Rhys Ifans and Tom Hollander in The King’s Man | “Balls and aplomb” to revisit the First World War

In the feature film The king’s man, actors Rhys Ifans and Tom Hollander are propelled behind the scenes of the First World War, in roles poles apart. The first embodies the charismatic Russian monk Rasputin, while the second slips into the shoes of three monarchs who controlled half of Europe at the time. Interview.

Danielle Bonneau
Press

The first two spy films in the Kingsman franchise were pastiches of the 1960s James Bond films, with a profusion of extravagant gadgets, in the very particular style of Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men – First Class). With The king’s man (The King’s Man – First Mission in French), the filmmaker goes back a hundred years to explore the (bloody) thread of the events that led to the creation of the independent intelligence agency Kingsman.

The Duke of Oxford, played by English actor Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry potter), is at the heart of the feature film, which highlights the behind-the-scenes games and power struggles within the European monarchy, before and during the First World War. By virtue of his rank, the aristocrat has a front row seat to see what is happening. On a personal level, he overprotects his only son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson), until he can no longer stop him from enlisting in the military. Pacifist, he is active first in the shadows, with the help of two faithful employees (Gemma Arterton and Djimon Hounsou), to put an end to the war. The no-nonsense trio finally take matters into their own hands and take on the ruthless members of a secret organization with devastating international ramifications.

In good hands

Rhys Ifans was offered a role he had long hoped to play, that of the enigmatic Rasputin. The actor is used to composition roles, having notably interpreted the eccentric Xenophilius Lovegood, father of Luna, in the Harry Potter saga as well as the D^r Curt Connors (aka the Lizard) in The Amazing Spider-Man. The screenplay co-written by Matthew Vaughn and Karl Gajdusek appealed to him, he said in a videoconference interview with Press, with Tom Hollander.

“When Matthew Vaughn does something, you know you’re in good hands,” said Rhys Ifans. In this case, I found him to be brave. It takes guts and poise as a filmmaker to tackle a subject like World War I, which was the most devastating conflict in human history in terms of the loss of life, in the spirit that Matthew did, being both able to laugh at tyrants and certain events, while also reflecting the scale of the drama. The comedy sort of amplifies the horror of war. It sheds light on its absurdity and the carnage that resulted from it. The quirky juxtaposition of comedy and tragedy is incredible. ”

The Russian healer Rasputin, who actually exercised strange control over Tsarina Alexandra and her family before being assassinated in 1916, is among the mercenaries plotting to bring about the fall of the monarchy in some countries in Europe.

“It’s exciting to play someone like him, dangerous, mysterious and fun at the same time, especially in the Kingsman universe, where you don’t have to be perfectly faithful to the characters,” said Rhys Ifans. , who trained for months to perform a spectacular scene combining combat techniques, martial arts (jujitsu, karate and judo) and Cossack dancing.

Three monarchs

English actor Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean, Bohemian rhapsody) embodies the King of England George V, the German Emperor William II and the Tsar of Russia Nicholas II, all three closely related by blood. Not having to stick to a rigorous fitness program, he had fun during the interview playing down his triple performance, making Rhys Ifans laugh.

“I obviously have three different gaits, but that has nothing to do with me, he dropped deadpan. The credit goes entirely to the makeup and costume departments. I made a semblance of a German accent for one of the characters, a bad Russian accent for another, and a good English voice for the English one. But when you see them on screen, it’s a revelation. It may surprise some that I play the three guys. ”

“Of course, they look alike, and that’s the big joke,” intervened his Welsh accomplice. But what you’ve managed to do with all three is to reflect a sense of incapacity. During the shooting, I was very happy to wait to see which of the directors would emerge from the make-up trailer. When I saw you it brought the biggest smiles to my face. ”

More seriously, Tom Hollander was full of praise for Matthew Vaughn. ” The king’s man is everything one would expect from a film in the franchise, when it comes to entertainment, irreverence, sheer madness and silliness, but there’s also a touching and strong portrayal of World War I, has it? -he indicates. The way Matthew used the historical context is wonderful. He didn’t need to invent the stakes because the world was falling apart. Half of the movie is real, which is remarkable. And unique. ”

The king’s man (The King’s Man – First Mission in French) will be showing on December 22.