From pupil to I will always see your faces: director Jeanne Herry reveals her method to us
The director tells us how she set up the casting of her latest film, where we meet Gilles Lellouche, Leila Bekhti and Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Five after Pupilher second feature film which devoted her talent as a director, Jeanne Herry returned in 2023 with a new film about the strong subject, I will always see your faceson restorative justice. A discussion space that allows people victims and authors of an offense to dialogue in secure devices.
In the April issue of Firstwe had met the filmmaker to try to understand and decipher what we can already call the “Herry method”. A style that seduces the public but also actors and actresses, who are jostling to play under his direction. Broadcast for the first time in clear this Sunday on France 2, I will always see your faces was a nice in -room success, with nearly 1.2 million spectators, the best score of a film by Jeanne Herry.
In the casting of I will always see your faceswe find Gilles Lellouche, Miou-Miou or Elodie Bouchez, who were already on the bill Pupilbut also a prestigious list of new heads: Leila Bekhti, Dali Benssalah, Fred Testot, Adèle Exarchopoulos or Jean-Pierre Darroussin.
Extracts:
I will always see your faces: the new success of the director of Pupille (critic)
Do you write with actors in mind?
Yes. For some. Here in particular for my mother (Miou-Miou), Gilles (Lellouche) or Leïla (Bekhti). But I left out of exit because I was aware that their characters only arrive at the fiftieth page of the scenario and that it could have put them off. Besides, I almost did not dare to offer it to Leïla.
The fact that you have achieved Pupil Play for you in these cases, right?
Completely. Besides, Gilles started by telling me yes without reading the scenario. It was I who insisted that he does it, that he became aware of the size of his role and that he falls in love with it, and not just the idea of reworking together.
Do you notify those you write upstream upstream?
No, I don’t make this error anymore! (Laughs.) I could see that people had too many expectations and could be disappointed! So I keep it for myself until I give the script to read.
Do you have a particular pleasure in putting actors under the spotlight like Fred Testot here or Élodie Bouchez in Pupil ?
Yes, even if I don’t seek it at all costs. I just rely on a spectator’s pleasure to find people who I liked and who have disappeared from radars. This is obviously done in a casting and economy balance since, in fact, we cannot put a film on their names.
But by using known faces, you never fear that the actor takes precedence over the character?
You are right but for the moment, working with amateurs does not interest me. It may happen that a known person vamps a character. But I find that the actors I chose – Gilles, Leïla, Adèle (Exarchopoulos), Dali (Benssalah) or my mother – are anchored in life. However, I pay attention. I know that I cannot choose faces known to play the victims and less known faces to play the attackers, for example. I must also be careful for diversity. Everything is undermined when you venture on this ground.
Interview by Thierry Chèze
