Guillaume Canet looks back on his Asterix: “I feel like I won my bet”
The director spoke to Le Parisien about the sometimes virulent criticism of his film, and the difficulties of making a blockbuster.
In full promotion ofAcid by Just Phillipot, Guillaume Canet was questioned by Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui in France on Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, which he directed and in which he played the lead role. Critics were not kind at the time of release… “ I loved it, I thought it was great, so nice and so cool », jokes Canet, before admitting that “ it hurt (him), yes, obviously. It’s never pleasant. But at the same time, all films are like that. There are good reviews and bad ones. There, I think it’s a little more exposed because it’s Asterix and it takes on enormous proportions. »
He adds that “itIt’s a different kind of cinema, with lots of special effects, huge sets, entire crowds to direct… I have a very positive assessment of it because I managed to make the film I wanted. When it came out, I went incognito into the theaters and I heard the laughter, the applause of the children and families at the end, that’s what was most important to me. Then, the film enjoyed great success abroad, with almost three million admissions outside France. I feel like I won my bet. »
And Guillaume Canet assures that he “ never regret anything. Because with each project, I learn. Perhaps I would not have made my good films if I had not previously been saddened by my failures. On the other hand, remaking a big film that takes a lot of time, why not one day, but for now, I want more a very personal project or a thriller. This is what I’m writing. »
Acid, by Just Philippot, is currently in cinemas. Trailer :