Free Spirit
tMF takes a closer look at the versatile actor, Melvil Poupaud!
by Jed Medina

“I could have been very frightened because I’ve never done these kinds of scenes before and I’m quite shy, but I wasn’t. I was becoming the character and I thought it was useful for the part to see Romain wanting to make love to his boyfriend. And I knew the scene would be well shot, not vulgar or voyeuristic” says Melvil Poupaud about playing gay in Francois Ozon’s Time to Leave.

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In the film, Poupaud plays Romain, a high-profile, gay fashion photographer struggling with inoperable brain cancer. The film demonstrated that Poupaud could hold himself alongside legendary actress Jeanne Moreau.

Image is not important

“I always choose my movies because of the directors more than the part. It’s more the pleasure of working with a good director like Rohmer or Ozon that gets me interested in the project than trying to calculate some kind of image.

Right away I felt that taking an important role in an important film with an important director would bring me to another level personally and professionally. I'd always hoped that someday I would have the opportunity to play such a wonderful role. Now that I’ve done it, and with the strength I've gained from the experience, perhaps I feel more serene. It's funny, since I did ‘Time to Leave’, my own films have focused a lot on transformation and resurrection,” observes Poupaud.

Poupaud’s Rise to Cinematic Heights

The handsome French actor was named after Herman Melville by his screenwriter mother. At the age of ten, he launched into acting with a role in La Ville des Pirates (1983), directed by Raul Ruiz. At the age of 15, he was nominated for a César.

“Poupaud continued to work under the aegis of A-list French directors such as Jacques Doillon and Eric Rohmer - typically pure romances or romantic comedies, often typecast as a snotty, slightly conceited jerk. Early parts included: the Younger Brother in Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Lover (1991), the lead role of Gaspard in Rohmer's A Summer's Tale (1996), and several more collaborations with Ruiz, such as that director's 1994 Fado, Major and Minor,” reports Nathan Southern.

With more than 40 feature films to his credit, Poupaud is undisputedly one of Europe’s most talented actors.

Passion for Music and Filmmaking

Twenty-three years ago, with the first payment he received as an actor, Melvil bought a video camera and started to make small movies all by himself in his bedroom. Those movies where presented in the “E. Perrotin” gallery in Paris in 2003, and released on DVD by MK2 and Anna Sanders films the following year. His latest movie, and first feature film, is entitled “Melvil”, and was selected at the Cannes film festival (Director’s Fortnight). But acting and filmmaking are not the only talents Melvil has. The actor is also known as a member of a Euro rock band, Mud.

“I made two albums with my band and then we stopped because I was shooting a movie. Then I did a solo album, but now I’ve stopped playing music. I was a bit disappointed with the album and I’m not sure I’m very good at playing music,” admits the actor.

Career-defining role

French Director Francois Ozon always wanted to cast Melvil Poupaud in one of his films. It took sometime to find the right role in the right film to do that.

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“We met each other before a few times when he wanted to see me for Water Drops on Burning Rocks (Ozon’s third film) and then for 5x2. I was too young, but we got along very well. He makes a lot of movies in different directions, which is very unusual for a French director and I’ve enjoyed all his work.

I wrote him a note inviting him to see some short movies I directed, he liked them and said he wanted to make a movie with me. So it was more the desire to work with him than a specific part. We talked about the script before he’d written it and I felt very close to the character from the beginning, “ says Poupaud.

“I’ve always liked Melvil's rather distant presence on screen, especially in Rohmer's CONTE D'ÉTÉ (A Summer's Tale ). He is the only male lead in the 4 SEASONS series, and Rohmer filmed him with the same grace and eroticism as he filmed the young women. I had auditioned Melvil for several of my earlier films, but it was when he invited me to a screening of his video shorts that something really clicked. I was moved by his work, it reminded me of the Super-8 films I made as a teenager. And I loved the fact that he had been filming himself since childhood, he's got this natural rapport with the camera. I felt this hands-on approach to cinema was something we had in common. And indeed, he rapidly understood and accepted my way of making films. He was involved in the project from early on, and has followed all the stages closely, from writing to editing. I find I am increasingly drawn to actors who really invest themselves in their projects. We don't make films alone, and I need their help, I rely on them to incarnate the characters and help me discover what I want to say, what sensations I want to transmit. I want to work with them, not against them,” comments Ozon.

“At first I wasn’t sure I could do the movie because I had to lose weight and face Jeanne Moreau and have those sex scenes, so I said, “If you think I can do it then I will do it”. I felt proud that he chose me to incarnate a bit of him on screen.

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François has made quite a few films, and I think they are all important; perhaps this one in particular, as the main character is so close to him. When I saw Swimming Pool, it seemed to me that he had already put a great deal of himself into the Charlotte Rampling character. And now, with Time to Leave, the fact that the character is a young man of his own age who lives, like he does, in Paris... It was courageous of him to put so much of himself into Romain. And as an actor, this is what I enjoy most, playing a character who is a reflection of his director,” adds the actor.

Critical reaction for Poupaud's performance at the New York Times:

Calling Melvil Poupaud the star of François Ozon's new movie, ''Time to Leave'' (July 21), understates the case. Mr. Poupaud pretty much is the movie -- though he has important scenes with Jeanne Moreau as his grandmother -- and, given its subject, that's no small feat. [ read more ]

Introduction to American Audiences

In 2007, one of Melvil’s films, Broken English, was released to critical acclaim. Written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, the film stars indie favorite Parker Posey. The film tells the story of Nora (Posey), a thirty-something Manhattanite who is cynical about love and relationships. After a series of disastrous first dates, she meets Julien (Poupaud), a seemingly devil-may-care Frenchman with a passion for living.

“With 'Broken English', Cassavetes has reinvented an old genre and given it a decidedly new millennial spin, concocting a totally enjoyable and fresh approach to the well-explored "love story," says moviefone.

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While this is not the first time for the actor to venture into English language films, he is probably best known to American audiences from Merchant and Ivory’s Le Divorce. The sex-comedy also stars Naomi Watts, Kate Hudson, Romain Duris and Glenn Close. Poupaud plays the arrogant two-timer Charles-Henri de Persand, who divorces a gorgeous, pregnant American wife (Watts).

Up and Coming Projects

According to IMDb, Poupaud is involved in four upcoming film productions, among which are: Love and Virtue (2008), The Brøken (2008), Un homme perdu (2007) and Heure zéro, L' (2007).

The Last Word

Who inspires you as an actor? I would say George Clooney, as an actor and a producer and director. I think he’s very intelligent and charming. I am good friends with Romain Duris; he’s a very good actor.

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Profile of Melvil Poupaud written by Jed Medina for the Movie Fanatic. With excerpts from the Time to Leave press materials and an interview conducted by Rachel Scott.

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Comments (3)

Actor/ Dancer

I adore Melvil Poupaud as an actor/ director, i think he will soon be very huge in America. He inspires me as an actor, I have seen most all of his films and I anticipate his future works. My favorites are Time to Leave and Broken English. I hope to one day work with him.

KAPULE RAVIDA , July 03, 2008 | url

GOd!

wow! what a talented, handsome, sexy actor. come onnnnn give me some acting lessons please Melvil

özlem temizyürek , September 25, 2008

...

I just saw him for the first time in Broken English. And I must say he took my breath away with every scene. Beautiful eyes and a powerful presence. I look forward to seeing him again. And yes, he has something in common with Clooney.

Beth Leinau , September 30, 2008

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