Love Madness: Star of ‘Their Children After Them’ Tapped for Gilles Lellouche’s Film!

Casting is a nearly inevitable part of making a film: it involves auditioning various actors to find the perfect match for each character. “Crazy Love” was no exception. While Adèle Exarchopoulos and François Civil were quickly selected, a casting call was held to find the young actors to play Clotaire and Jackie.

Mallory Wanecque quickly stood out in the auditions. However, finding the right actor for Clotaire proved more challenging for Gilles Lellouche. In the book “Crazy Love, Diary of a Film” by Eric Libiot (published by JC Lattès), we learn that an increasingly prominent actor was a finalist for this role.

The Climax of ‘Animal Kingdom’ in the Finals

Malik Frikah reached the finals alongside… Paul Kircher! Kircher is the lead in “The Children After Them,” releasing this Wednesday in theaters. He first gained recognition for his role in Christophe Honoré’s “The High School Student.” He later starred alongside Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos in Thomas Cailley’s “Animal Kingdom.”

“Gilles [Lellouche] took a few days to make his decision. The quality of Paul’s and Malik’s performances didn’t tip the scales,” according to Eric Libiot’s book. “Paul will show what he’s capable of in ‘Animal Kingdom.’ However, the age of the actors played a significant role. Malik and Mallory are closer in every way: physically, in demeanor, a way of moving, little bits of adolescence still clinging to their gestures and gazes. They match better. Like Jackie and Clotaire. It’s just how it is.” Malik Frikah (18 years old) and Paul Kircher (22 years old) have a four-year age difference. Kircher was slightly closer in age to the adult version of Clotaire, played by François Civil (34 years old).

It’s worth noting that Paul Kircher stars in “The Children With Them” by Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma, a film adaptation of the novel by Nicolas Mathieu, starting tomorrow. As a fun fact, Gilles Lellouche is a producer of the film and plays the father’s role. Paul Kircher recently received an award at the Venice Film Festival for his performance.