Did you train as a dancer for the part?
Not to be a ballet dancer, actually, but I thought it was a complement for an actor.
So, I believed it, and thats why I trained.
But its nothing compared to Natalie, for example, who really transformed the body, and naturally fitted.
Have you ever been manipulated by a director in the way that your character manipulates Natalies?
I would never let that happen!
[laughs]
And he was?
Luc Besson, of course.
We call him the Darth Vader of French cinema.
The dark side of the force.
Is he that bad, then?
No, its just an image.
In this film, but also inMesrineandEastern Promises, you excel at playing very driven, obsessed characters.
Does that come easily to you?
Do you find yourself becoming lost in that person?
No, I dont feel like Im losing myself.
Im losing myself in the moment.
So, its more about letting yourself go, and experiencing that moment.
Im not like that, no.
Otherwise youre not going to be real.
How much did it matter to you to break through in Hollywood?
Was that important to you?
Because a lot of French actors quite happily spend their entire career in the French film industry.
And they say theyre glad, but its not true.
Its not a question of language or market any more.
Its like, fuck la Nouvelle Vague, and were going to do something new.
They went to a lot of festivals and stuff.
So, I guess its because of the choices, really.
So, it wasnt simply doingOceans Twelveand then becoming more noticeable?
No, no, no.
Do you feel the need to do a balancing act, between American and French cinema?
Well, I didOceans Twelve.
I didnt doFast And Furious.
You know, its not the same at all.
And he will jump fromSolaristoOceans TwelveandThirteen.
So, its not really a Hollywood movie.
Its Hollywood people having fun in a very expensive indie movie, lets say.
[laughs]
Who else would you like to work with in America?
There are so many.
Oh, man, thats a complicated, complicated question.
Because, you know what?
The truth is that I dont have a fantasy director, somebody I would love to work with.
Martin Scorsese, you know.
Thats what I kept saying to Mathieu Kassovitz back in the day.
Hed say, Youre going to go to America.
Youre going to have a career.
Why do you want me to go to America?
We can work together.
Its not about integrating something else.
So, its not going to be the biggest one, but thats what keeps me alive.
Excited, you know?
I think its very important to be excited.
What dead filmmaker would you want to work with, then?
Yeah, you bet it is!
Your character very much pushes Natalies to bring her personal experience into her performance.
Whats your opinion on Method acting?
I think people have a misinterpretation of Method acting, because Method acting is a wonderful thing.
The thing is, if you take it too seriously, its like religion.
You start to think its the truth.
But its not the truth.
Its just a way to get somewhere.
And plus, its been associated to suffering.
But its not what it is.
What its talking about is that you should use your emotion to act, instead of portraying your emotions.
But you could be a very happy character and its still Method acting.
Did that help when immersing yourself in the character of Mesrine?
But I had a lot of fun.
A lot of fun.
Every day on it was long.
Nine months is a long shoot, honestly.
And the weight, blah blah blah.
Every day, Im not kidding.
Because I would debrief the day of shooting.
On set, you dont have time to talk, so at night, my director was on MSN.
I dont know, but thats the way I live my days of shooting.
You have to be happy to be there.
Because if youre bored, it really shows.
Monsieur Cassel, thank you for your time!
Black Swan is released this week.
