Act III
 

Posted on october 16, 2018

Flamboyant Vincent Lindon has once again conquered the audience of the Comédie Odéon during his epic master class held on Monday morning. On the menu: imitations of Thierry Frémaux, Claude Lelouch, inside details about his career, homages to his peers... A nearly three-hour conversation with this man of conviction, who speaks freely, with a devastating sense of humor.

© Institut Lumière / Jean-Luc Mège

Don’t deviate from life

"It takes nerve, you have to be solid, it is physical as profession. And it's a profession of incredible violence. I like artists, they are athletes: we are hypersensitive, we feel people. But if we lock ourselves in, if we don’t talk to people, we move away from life. I know actors who have tinted windows, a press officer, a coach, a manager, etc. The more we put walls up between us and people, the more we lose talent. There are leeches who suck everything out of you. If you don’t spend time with others anymore, you lose the ability to do everything."

Preparing for a role

"To get into roles, I'm of the Serrault and Sautet school: I know my text perfectly, one step further than by heart. Acting natural takes an extensive effort. A talented actor is good for the first take, then loses power. Director Coline Serreau showed me something (he holds out a bottle cap with his arm raised). She told me, "You must know your text before the object falls." There are actors who are interested in the psychology of the character, whereas I believe what you see is what you get. But outside of takes, I don’t stay in character."

Finding your place in the business

"I swear it's true: I still can’t believe it every time my name is pronounced! I cannot imagine, for example, that there might be a tribute to me one day. I have this hang-up, like, "For me? No.” That's what happened to me in Cannes when I got up to receive my prize, I said to myself: "This time it is me." What a year it’s going to be! In French cinema, we have three decades marked by families of directors and I realized that I had not worked with any of them, whereas my friends had. Since the beginning of my career, I have not stopped taking side roads."

"Directorial ambitions"

"I'm dying to make a movie, but without acting in it. I think I wouldn’t be able to choose between a scene where it would will be better for me as an actor and a scene that would be better for the film. There is another reason why I think I won’t do it, because I really fought to get to where I am. If I make a film, knowing how obsessional I am, it would take me three and a half years. And the idea that there could be a guy who would take my roles during that time makes me go nuts! I’m losing my hair, but when I'm totally bald, I’ll start directing! I’ll try to be the first very old actor to direct his first film! "

Performing in the theater

"The theater, I dream about it, but I have a major disadvantage. You have to be there from 7pm to 11pm, and these are my favorite four hours of the day! In fact, I think I'm afraid of loving the theater too much. If I like it too much, I'm going to want to do only that, and the idea of letting go of the cinema makes me sick. I'm afraid to leave this momentum. But there is one play that I would like to act in, the problem is that it has already been done, with exceptional actors: “The Misanthrope.” To play Alceste would be incredible!"

Gabin, Delon and Belmondo

"I'm crazy about Gabin, he's one of five or six actors who, since the cinema has existed, has said not said a single phrase wrong. Delon is not the patriarch like Gabin; they have completely different styles, but he is a worldwide legend. As for Belmondo, he is the sun, he is joy. Everything is happy and cheerful with him. Delon is the opposite, he is the shadows. The best always come in pairs, like Ferrari and Porsche."

Laura Lépine