The 68-year-old actress said that she almost never acted in films because of her homosexuality, and that actors in general prefer to hide their sexual orientation in order to continue working. Several figures in the sector believe that she is right, and that younger generations could change things.
It seems that Muriel Robin’s words had the effect of a small bombshell. During the broadcast What an era, on France 2, the 68-year-old actress felt that she did little or nothing in films because she is homosexual, evoking “homophobia” middle. Muriel Robin has, in fact, declared that “if you are homosexual, you are not desirable, you are not penetrable. And in the cinema, we are worthless !”
>> Cinema: after Muriel Robin’s testimony in the show “Quelle Epoque!”, the place given to LGBT actresses and actors called into question
Beyond the simple media “buzz”, these very strong remarks have been widely circulated since, and undoubtedly raised questions in the French cinema sector, to which franceinfo wanted to give a voice. We contacted around thirty people, all professions in the cinema combined (directors, actors, producers, distributors) to react to his comments, including off microphone if they wished. Less than ten responded, which perhaps means that the subject remains delicate.
An “old-fashioned” vision
Others said that they weren’t necessarily comfortable responding, not being homosexual themselves, and that they would rather contact LGBTQI+ actors… But that’s precisely part of the problem: according to Muriel Robin, today very few talk about it, for fear of filming less. “She’s absolutely right,” assures director Pierre Salvadori.
“Some actors and actresses prefer to hide their sexual orientation rather than being deprived of the possibility of accessing roles, knowing that three-quarters of the stories have straight protagonists, including mine.”
Director Pierre Salvadoriat franceinfo
“But it seems indisputable to me, it’s very complicated to be transparent in this environmentregrets the director nominated for the César for best director for Freely !, in 2019. I think it’s a fear that we might think that they are not credible, something totally irrational, that we might imagine that they would not be credible in a heterosexual role…”
For the filmmaker, the problem would therefore come from the way in which the films are written, and the roles imagined: “Among those who offer these roles, there may be a fear that these actors will not be credible in another sexuality. Which is absurd, in my opinion, because there is what we call ‘fictional pact’ with the public, which totally accepts the actors in the roles of cops, gays, straights, whatever you want. They don’t worry about that, I’m convinced.” , precise Pierre Salvadori.
Before adding that in his thirty years of career, he has never encountered an openly homophobic director or producer. It is therefore, according to him, more of a concern for vision.old-fashioned“, not to say curator of cinema and representation on screen.
Hypocrisy
There would therefore not necessarily be a frank and assumed homophobia, nor even “covert”, but without a doubt, on the other hand, a certain hypocrisy of the environment. Especially since the French cinema sector resembles any field of activity, and society in general: many homosexuals work there, and it seems all the more absurd, even if we mentioned the reasons which explain it, that the actors and actresses having made their coming out in France, over the last ten or twenty years, can literally be counted on the fingers of one hand.
“I’m quite hallucinatedThe reactions around this word, including on the set of the show, denounces casting director Julie Allione. It’s as if everyone was stunned or exasperated by this speech, which is necessary and important!” For her, homophobia does exist.”systemic” in what French cinema – at least its version mainstream – has persisted in wanting to present itself as representative of society for decades.
“We are immersed in a heteronormative culture. For filmmakers, it’s complicated to move away from representations in which we have been immersed for generations”
Julie Allione, casting directorat franceinfo
“Homophobia is also a culture that permeates many things, and it is not always something declarativeshe slips. But indeed, the fact of choosing by default representations which announce heterosexuality, even if in private, we know nothing about it, is homophobia. It’s called that. It’s not necessarily the other all the time, the homophobe”.
And our two interlocutors agree on one last point: the hope that things are changing – and may even already be changing – thanks to the younger generations. Pierre Salvadori thus cites the actress Adèle Haenel, whom he directed in Freely !who has certainly distanced himself from French cinema, but has, according to him, “the courage to say and do things, and opened a door into which others should rush”.