Vincent Perez releases his sixth feature film

Every day, a personality invites itself into the world of Élodie Suigo. Tuesday January 2, 2024: actor, photographer and director, Vincent Perez. Since last Wednesday, he has been starring in his own film, “An Affair of Honor”.

Vincent Perez is an actor, photographer, director from Vaud. It is through photography that his eye observed the world and that he managed to freeze emotions before finally delivering them on stage and then on the big screen. It was in 1990 that he established himself internationally with the role of Christian de Neuvillette in Cyrano de Bergerac by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. Two years later, Indochina by Régis Wargnier was released and the public and critics were won over. They adopt him, worship him with the Jean Gabin prize to complete it all. Movies like The Hunchback by Philippe de Broca (1997), Queen Margot by Patrice Chéreau (1994), Those who love me will take the train by Patrice Chéreau (1998) will follow. Wargnier, Antonioni, Ruiz, Kurys, he has acted for the greatest directors, alternating arthouse films and feature films.

Wednesday December 27, 2023, he is starring in his own film, A matter of honor, with Roschdy Zem, Doria Tillier and Guillaume Gallienne. The year is 1887 and despite a ban on duels, they remain a matter of blood and honor. He tells us the story of Marie-Rose Astié de Valsayre who fought with the sword for equal pay, for women’s rights, quite simply for the evolution of women.

franceinfo: Isn’t this film first and foremost the story of the evolution of women?

Vincent Perez: Yes, it’s true that it was really surprising to discover this important figure from the end of the 19th century who hit the headlines and who was talked about a lot because she had demands that were incredibly ahead of her time. time. Little by little, she found her place in this story. Equal pay, the right to vote, amazing stuff for the time. And then the right to wear pants which had been forbidden to women since a law of 1800, which prohibited women from cross-dressing as men. If they did so, they had to ask the prefect for authorization. It was an incredible situation.

“Marie-Rose Astié de Valsayre notably fought for a large part of her life for women to have the right to wear pants, a law that was forgotten and then banned in 2013.”

Vincent Perez

at franceinfo

What does having honor mean to you?

I think it’s a very intimate relationship with yourself, actually. This is where we place our own honor. Self-esteem. Where do we locate our own dignity. I think there’s a bit of that idea.

There is a form of rightness in everything you can do and in everything you have always done. There, in this film, we have never discovered you so much, in any case, having discovered so much what you were, what touched you.

I think we go through periods. I went through a period of questioning where I had to return to a requirement that was within me, I’m talking to you about fifteen years ago, and I had to rebuild myself. And it’s true that in rebuilding myself, I went through photography, I returned to what I wanted to be, who I wanted to be.

“This film is a bit of a sort of fulfillment of where I want to be and continue to create a body of work as a director.”

Vincent Perez

at franceinfo

If we had to tell the story of who you are today with your journey, what would you say?

I think I’m the sum of all the experiences I’ve had working with incredible directors. I had the chance to work with Antonioni, Ettore Scola, Patrice Chéreau and many others. With incredible actors, whether in the Anglo-Saxons or in France. I am in my place today making this film. I am hardworking, I like work, I like research. I discovered that with this film. In fact, I love immersing myself, for months and months, in research to create a sort of bubble, a world into which I enter. And then at some point, this bubble is so full that a story comes out. That’s kind of what I did when I was a kid. I spent my time drawing and painting. It was my way of creating my own little world as a child. And it’s true that finally, today, I’m doing a bit of the same thing.

We feel that a page is turning with this film, that you have finally found the right path. Can you already imagine what happens next?

Absolutely. It’s my passion, it’s what I love to do. I love the work, I love the writing. I discovered a passion for writing and it’s true that something opened up in my life, which allowed me to make this film and I’m working on the sequel, of course. And I’m still an actor. So I also act in films. Some will be released soon in particular Bolero by Anne Fontaine. I was happy to work with her, with Raphaël Personnaz, Jeanne Balibar and Emmanuelle Devos.

“I love the profession of actor, it’s a magical profession to bring words to life, to seek out the soul of a character and to live with it. It’s very beautiful.”

Vincent Perez

at franceinfo

I think that being a director also allowed me to love the acting profession even more.

What does cinema give you?

Cinema gives me everything, a lot of things in my life. I live with cinema. Cinema is an extremely difficult profession, you have to fight, they are fights. To make a successful film is a miracle. What I love about this job are those who are looking for this miracle.