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Heartbreaker

Coverage by Nobuhiro Hosoki

Story : Charming, funny and effortlessly cool, Alex (Romain Duris) is a professional Don Juan who makes a living breaking up couples with his sister Mélanie (Julie Ferrier of MICMACS). Because business is slow, they go against their principles to break up only unhappy couples and agree to work for M. Van Der Bercq. Alex has only one week to stop the wealthy man’s daughter Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) from marrying the man she is madly in love with.

 

Interview with director Pascal Chaumeil and Actor Romain Duris

 

(Q): Does this movie remind you in some way of some of the American screwball comedies?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): I know that Laurent Zeitoun, a screenwriter, and Jeremy Doner who wrote the first draft of the script thought a lot about “It Happened One Night.” I’ve never seen it so I didn’t think about it and I thought more about “Philadelphia Story.” I liked the way the character interacted and I thought a lot about this kind of movie and also some of Billy Wilder’s best work. The comedy and the romance really interact all the time so you never get too corny so when the emotion comes too far you try to find something funny.
 
(Q): And did you see some of these films or have any of them as a reference?
 
(Roman Duris): Yes, of course. But for me I tried to be real. One part of my job is to think about this character, Alex, and to give him a lot of reality.
 
(Q): I think French cinema has a great tradition of such comedies. Did you have room for improvisation on set?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): The script was very precise. We thought we had a very strong structure and we knew what story we wanted to tell.  I felt it could be become cold and mechanical if we only did what was in the script so I tried to find a way during filming to make a bit of a mess. So we try to find something very spontaneous and there was some kind of improvisation and we were not looking for the exact word of the script, we just were looking for something very alive. And so there was some improvisation and if we saw that some things that were in the script didn’t work we tried to find something different to make it work. So the script was not a bible.
 
(Roman Duris): It’s very important because for us, to work with someone who thinks like that for actors it’s very comfortable because you are not shy, you can do maybe more than if it was very mechanical. I think a lot of moments in the movie we have moved a mood more. The mood is more important than the real joke and that is because you can’t create that, it’s just we felt free and we believed in what we acted.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): They all are really going together really well, all the actors of the movie, so they had fun playing with each other. There was no competition between them so that was quite easy really.
 
(Q): Could you talk about the choice of a lot of American music heightening the tension?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): The problem is if you use French songs the lyrics are stupid. It was more our culture if you think of the “Dirty Dancing” music and George Michael and it’s more something everyone can relate to. English or American songs are like a universal culture; everybody can relate to that. If we had chosen a French song instead of George Michael I don’t think it would have spoken to so many different people. In French we would have had a stronger reaction, “I hate this song,” so that’s why we chose it, because it’s some kind of universal. And I also like the fact that the film has some kind of pop rock mood.
 
(Roman Duris): Expensive? George Michael?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): Very expensive. My producer asked me if I could find something else than George Michael so I listened to a lot of ‘80s compilations and really that was the best.
 
(Q): How were you familiar with these songs? Were you an old George Michael fan?
 
(Roman Duris): No. I don’t know if it’s a question of generation but I’m moved by this kind of pop music and cinema. “Dirty Dancing” and many movies from the ‘80s like that.
 
(Q): Did you ever expect you would be doing the dance from “Dirty Dancing”?
 
(Roman Duris): No, not at all.
 
(Q): Could you have thought of any French music that would have been as funny?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): No, I don’t think so. And there’s nothing in any French films that would be funnier than the “Dirty Dancing” dance. It was obvious.
 
(Q): I think there was a great chemistry between you and Vanessa Paradis. How did you work on it?
 
(Roman Duris): It was very natural, very smooth.
 
(Q): Did you know her before?
 
(Roman Duris): No but I wanted to work with her before so I think the desire was already there. We were agreeing about a lot of things about the movie.
 
(Q): Is she easy to work with?
 
(Roman Duris):  Yes, very easy. She’s listening a lot.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli: I think she really plays with her partner. When they’re together you can see that they really play together. Some actors play for themselves and its difficult. They really related to each other.
 
(Q): You weren’t nervous when you were doing the “Dirty Dancing” scene?
 
(Roman Duris): We were nervous to do it in a good way because we had expectations to do well.
 
(Q): How long did you practice?
 
(Roman Duris): I don’t know. It’s difficult to say because the makeup artist on the set was a dancer, so we could dance when we wanted to dance. So I don’t know, I can’t say how many hours we spent.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): Romain, how long did you work your moment?
 
(Roman Duris): Months. Years.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): Did you play the DVD?
 
(Roman Duris): Of course. I watched Patrick.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): I didn’t see him doing it before the day.
 
(Roman Duris): It was like in the movie.
 
(Q): Could you still do it?
 
(Roman Duris): No. Impossible.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): No, it’s a one shot.
 
(Q): You were a fan of Vanessa as a musician, right?
 
(Roman Duris): She’s a part of us so I think even if I like her or not she’s here since I’m young.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): She is an icon in France. She’s part of French history. It’s bad to say that about her but she started so early we’ve seen her for more than 20 years now. I think there is something magic about her. It is sometimes difficult to last and she started very young and she’s still there and she makes new things. She’s very talented.
 
(Q): Was Johnny Depp somehow involved in it?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): He came on the set and I said no I don’t want to see you. No, no we never saw him.
 
(Q): What was it like shooting in Monaco?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): It’s okay. In fact the Monaco authorities were happy that we came to do this film there so they helped us. In Monaco there are only three main streets and we had one of the main streets in Monaco blocked for a whole day. We heard that there was a traffic jam everywhere in Monaco.
 
(Q): Did they charge you a lot for that?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): No.
 
(Roman Duris): Like George Michael?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): What was expensive was the rooms and the restaurants. It’s expensive to live there, that costs a lot of money, but otherwise they don’t charge you for the use of the location.
 
(Q): Is it easier these days to raise money for a comedy in France?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): Comedy is a genre that works really well in France. For this one it was not so easy because it was a bit different, it’s not a typical French comedy, the concept was a bit strange for the French tv channels, and also the fact that Romain and Vanessa are not comedy actors. So we had some trouble to finance this movie.
 
(Q): But that must have been fun for you because people didn’t have expectations of you being a comedic actor, so you could really have fun with the character I would assume.
 
(Roman Duris): I don’t think about them when I was doing it.
 
(Q): But the idea of playing comedy must have been exciting just to have that challenge or that opportunity.
 
(Roman Duris): Yes, maybe. But I’m like that in my life. I don’t know if I’m a funny guy in my life but I love to have fun and to laugh so it’s very natural to me to do this.
 
(Q): So you’re kind of surprised you didn’t do a comedic role sooner.
 
(Roman Duris): No, I know why. I’m very happy that works because I think if you want to be funny in a movie it’s very difficult. So I’m happy that it works in this one.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): It’s very painful if you try to be funny and you are not funny. That can be very funny.
 
(Q): What was your reaction when you first read the screenplay? I read that you had some hesitation about doing it because you had some questions about Alex’s attitude and it was a different style for you. What were your initial reservations?
 
(Roman Duris): About Alex it’s true, I was afraid to do a stereotype of James Bond and seduction and just smile and pretend to seduce anybody. Yes, I had a lot of questions about how I could do this character, how I could add some fragility, some doubt, and how I could show him in a more human way. I didn’t want to do someone who has too much confidence; I wanted to find some depth.
 
(Q): Do you think it could work? This formula; do you think if we tried it it would work to try to seduce someone?
 
(Roman Duris): It works quickly, very quickly. One hour.
 
(Q): Can you site any other examples where you wanted to bring something else into certain scenes?
 
(Roman Duris): Its some details. It’s such to show him so we can understand he’s not very comfortable but he’s doing this job to win money and to make a living. The others, his sister, I thought that could make him more human, more realistic. Its details. But for me it was big to believe this guy.
 
(Q): Alex has to be acting a certain part for Juliette; he’s duping her. As an actor you have to make that believable, you have to show the kinks in their façade. You have to show the kinks in his façade as he is falling in love with her. Can you talk about the challenges of playing a character who’s putting up this façade and you have to break through it?
 
(Roman Duris): It’s great. You never feel empty because you have a lot of things to play. But before playing you have to choose one.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): As an example, one of the last scenes after their big night where he’s by the sea thinking a bit sad and then she comes and you have to play you woke me up but then it’s too late for me. And so that was difficult for him to play because he has to make his act for her but he also has to show you that doing this act for her is very painful for him. And we did not many takes because it was a dawn so we had like 10 minutes for each angle, so we did two or three takes. So the first take was very good but you can add a little spice and so the second take added all the spices. We had this moment that he’s playing something but you can see playing it is painful.
 
(Q): You played several characters where you think they’re one way and then they turn out to be something else. You like to be characters that have a change.
 
(Roman Duris): Of course. Yeah.
 
(Q): Something you seem to understand. Can you talk a little bit about that idea? Like you like that idea of a character that makes this huge transition at some point and you have to figure out how to show it, but not all at once.
 
(Roman Duris): No. I don’t want to speak about that. It’s a secret. It’s because we spoke about that earlier. For example, in “The Beat That My Heart Skipped,” to play someone who works in real estate but we know that he’s passion in the piano. And so when he’s talking with friends, the audience, you and I, we can see in his eye he’s not here, he’s in something more artistic, that is the piano. And for Alex sometimes it’s something like that and for an actor it’s a chance to have another level, another thing to play because you can go very far. I mean yes, you can go very far in your mind but the audience follows you so there are no limits and you never felt empty. It’s very rich and there is a complicity with the audience.
 
(Q): Do you have any specific ways of making yourself ready to the challenging day of shooting?
 
(Roman Duris): I try to not be anxious. It’s difficult; it’s a difficult moment, the day before the beginning of shooting, because you are like oh I have more questions and your mind could be working to try to find the good questions, always good questions about your character. And the day before we want to play, we want to be the day after and to play.
 
(Q): So you’re anxious?
 
(Roman Duris): I’m anxious, but I am eager to get started. I’m like okay, come on, come on. Give me action. So it’s a strange moment, like in another job when you have a meeting, I think it’s like that; you are anxious. And because I think you can’t be the character in your home alone because you need the camera, you need to be on the set with the camera. Maybe not with all the people but you need to be there to start your character.
 
(Q): You don’t rehearse?
 
(Roman Duris): I can but it’s not the same. I think the reality of the character is on the set, on the eye of the camera.
 
(Q): This movie has such an upbeat, happy ending; I don’t expect that in a French movie. I was almost embarrassed that I liked it. Was that sort of refreshing in a way? It was really sweet.
 
(Roman Duris): A kiss, a kiss is not sweet. I was in deep shit.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): We never questioned the happy ending. We felt we’d like to play in the genre and not having a happy ending on a romantic comedy would be a major failure, people wouldn’t like it. Watching this kind of movie I wouldn’t be happy if it didn’t have a happy ending.
 
(Q): In this film the very charming guy’s profession is to break couples. Will it be relevant when the film goes to the American screens?
 
(Q): A new job you’re started.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): We’ve thought about that.
 
(Q): Will it be a problem?

(Pascal Chaumeli): No.
 
(Q): Could you talk about the challenge of having a light tone to the film?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): You don’t really know; it’s not something you can calculate. As I said before, maybe it’s my first feature film and maybe I wanted to put in my first film everything I like. I tried to find a good balance; you think about it, you feel it, and it’s a bet and you’re never sure this is going to work until you have the first good editing. But you secretly hope that all of these elements will fit together.
 
(Q): Did you have a French audience in mind when you made the film?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): No. I don’t have an audience in mind. Maybe I am the audience; I’m trying to make a film I would love to see. France is not a huge market but it’s a big market. If a film is successful in France it’s already a big audience. We had a very big audience so we never thought about doing it as an English-language film. And especially a comedy, otherwise we should have thought of English and American actors. I think it’s difficult for a French actor to play in English, especially for the comedy because you need the pace.
 
(Q): Of all the possible scripts, things you could do what was it that made you decide this is the thing that was going to be that debut signature?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): To be honest, I’m not a writer. I had a few propositions before and I never really loved the script. This one I read it, it’s probably the first script that I really felt I could do something about it. It was funny, when I read it I loved it, and it needed to be improved but I thought let’s take a chance on this one.
 
(Q): And when you read it did you get it immediately?
 
(Roman Duris): No, no, no; not at all. My reaction was I didn’t want to do it. I told Pascal I don’t know. I had doubts and doubts are a part of the process. So I took my time.
 
(Q): How did you overcome those doubts?
 
(Roman Duris): Speaking with Pascal, understanding who was this guy and how he was open to add some stuff and to understand the way he wanted to do this movie, understand his sense of humor.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): We also had a discussion about the rest of the cast. He was not saying I want this actor or this actor, but I think probably when I told you I gave you good direction of how I could see the rest of the cast.
 
(Roman Duris): I had to understand the cast, even if we don’t agree. I had to trust.
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): The character that François Damiens is playing, Marc, it could have been very bad. Some actors could have made him not an interesting character. I think François brings some craziness, some poetry, something absolutely lunatic. He brings something very strong to the character and if you have an actor that is not as subtle as him it could be the usual stupid asshole of the comedy. And so does Julie; she brings something very personal.
 
(Roman Duris): Yeah, and moving.
 
(Q): What would be your reaction if you were offered a remake?
 
(Pascal Chaumeli): In fact the remade will be done. It’s not done but it’s on the way. I think Working Title has the rights and I think they are writing a new draft of the script. But I’m not really involved in it and I wouldn’t like to be involved in a remake.
 
(Q): Are you exciting about the screenings at BAM?

(Pascal Chaumeli): I’m very happy. It’s an honor for me to have a retrospective. It’s something.

End.