A couple of weeks ago, Emma Thompson ruffled a few feathers when she dismissed the talents of one Audrey Hepburn, so it’s apparently open season on knocking gamine screen beauties off their perch. Today serves up another actor-on-actor fight, this time between two living legends of French cinema. It may be a fairer fight — in this case, the victim is alive to defend herself — but it’s a considerably less polite one.
In short, if you’ve ever wondered why Gérard Depardieu and Juliette Binoche, arguably the two most ubiquitous French stars of the past quarter-century, have never worked together, we now have our answer. Depardieu, to put it mildly, doesn’t think much of his beloved, Oscar-winning compatriot.
Never the most discreet of interviewees — as those who recall his self-sabotaging remarks during his 1990 Oscar campaign will know — he has now taken it upon himself to share this opinion with the world.
Via The Guardian:
Please can you explain to me what the secret of this actress is meant to be? I would really like to know why she has been so esteemed for so many years. She has nothing. Absolutely nothing! Compared with her, Isabelle Adjani is great even if she’s totally nuts. Or Fanny Ardant – she is magnificent, extremely impressive. But Binoche? What has she ever had going for her?
[Leos] Carax needed six years to shoot his film [the acclaimed “Les Amants du Pont-Neuf”] with Binoche, which turned out not even to be a film but just a piece of shit.
This seems unlikely to make Depardieu the most popular figure in Venice next week, where he’ll be promoting François Ozon’s “Potiche” with Catherine Deneuve — a French icon that the actor presumably approves of more. Indeed, he may have unwittingly done Binoche a favor; the press pushback to his outburst should arouse some warm publicity for the actress just as “Certified Copy” (for which, of course, she won Best Actress at Cannes in the spring) hits UK theaters next week.
Needless to say, Depardieu is about fifty flavors of wrong in this case, and it’s curious that one great actor should choose to undermine another in such a public fashion. Still, I do treasure these rare instances of stars recklessly ignoring PR protocol and shooting their mouths off, however excruciating the results. Interviews with many younger stars can read so pleasantly unassertive as to be robotic, though we still have the eccentric likes of Tom Hardy to bring the crazy.
Nothing stupid gets said by toeing the line, but nothing interesting does either. Of course, if Binoche decides to graciously turn the other cheek, that’s her call; I would also, however, fully support a French-language remake of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at this point.
Tomorrow: Why Morgan Freeman thinks Jessica Tandy was totally overrated.
[Photo: Buzzfeed.com]
Comments
29 responses to “Gérard vs. Juliette”
I like that you’re open-minded about this kind of public dismissals but I’m wondering:do you think he is wrong about her talents or only in the tactless way of expressing his opinion?
Because even if he was too sure of the “correctness” of his impression of her, he does have he right to not like her at all. (I feel weird about telling you this since you keep saying the same thing, but I know you adore Binoche)
It reminds me of a conversation some months at Nick Davis’ site when you were talking about “not getting” some actresses. Coincidentally, Nick was on the same page with his beloved Thompson on Hepburn (I kind of am, too).
It also reminds me of how Melanie Lynskey admitted to not loving Clive Owen and I mean it as an example of a more decent, though semi-, dissmisal.
It also reminded me that I’m watching far too many conversations :p (Can you blame me? They’re interesting)
By the way, I think Hepburn would totally turn the other cheek. She was a class act.
Love, naturally, the last line :)
Depardieu is gutsy and is in his right to say his opinion of Ms. Binoche out loud.
And I’m in my right to call him an asshole for his unkind words.
Clearly, Depardieu tried to hit that at some point and was turned down, and so he’s lashing out now.
Binoche is an acting goddess. End of discussion.
Jim: You remember everything! The “fifty flavors of wrong” is really meant light-heartedly … if Depardieu offered a more substantial explanation of what he sees as Binoche’s limitations, I’d be both open and eager to hear it, not least because I admire his own work immensely.
I’m always fascinated to hear actors on other actors, as they have an entirely different perspective on their craft: Katharine Hepburn’s now-famous “click, click, click” dismissal of Meryl Streep is a prime example.
The funny thing is that no one will care that he called Adjani “nuts”. Maybe there aren’t many people to object? :p
I love that woman’s face. I have to see some of her work ASAP.
Well, “nuts” is better than “not very bright,” which is what Mike Leigh (in a fit of restraint, apparently) called her.
Wow! I didn’t know that. And you say I remember everything ;)
Did he say that while in your class? Did anyone protest? :p
If anything, she has to repent for that blonde hair in Summer Hours.
No, he wrote it in a Guardian column a while back — he’s been quite candid about how much he dislikes her. They served on the Cannes jury together in 1997 (Adjani was president), and did not get on.
I think Binoche’s a tad overrated in a “oh I’m a French artist in a world of mean capitalists”, but she had the undeniable quality of making a performance feel un-rehearsed… if you know what I mean. “Caché” comes to mind.
he makes a good point, but i cannot speak about Binoche because I am not familiar with her work. However, Cate Blanchett anyone??? Sure she is a good actress but an acting godess? Plenty of overrated actors out there.
Sometimes I just love you Guy.
I can only associate Dépardieu with a fake nose and playing Obelix. Binoche instantly makes me think of Haneke and deeply stirring films. Enough said.
“Enough said.”
Hardly — you’re selling Depardieu ridiculously short, Jonathan. Go watch his other false-nosed turn in “Cyrano de Bergerarc.”
Hilarious, but also incredibly douchey. I would *love* to see a fight between the two. Who would win? My bet would be Binoche, who would unleash the mystical hidden powers of Fire. Depardieu, on the other hand, would shoot bolts of lightning.
Douche chill!
How indélicat of Monsieur Gérard. Ce n’est pas un gentleman !
Meryl Streep is a soulless ham.
Nobody except for you Guy cares about Depardieu. He’s not handsome and that matters a lot when being a dick.
“He’s not handsome and that matters a lot when being a dick.”
Does it matter a lot when being an actor?
The best open-handed slap, or actually, full-fisted knockout, is still Bergman on Godard.
This is weird stuff. I find some successful actors–Jodie Foster comes immediately to mind–quite talentless, but if I were a professional actor, I would not make my views known. It’s hard to see what purpose this serves for Depardieu (or Emma Thompson).
Bad publicity is good publicity ? Il exagère !
I’m with Gerard on this one. I find Juliette Binoche irredeemably boring to watch. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Also, I think there are no sacred cows in Hollywood (and beyond). Every actor, each and every one, has flaws that makes them fair game for criticism, even harsh criticism. We can question the tact of saying someone has ‘absolutely no talent’, but I think it’s perfectly fair for someone to reach that conclusion about basically anyone.
I happen to agree with Emma Thompson about Audrey Hepburn, for example, at least with regards to My Fair Lady. And I disagree with Guy’s estimation of Jimmy Stewart, but it’s not hard to see why he dislikes him. It’s all taste.
And for the hell of it, I’ll throw out a name or two of actors I find hopelessly talentless actors whom everyone else thinks is “great”… Brad Pitt comes to mind. As does Hilary Swank. I’m sure there’s someone else, though, that I truly despise, but I can’t think of who.
Points for the Morgan Freeman quip. That would tickle me, indeed.
“Needless to say, Depardieu is about fifty flavors of wrong in this case,”
Guy, where exactly do you get off on judging whether or not Depardieu is wrong?
The heck, pardon my french, makes you think you can?
First let’s consider the facts:
Depardieu is the greatest French actor of all time. This is not my personal opinion. That is a statement of fact. If anyone is going to despute that, they don’t know what they are talking about and I have a list of dozens of films they should watch. The greatest.
In, fact he is one of the all-time greatest actors anywhere. Better than Pacino, for instance. It doesn’t matter that he’s done a lot (quite a lot, actually) of movies that are beneath him, the guy is still a master.
His words carry weight because of what he is to the French Cinema. Even if you happen to like her, Binoche is nowhere near his standing. Not in stature, not in importance, not in talent, not in anything.
Yes, he’s outspoken. Always have been. It’s not just about him not holding back, like ever (and not abot what you referred to as self-sabotaging remarks). Considering the sitatuation between him and his son I assume very few things can bite him. And it’s not about that.
All the guy did was display wonder at someone else’s recognition. That hardly justifies a controversy. It’s his oppion.
And he just happens to be right. Binoche, as talented as she is, is extremely overrated. I don’t get the respect she gets either. She’s insufferable and this is probably what got to him.
And unlike Thompson who never mingled with Hepburn (and who is quite grand in My Fair Lady), the guy actually knows the lady.
Once more, your sense of humour fails you, Maxim — of course I’m being flip. That said, it’s strange that you should counter one glib denial of subjectivity with another; when you do that cute thing of referring to your own opinion as “a statement of fact,” it makes you sound a lot less smart than you are.
I share your regard for Depardieu, though.
I like her. She may bot be the most charismatic actress around and she may not have deserved her Oscar, but she’s still quite talented and not too bad on the eyes, which helps occasionally.
@11 “he makes a good point, but i cannot speak about Binoche because I am not familiar with her work. However, Cate Blanchett anyone??? Sure she is a good actress but an acting godess? Plenty of overrated actors out there.”
Amen. I saw Binoche only in The English patient and couldn`t believe she won the Oscar for that. Blanchett, OTOH, is an actress who makes me stop watching a movie in the middle. All characters she was playing that I`ve seen are so obnoxious and overacted – Hepburn caricature, that ridicuousl latex “teen” Daisy in CCoBB, Old Maid Xena wannabe Marion in RH, Elisabeth in Elisabeth:Golden Age – my, my that was some worst overacting in any movie, “I HAVE HURRICANES IN MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE”, Nuclear Boo Galadriel (she played Elisabeth the same OTT way except that such histrionics are kinda acceptable in fantasy). At least her really bad turn in Indy 4 was fun to watch. Bad but fun.
Cate was one of the only redeeming qualities of Indy 4… her Russian accent was actually Russian… not Hollywood Russian like Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2.