Vincent Lacoste Reveals the Agony Behind His Breakout Role in Cult Comedy Hit!

In 2009, Riad Sattouf shook up French cinema with his audaciously irreverent debut film, “Les Beaux Gosses,” which quickly became a sensation, drawing nearly a million viewers to theaters.

Awarded the César for Best First Film in 2010, “Les Beaux Gosses” also spotlighted a future star of French cinema, Vincent Lacoste, who played Hervé, a typical, somewhat lost middle school student with an awkward best friend, Camel (Anthony Sonigo).

A Harsh Chronicle of Adolescence

The two students awkwardly explore sexuality and romantic relationships. Through a series of raw and humorous events, the film paints a candid portrait of adolescence.

Caught between fantasies, rejection, and the search for acceptance, Hervé tries to win over Aurore, the girl of his dreams. This bitter-sweet chronicle accurately captures the social codes and vulnerabilities of this pivotal age. Vincent Lacoste delivers a remarkably genuine performance in this hilarious, touching, and sincere film.

Although this role introduced him to the general public at age 16, Lacoste did not enjoy the filming of his very first cinematic role. “Initially, I thought it was going to be a film like American Pie about a charming young schoolboy and his romances,” the actor shared in an interview with Nora Hamzawi.

“I didn’t realize it would be Hervé, who is quite unattractive. During the costume trials, I was really like: No, you can’t do this! The whole preparation was a slow humiliation, including the hair styling. It was very tough because I was quite vain,” Lacoste continued.

A Challenging Shoot

“I loved dressing well, I thoroughly enjoyed being attractive, and this was just awful. I really thought my life was over. Afterwards, I loved the film, but I thought the rest of my life was going to be difficult. People called me Hervé on the streets, yelling ‘Sock!’ It lasted a while,” the actor, now 32, confessed.

I loved dressing well, I thoroughly enjoyed being attractive, and this was just awful. I really thought my life was over.

Eventually, Vincent Lacoste was nominated for the César for Most Promising Actor for his performance and became one of the most sought-after actors of his generation, shining in a variety of roles in films such as “Astérix et Obélix: au service de Sa Majesté,” “Hippocrate,” “Victoria,” “Amanda,” “Première année,” “Illusions perdues,” “Fumer fait tousser,” and “L’Amour ouf.”

In 2022, he even won the César for Best Supporting Actor for his outstanding role in the period film “Illusions Perdues” by Xavier Giannoli. He will soon be seen again in “Mariage au goût d’orange” by Christophe Honoré.

The story follows the Puig family, which includes seven children. Today, they are marrying off the youngest: Jacques. It’s March 1978 in a church in a suburb of Nantes. The father does not attend the wedding, having been banished from the family. Jacques marries Martine, a young woman from the same neighborhood, in a love match. But can love heal the wounds of childhood?

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