Géraldine Nakache: “I only ever wanted to do comedies!”

In “Children Are Kings”, she plays a police officer who investigates the disappearance of a young YouTube star. A dark role which offers a new score to the 44-year-old actress. Encounter.

Just out of the phenomenon FiascoNetflix’s wacky comedy led by Pierre Niney, Geraldine Nakache goes to Disney Plus for another series that is significantly less funny. In Children are kingsadapted from the eponymous book by Delphine de Vigan, the All That Shines actress plays a police officer responsible for investigating the disappearance of a young girl, a YouTube star overexposed on the networks by her mother (Doria Tillier). A gripping thriller where she plays a dark and taciturn investigator. Geraldine Nakache confides in Première.

PREMIERE: Did you know the novel by Delphine de Vigan before playing in the series?
Geraldine Nakache : Yes but I hadn’t read it. My agent calls me one day and tells me I have an appointment the next day for this role. I tell him that it’s not possible, because I haven’t read it! But for him, it doesn’t matter and the producers tell me that it’s so much the better. And I shouldn’t even read it! I respected the deal and I understood why after filming, when I was able to read the book. There I realized that they had developed this whole police investigation plot and a thriller narrative around my character which did not exist at all in the novel.

Was it exciting for you to play a cop in a French detective series?
In fact, I was afraid of the somewhat classic police investigation, which we have seen since Navarro on French TV… I was afraid of the French detective series, because suddenly we think of Julie Lescaut ! It’s a madeleine for me, I looked Julie Lescaut my whole life, but I didn’t see the point in doing that again. I was afraid to play the role. In The TorchI play a policewoman but to generate comedy. There, playing a cop in an investigation scared me. Fortunately, the narrative of the investigation is not the most important in Children are kings. The essence of the series is the way these characters meet, how they play with their image, their truth.

Like your character, do you have a little trouble with social networks?
Yes, that’s clearly what I have in common with her. I’m 44 years old and I’m not very social media savvy. I jump on the bandwagon when I can. I didn’t take the Tik-Tok train for example. I’m not the type to film what I eat. On the other hand, I scroll all day long on what other people are eating… I’m a little fascinated by it all and at the same time there’s no question of me posting a photo of my children. Even though I love looking into other people’s private lives… It’s a very ambivalent relationship.

“I’m not the type to film what I eat. On the other hand, I scroll all day long what other people eat…”

The series is very dark in substance. Is this something you liked?
I only ever wanted to do comedies or voice cartoons! Today it’s starting to move away… Thanks to platforms and series in fact. Now I can play everything, finally! I’ve always been the same actress deep down, whether it was acting in Fiasco Or Children are kings. I play what is written there. It took a little time, but now, I have the impression that thanks to the series, there are more things possible for me.

But between Fiasco And Children are kingsit’s still the big gap!
Yes, it’s pleasant, but I never say to myself: hey, I have to alternate comedy and thriller. And then the reality is that I’ve done a thousand dark things before. It’s just that either it wasn’t successful or people didn’t see them. People always want to associate me with comedies, because I started there and because it is with comedies – like many – that I found my greatest success. That’s what people remember. But now, it’s been a few years since Hippocrates (2018) I would say, that I also play other more dramatic things.

The creators of the series readily evoke the influence of Mare of Easttown on Children are kings. Was Kate Winslet also a reference for you for this role?
No, but obviously, Kate Winslet is an absolute reference! I love it. What a wonderful actress! That’s really high… Now I’m not sure I’ll ever be a Kate Winslet (laughs).

How did you approach your face-to-face meeting with Doria Tillier?
We already knew each other since we met on the set of Jonathan Cohen (The Flame). It was a relief to shoot this with an actress that I knew and that I really like. We didn’t have to turn around for days before playing some weird stuff together. We had some really deep sequences to film together and it was easier to play that with her. There was no discomfort and that was very pleasant. Afterwards, Doria plays the most difficult role in the series. He’s such an ambivalent character. What she does with Mélanie Diore’s character is crazy. Seeing her do that on set was crazy. I couldn’t have played Mélanie myself.

Children are kings, mini-series in 6 episodes to watch on Disney Plus from October 23, 2024.