Alban Lenoir: “I have had too much of a tendency to lock myself into action lately”

In the costume of Lucky Luke, the star of Balle Perdue and AKA changes register, delighted to finally participate in a project “that children can watch”. Alban Lenoir speaks to Première.

PREMIERE: Is it creepy to bring a myth like Lucky Luke to life?
ALBAN LENOIR: We’re doing a Lucky Luke that we’re not used to seeing. There’s a real bias that made me really want to accept the role… Except that the next day, I was seized with a terrible fear: ‘Dude, what have you just gotten yourself into?’ I felt enormous pressure. As soon as you touch an iconic character, whatever it is, you know you’re going to get torn apart! Whatever happens. Because you won’t have the right head, the right look, the vest will be too closed, too open or whatever. So I decided to take all the pressure off myself before the shoot and go there without asking too many questions…

What is your personal relationship with Lucky Luke?
I read everything as a child. And I reread everything before shooting the series. A year ago, I was totally unbeatable on the subject! We all love Luke because he has ethics. He has a vision of the world that he never lets go of. He’s just a good guy. He’s almost a superhero who would have this super power to shoot faster than his shadow.

Who is the new series aimed at: historical comic book fans or the new generation?
This will speak to open-minded Lucky Luke fans. Some might focus on details. Why is it him? Why doesn’t he have a fuse? Etc. And at the same time, we assumed doing something else. We wanted the comic to be taken from the series and not the other way around. We allowed ourselves some liberties, keeping iconic characters, but we really did our own thing.

How did it feel to see yourself in a Lucky Luke costume for the first time?
Weird ! They did an insane job on everything. In addition, we shot in real locations, without green backgrounds, without VFX at all. And it’s true that the first time you put on the costume, you wonder if you’re going to fit the character. It’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. But this costume helps a lot to get into Luke’s shoes. 50% of the work is done with the entire artistic direction who made a point of making the entire universe credible to the image.

How do you train yourself to shoot faster than your shadow?
I did just that for three months! At home, with a revolver, again and again… I had some skills, after my action films, in handling modern firearms. But a revolver is very different. It’s much more dangerous because there isn’t the same security. And therefore more complicated. So, I stood in front of a mirror. I filmed myself drawing to see my gaps, to try to go faster. And it really paid off during filming. And then I had to learn to gallop too. I’ve ridden a horse before at summer camp, but other than that…

Is it a fantasy to play a cowboy when you’re an actor?
Yes, I like westerns, but I had a lot of gaps in the old films. So I caught up before filming. I watched a lot of spaghetti westerns to fill myself with this universe. So as not to reproduce what had already been done too.

Were you surprised to be offered this role?
I was very surprised. I had shot three films with Benjamin Rocher (Goal of the Dead, Antigang and Antigang, La Relais) and he had the courage to see me in it, which was not easy at first. Because in the profession, we quickly forget what actors and actresses are capable of. I started out doing comedy. By playing in Hero Corp, in Kaamelott, in Lazy Company. My debut in cinema was in Les Gamins. You only need to make three action films for people to say to themselves that you only know how to do that and to stay stuck to one genre…

You have actually had this French “action hero” label for several years. Is this an image that you want to change? You played in the next Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Changer l’eau des fleurs) for example…
Yes… but in Jeunet, I only have one scene. Everyone talks to me about it, but I only did one day of filming… Now, it’s true that I’ve had a bit too much of a tendency to get stuck in the action lately. Whereas I like being a jack of all trades. So I’m shooting Christophe Honoré’s new film (Marriage with Orange Taste). And I just finished Once Upon a Time, a family adventure film by Clovis Cornillac with Artus (based on Perrault’s tales, Editor’s note). I’m careful to take a little distance from the action. While waiting for the right scenario that will make me want to come back to it one day… Finally, Lucky Luke is the right way to mix genres a little. And also to make something that the children can watch. I don’t know if I’ve ever had that in my filmography…

Lucky Luke, currently available on Disney+.