Jonathan Zaccai tells us about Kabul behind the scenes

The great European series on the return in force of the Taliban, after the departure of the American army of Afghanistan, begins this evening on France 2. Its French star guides us behind the scenes of an extraordinary production, filmed in Greece.

First: what attracted you to the project Kabul ?
Jonathan Zaccaï : What seduced me was the richness of the narrative lines, extremely well written. The urgency of the situation, with the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul, is told through different points of view. It is a choral story where everything is intertwined with fluidity. We follow both the management of evacuation as the fate of an Afghan family on the run. It is a very ambitious and stimulating European project.

It is a very collaborative project, with many nationalities. What does this change for an actor?
He reigned a very happy collective spirit on the set. We were surrounded by Italians, Germans, with a Polish cinematographer and directors. It was a real merger of European talents.

Where have you filmed it all?
We were unable to shoot in Afghanistan, of course. So we filmed in Greece, around Athens, in fairly neutral decorations that we could transform to make them as realistic as possible. The airport was fully recreated, and it was stun: it really felt like it was.

How was filming in the reconstituted embassy?
It was very hot! We filmed in Athens in the middle of summer 2024, which plunged us in conditions close to those of Kabul in August 2021. I met extras who had themselves known exile and tests similar to those told by the series. It was striking: I found myself immersed in the heart of a panic crowd, shouting, which reinforced the realism and the emergency of the moment. Looking at the control screen, I sometimes had the impression of seeing real archive images, even if the staging is not a documentary.

What memories did you have, personally, Kabul events in August 2021?
I remembered the striking images of the time, especially those of people on the tarmac trying to flee. But by working on this project, I became aware of the complexity of the situation and I discovered that French diplomacy had played an exemplary role. The French embassy was the last last open to Kabul at that time and evacuated as many people as possible. However, even this success remains a failure, because so many people could not be saved.

To what extent is the series true to reality?
According to my readings and the research carried out for the role, the series is very realistic. The two writers, Thomas Finkielkraut and Nicolas Demangel, were inspired by real facts while injecting a part of fiction.

Was turning in English a difficulty for you?
No, I really like to turn in English. It is a very physical language and I appreciate the Anglo-Saxon cinema and the American series, so it was an interesting exercise. The series was filmed in English to respond to an international ambition and reach an Anglo-Saxon audience, which essentially looks at fictions in this language. The producers have therefore chosen to make all the characters speak in English, except the Afghans who express themselves in their language. It may seem surprising, but it was also a pragmatic decision: in France, 95 % of the public looks at the series in French. Everything was therefore doubled in French for the broadcast on France 2.

Have you seen The Agencythe remake of Legendarythe cult series in which you have shot for 5 seasons (The Agency Arrives in France soon on Canal +)?
Not yet, but I really want to see it! What makes me happy is to see that the American press welcomes it positively, and encourages the American public to look at the original version! And then, a remake produced by George Clooney with Michael Fassbender, it is still a pride. The whole team is delighted that this new version exists!

Kabul, to see on France 2 and already in full on France.tv