Romain Duris

Who is Pierre, your character in PARIS?

Pierre is a dancer who can't dance any more because he's sick. He's waiting for a heart transplant and only has a 40% chance of survival. He's on standby, and is experiencing all the anxiety, hope and mystery that come with such a wait. Cédric told me the more I work on the dancing, the more I'd feel like a dancer and the more frustrated I'd be that he didn't ask me to dance and that would nourish the character. Cédric went even deeper into his characters' emotions; he went into their hearts - and the irony of this story is that it is precisely there that my character is suffering.


Pierre is a long way from Xavier in L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE and RUSSIAN DOLLS...

Cédric and I wanted to mark the contrast and move away from Xavier. One could be in danger of being in a similar acting register, of resembling the rhythm of L'AUBERGE, so we took a character who was diametrically opposed to Xavier. Which explains the idea of this "borderline" character with his health problems. He's weak, and has nothing like the lively nature Xavier could have. Here we have a character who has his feet firmly on the ground, because he's wondering how much longer he's going to be there. The idea of making him a dancer came afterwards. There was also a desire that the differences should be physical, too.


Did having very short hair help you get under the character's skin?

You could have given a dancer longer hair because when you dance, it can be beautiful. But the idea was that the character couldn't hide behind it. That he has something very upfront and very honest about him. That he could look at himself in the mirror and say: "I'm sick and that's the way it is".


Did you find it hard to dance at the Moulin Rouge?

In the beginning, Cédric didn't know whether he wanted to do a filmed flashback or whether he was just going to have photos. I pushed him to film that scene by saying it would be great to see Pierre dancing. We didn't know we were going to be able to film it, and whether or not we'd get permission. But once we had the green light, there was less than a week left to shoot. Suddenly, we were in a hurry. I had three days to learn the choreography. I had already been dancing for some months, preparing for the role, and the choreography for the party scene with Olivia Bonamy, but I was still amazed to see just how much you can do when you're right into the character.


For RUSSIAN DOLLS, Cédric Klapisch and you watched all of Truffaut's films. Which films did you watch to prepare for this character?

Cédric told me about Kurosawa's LIVING, because he liked the lead character who has cancer. Cédric wanted me to see just how strong this character is, how his vision of things changes and how he sees others. He is sick. He knows his days are numbered, but he becomes much more active and more courageous in helping people. I watched lots of other films that helped me including Isabel Coixet's MY LIFE WITHOUT ME with Sarah Polley and THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE with Daniel Day-Lewis. I also read lots of great stuff like Ryokan, a Japanese poet who I'd recommend. The danger with a character like Pierre is being too pathetic. I really like the fact that Cédric combined his pain with some very real things.


Did the gravity of the character change something in terms of your relationship with Cédric on set?

Yes and no. I was very well prepared in advance and I'd thought a lot about the subject. And I wondered if I wasn't going to maybe have to shut myself up in a bubble in order to stay concentrated. And finally I realized that the deeper it was, the more I needed to laugh. So the shoot was like the ones Cédric and I have done before, similar to and with the same energy as L'AUBERGE and DOLLS.


In PARIS, Cédric gave you a big sister, played by Juliette Binoche...

I was happy it was Juliette. Cédric introduced us a year before shooting began. Juliette has that generosity that I'd admired in her films. She knows how to listen and receive emotions like nobody else, and what she gives back just knocks you out. Juliette really moved me.


Is it frustrating to be in a film where there are so many actors you didn't shoot with?

It's not frustration; it's more that it makes me want to hook up with some of them again.


On this shoot, the technical team had a lot of the same people who've worked on other Klapisch films. Is it good to have a familiar feeling on set?

Yes, it's good. It's a Klapisch world. The idea of a group and of human experiences are pretty important to Cédric, that and everything everyone has to give and how they give it. I talked about it with lots of different people from the team and they love it because they feel respected. He makes them indispensable to the project but it's not a big deal.


You've been in six Cédric Klapisch films. How has he evolved?

Cédric has taken on even more charisma and maturity. I have this image of him on set, from the top of his travelling car, steering his troop through winds and tides in the middle of the chaos of Paris, even controlling the stop lights, evaluating the sun's precious remaining rays, and going from Luchini to Cluzet to Duris, directing with precision, hastily and yet smiling - a real conductor of an orchestra, an imperial figure, owing nothing to nobody except to his film.


What is your favorite part of Paris?

I love Belleville for its Chinese supermarkets, its cafes that mean nothing and yet tell so much, its park and its amazing view over Paris. And there are people everywhere and I love that too.