23 Years Ago, Louis Garrel’s First-Ever TV Appearance!

Known for his roles as Jean-Luc Godard in Michel Hazanavicius’s “Le Redoutable,” King Louis XIII in Martin Bourboulon’s “The Three Musketeers” diptych, and more recently as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in the biopic “Saint Ex,” Louis Garrel has become a significant figure in French cinema.

“I’m not a cinephile at all”

Awarded the César for Most Promising Actor in 2006 for his performance in “Les Amants réguliers,” directed by his father Philippe Garrel, and 23 years later a César for Best Screenplay for his own film, “L’Innocent,” Garrel has proven his versatility across various cinematic domains, having been immersed in the film industry from a young age.

At the age of 20, already with several roles under his belt, the young actor made his first television appearance on the set of France 3. Interviewed during the Midday News (a segment available on the INA channel), he was there to discuss the film that would introduce him to the industry: Bernardo Bertolucci’s drama “Innocents – The Dreamers.”

Already comfortable on set, casually answering the host’s questions, he initially expressed his disinterest in discussing cinema:

“I don’t know the Cinémathèque,” he explained.

“I used to go there when I was little with ‘dad.’ But it’s not a sacred place for me, I’m not really a cinephile. I don’t like to talk about movies with people. I sometimes go there to see films that aren’t shown in theaters, but otherwise, I would rather go to Action Christine, at Odéon. For those who don’t know, it’s on rue Christine, in the 6th district.”

“Perhaps we might know this world a little better”

Faced with what seemed to be an awkward question about whether he had been “nepotistically” aided, being the son of filmmakers and co-starring with Eva Green (daughter of Marlène Jobert), Garrel responded with detachment and humor, before admitting that perhaps the environment in which they were raised might have provided a more interesting perspective.

“If something helped us, it’s perhaps that Bernardo knew our parents were from this world, so maybe he thought that, like the children of trapeze artists or clowns, we might know this world a bit better, that it would be more natural for us. Since it’s a story about fathers and sons, and May ’68 was essentially a generation of sons opposing their fathers… Maybe he thought we were in conflict with our parents about their profession, and that we might fit into the film’s theme more deeply than someone else.”

What is your favorite film featuring Louis Garrel?

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(Re)discover the trailer for “Innocents”…