans of the films whose I see the work. It allows me to dissect the films; it is a magnificent laboratory. »
Obviously, we cannot ignore an element of Lightyear which caused a lot of talk. It will be remembered that in March, Disney employees had denounced the withdrawal of a kiss between two characters of the same sex in the film. Disney made its mea culpa and not only reinstated this passage, but was also very critical of the “Don’t Say Gay” policy promulgated in Florida, its capital. Is this the kind of commitment that appeals to Xavier Dolan, a leading filmmaker in the LGBTQ+ community?
” Absolutely ! Exponentially! When I discovered this kiss between Buzz’s best friend and her spouse, I was very moved. We are not yet following the adventures of a homosexual Disney hero, but for me, with this kiss, a wall collapsed. I saw in fast motion all the moments of my childhood when I looked for myself in vain on the screen, as a young gay boy. I believe that, for today’s children, to see this kiss, it allows them to integrate a notion of normality; it is a normalization of something that is not yet everywhere, far from it. The moment of the kiss is not presented with a fist in the air, as a claim: it is done with tenderness, as same-sex love should be shown to young children. In short, it only increases my pride to be associated with the film. »