Produced 16th March 2003 in Paris
By Alma Mulalic - Webmaster

What is it you like the most about the character of the Airman?

That which I like most of all in the character of the Airman is his calmness and the fact that he has many very beautiful songs to sing, unlike in “Notre Dame de Paris”, for example, where I didn’t have the most beautiful songs in the show. This time here I’ve truly have some very beautiful songs and I’m very happy about that.

And what do you like the least?

What I like the least about this character is that he is very self-effacing. He doesn’t make his mark on the production. Being a singer and liking at other times to put in my bit, I’m a little weary of never being able to “let rip” with this character.
 

Which is your favourite scene?

I’ve one scene which is by far my favourite: the meeting between the Little Prince and the Fox. It’s a very pretty scene, very moving and extremely well sung, as much by Jeff as by Romain (Cortese). I like Romain’s voice a lot. 

Playing with different children each evening, is that a plus or a minus?

Playing every evening with a different child is sometimes a plus, sometimes a minus. There are times when it is extremely difficult. There are children who only do it once a week, who come not “broken-in”. The show becomes good when the child is well experienced. The children who play the character once a week don’t really have the time to get into the character and that’s difficult for me as I’m well “broken-in”. I do the show six times a week, each detail is studied, worked on and gone over. It’s very important. Jeff and Sebastien are both very good, very professional, in spite of their youth. They have a discipline that I like, because I ask for a lot of discipline from those with whom I work. 

“All grown-ups were once children”: what memories do you have of your childhood?

My childhood in Manitoba was blessed by the gods. I was born in a tiny village, where there were no disruptive elements. It was a village where everyone knew everyone else. It was far away from the cities. I left my village at 14, so all my childhood was lived on the big plain, in the sun with likeable people whom I liked. I must say that I passed a quite marvellous childhood. I’m very grateful and very lucky.

What pleases you about the craft of being an actor?

I don’t consider myself to be an actor. I consider myself to be a singer who improvises as an actor who, this far, has had roles, which suited him well. I like very much to put on an act. I worked in the film “The Book of Eve” with a very great actress: Claire Bloom, known as much for her roles in film as in the theatre. She is someone with an immense reputation. To work with her, it’s like getting a present. It’s extraordinary for me to work with someone who is almost a legend. I learnt a lot of things; I even learned to like making films because before, I hadn’t liked it much. I said to myself “I accept, because I’m going to see what it’s all about” and, when I saw Claire Bloom’s work, I discovered that it could not only be pleasant but also extremely interesting and fascinating. Perhaps I discovered a new challenge in my life. 

Was "Le Fabuleux Voyage de l’Ange”  (The Angel’s Fantastic Journey) a good experience?

“Le Fabuleux Voyage de l’Ange”, this was a very good experience in the sense that I discovered something completely new. Never before in my life had I made a film. In this film I played a very odd character and I had difficulty understanding it. I was not particularly happy with the message of this film but I very much liked discovering the world of film through “Le Fabuleux Voyage de l’Ange”. 

What is most difficult for you about film?

The most difficult thing is to be able to act correctly, to sound real, and to be credible. I didn’t take a course. Film is not the theatre. Film is more close to life than the theatre. Therefore it’s much more like us. Big gestures are not made to express powerful emotions. The camera follows us closely and it’s the editing which acts in our favour. I believe that the most difficult thing about film acting is to be real. 

Describe for us the character of the Rumanian Johnny Brancusi in “The Book of Eve”.

Johnny Brancusi … (pronounced “Brancoosh”). Johnny is a show-off, a liar, a boozer, a chaser after skirts, a lover of life, and a cooking enthusiast. He’s a character both loveable and hateable. It’s for this reason that I like the character a lot. He falls in love with an elderly woman who is twenty years older than him and he becomes very endearing because of that. There’s a truth in his life through all his posing and it’s something very touching. It ends rather well but leaves a lot of questions. It’s not a typical film. In general, it’s the old fellow and the young girl but here it’s the elderly woman and the almost young man. It’s good when women have a different image than always the beautiful young girl and the old bloke. This can counter-balance some received ideas. 

This film was dubbed in French. Is it the first time that you have done dubbing?

I dubbed it into French because it was filmed and acted in English. It was the first time that I did dubbing. It was astonishingly easy. The most difficult thing was to find the accent because Johnny Brancusi had a Rumanian accent in English. He needed then to find an accent, which would be Franco-Rumanian. I found something that was not far from being like it. In every way, I believe that, in film the accent is heard and that’s to say the person is from Rumania, it’s not much analysed. There are some Rumanians and some specialists in accents who would perhaps be offended, but the accent is at least consistent from the beginning to the end of the film. 

Have you learnt some words in Rumanian?

I learnt some words in Rumanian but I’ve forgotten them. I learnt swear words. It’s the first words one learns, even in films. I speak a bit of Rumanian in the film, some swear words when, for example, I smashed my face in when falling drunk down a staircase. The film will probably not be released in France because it is dubbed by people from Quebec into Québecois. It would need to be re-dubbed into French for the French to understand anything.

Do you want to reveal some of the substance of the album you are preparing?

I know that the songs have been written in the French “chanson” tradition which I like very much and which I chose deliberately. The main writers are Patrice Guirao and Brice Homs who are two blokes about my own age and who have lives, even if their lives are very different from mine, where there are similarities. They’ve written some lyrics which suit me rather well as I am, therefore I can champion their lyrics quite well. I warn you, they will be quite compact. It’s quite compact writing that will perhaps astonish you a bit at times, I hope. I find that there are some beautiful things there. 

What topics do the lyrics touch on?

On everything … I speak of life, of death, of suffering, of joy, of happiness, of politics a bit but I haven’t made political songs. In every way, whenever one says something more strongly than the rest, one’s being political, therefore when you are a singer with a microphone, you are inevitably being political. 

Have you composed some songs?

I’ve composed all the music. Not one word is mine. Except for, if a lyric is suggested to me, in general I “hack” it. That’s to say I take what I want and throw out what I don’t want. With the writers with whom I work it’s not a big thing to do but, in general, I’m looking for the gist of what I can champion, of what I want to sing. I re-arrange lyrics completely and make them “my thing”. I actively take part in the re-writing. 

In which countries do you expect the album to be released?

I would like the release to be in all the French speaking countries of the world! There’s not a lot: Québec, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and perhaps even in France (joke!). Of course in France as well … I will make a tour in early Autumn 2003, then I don’t know if I’ll have the time or the energy at that time to release the album at that moment, it will probably be towards November 2003. 

Do you want to do solo concerts and what type of concerts do you want to do?

Yes, I want to do them. Some quite intimate concerts. Not acoustic but “acoustical”. I like the sounds of acoustic instruments a lot but I also like the sounds of electronic instruments, therefore there will be a mix. I hope a happy mix! I will not make a huge tour but I’m going to do it in bursts, that’s to say three weeks here, three weeks there …If my disc sells millions of copies, I can make the big theatres but I prefer the theatres like the Casino de Paris. For me it’s a perfect venue, seating 1,500 people. It’s very intimate. It’s possible to be face to face with everyone. I prefer to have quite close contact with the public, but that said, I’ve already sung in stadiums and I was greatly pleased there too. 

Are you going to sing some of the old songs?

Probably. I can’t get away without singing “Ils s’aiment” for example. There will be some old ones… 

Will you one day go to Russia to give a concert?

I’ve nothing against the idea of going to Russia one day, but it’s complicated. Possibly, if someone suggests something which is well organised, why not. Let’s say, I’ve not ruled it out. 

Are you dreaming of releasing a new album “Best of …”?

Perhaps, one day. I even thought of releasing an album one day, of original versions, some songs that I wrote for others in their original versions. That’s to say before they were re-arranged and transformed. For example: the song I wrote for Lara (Fabian), the song that I wrote for Pagny… But this would be truly for those who like me and are interested, who want to listen to the songs first time round. 

In the past you almost always wrote the words of your songs and now you often sing songs written by others. Why?

 I went through a period when I found what I was writing wasn’t bad and at the same time I realised that my first love, the thing that I like doing most, is the music. So I said to myself “I’ll concentrate on the music and leave the lyrics to the people who love writing the lyrics”, because I didn’t like writing lyrics. I’d written lots but it was a pain the arse. I pushed myself without let-up. There came a time in my life when I wanted to do what I liked and to stop the rest. Now I find lyrics which suit me, which are beautiful. 

Would you like to create a musical work, for example, a musical?

I’ve already thought about it but, for the moment, it’s on the back-burner. Making a disc is also making a musical work. For this disc I’ve already got 30 songs. I’m going to keep 12 or 13 for the album. The fact that they’ve been worked on following a very precise theme will easily turn it into a musical. But I haven’t been very motivated to the point of actually doing it. 

You are always asked to sing “Ils s’aiment” on TV programmes. Doesn’t that get on your nerves?

That doesn’t irritate me in the sense where it is a song which is unfortunate, but fortunately for me, it is still current, which suits the realities of modern life. I would not hide from you that I am rather proud to have written a song which has aged rather well. I take great care of that song. 

A magazine mentioned that you had written “Le Bébé Dragon” (album for children) in English. Is it true?

Yes, I did it in English but it was never released. At first I should have had to find a country interested in its release and I didn’t know if I wanted to put in that amount of energy at the time. But I like the “Bébé Dragon”. It is songs for adults disguised as songs for children.
 

You compose a lot for other singers. Do you adapt yourself to the artist for whom you are writing or is it really a song which was meant for you?

It depends … At times I write songs for me, for the pleasure of writing a song and I give it to someone who sees it as their song. Like “Le feu à la Peau”, at the beginning it wasn’t especially written for Florent Pagny. It was a song which I intended for myself. The manager of Mercury heard the song and said to me “that is for Florent” and I said ok… I regret it somewhat not keeping it for myself because I like it a lot. 

Which of the songs you have given away is your favourite?

There’s a lot which I rather like but these aren’t songs I sang very much. I like a lot the song which Luce Dufault has sung called “Chanson pour Anna”. I adore that song. Among all the songs I’ve given away to others, it’s the one I would have liked to sing, it’s good that one. It’s got an emotion that I’ve never found in other songs. 

Is there a group or person with whom you would have liked to have sung?

I’ve already sung with lots of people, my career is so long … I’ve sung with Celine (Dion), Lara (Fabian). I’ve even sung with Sting and Peter Gabriel. I’ve sung with Garou, with Maurane. I always liked sing with Maurane who is one of my favourites. If I had to chose a group with whom I wanted to sing, I would say a group like Dave Douglas which is a jazz group, who make gypsy-jazz music. If ever they are looking for a singer, I would put myself forward. 

What sort of music do you like to listen to?

I don’t listen to songs much. When I was young I listened to an awful lot to songs and formed ideas. Today I listen to lots of things when they come out. I listen to them once or twice and afterwards I don’t listen to them any more. I try to listen to a lot of things, a bit of everything, but the music which I listen to for my own pleasure is classical music, jazz, Bach less so now. I listened to Bach a great deal, for fifteen years, and now I admit that I don’t listen much to music. I’m making music every day and I’m very fond of silence. Silence is very pleasant also.
 

What memories do you have of this experience “Notre Dame de Paris”(NDP)?

Bitter-sweet memories. A memory of times of great exhilaration, great joy, great triumphs, and like all great triumphs, it was always inevitable there would be quarrels. It all broke up in a way I didn’t much like. It had been a fantastic experience which came to a bit of an abrupt end and it’s this that I’m sorry about. There was such strong and intense team work and then the team split up and that made me a bit sad, but it’s like that. 

Have you seen different versions of NDP?

I’ve seen the Italian version which I found splendid. I recommend all those who liked Notre Dame in French with the original cast to go to see the Italian version. I don’t understand a damn word of Italian but I know Notre Dame by heart so I know each word being said. I found that the Italian version, such as I saw in Milan, is the one that gets closest to the original cast of Notre Dame in Paris at the Palais de Congrès. It’s a splendid and imposing show. 

Would you like to play again in the show NDP with the original cast?

If it was suggested to me, it’s been spoken about elsewhere, but there’s nothing definite, to make a great show with a symphony orchestra, that’s to say, not in costume but in suits. I would like one day to do it in the Stade de France with the original cast, a symphony orchestra and to perform with total self-indulgence and, at the same time, to give pleasure to lots of people because I know that lots of people would love to see the original team again. But that could happen perhaps in 10 years time or perhaps may never happen.
 

  If you couldn’t live in Canada where would you go to live? 

Knowing France so well, I think of it as my second home. I’ve not lived here for all that long but in short bursts. It certainly wouldn’t be Paris, instead it would be the countryside. It’s sort of my adoptive country, France. It’s a country where I feel good and I know the French well, I’m at ease with them.

You seem a very calm person… what makes you angry?

Yes, but not always. I’m in control of myself. I don’t get angry easily but it does happen. I don’t think that everyone must be perfect, I’m far from that myself. Quite the opposite. I like it a lot when I find myself working with people who put in all they’ve got. When I feel that there is someone who is only giving a quarter or a third of what he could give, and who puts the work of others at risk who are putting their all into the work, that’s when I get angry. Some of the bad moods I have on stage when I am cross, are for those reasons. Not directly, never directly, I don’t like to humiliate people in public, I don’t like to be humiliated in public. 

Here in France, are there certain expressions which you don’t understand?

Rarely now. There are big differences between Québec French and the French spoken in France. There are words that don’t mean the same thing. I had a classical education. I read Victor Hugo and the others, I did Latin and Greek. Therefore French doesn’t have any big surprises for me. There are certain slang expressions which are occasionally gibberish to me. On the other hand, I can quickly lose my French in the Québec language because the Québec language, unlike classic French, is not part of the curriculum of French studies. So it can be easy to lose. 

Do you make spelling mistakes in French …?

My first eight years of education were spent in a little school in the countryside where there was one teacher for four grades and during those four grades there was one hour of French allocated equally by the Province. One hour of French a day, divided between the four grades, therefore I had 15 minutes of French a day during my first eight years of education. During those 15 minutes I learnt grammar, spelling and all one needs to know to speak, to understand and to write French. It was meagre rations, and that’s a difficult thing to go back on, so, from time to time, I make spelling mistakes. But I prefer French to English. 

You are involved in the good cause of juvenile diabetes (type 1 diabetes). Why this particular cause?

I’m involved, that’s to say I became the spokesman for the Foundation de Recherche sur le Diabète Juvenile (FRDJ) (Foundation for Research into Type 1 Diabetes). I will tell you , I agreed in a simple way. At that time I was asked 10 times a week to be the spokesman for this or that. There had to be a time when I chose and devoted myself to an organisation and I said to the others, I’m sorry but I can’t give my time to everybody. I chose juvenile diabetes for the simple reason that we had it in my family, just a bit, not a lot. I had been a little sensitised to the thing that I had agreed to and, more than that, it was an organisation which functioned very well, was very honest and which worked very hard. In my involvement I discovered more about it. On discovery, I learnt to like it and to give to it. 

How did it happen with FCAF (Federation Canadienne pour l’Alphabetisation en Francais) (Canadian Federation for Literacy in French) for which you are also the spokesman?

I was asked to take part. Apparently, those who worked there wanted me. It was difficult to refuse, therefore it wasn’t for the same reason as for juvenile diabetes that I agreed to it. 

You are going to make a CD for FCAF for the campaign “Printemps des lettres”… (reading of letters which will be broadcast on Radio Canada).

Yes, I’m about to do it. These are letters written by those who have never written before in their lives. It’s touching and beautiful. 

If a fairy could grant your dearest wish, what would you ask for?

I’ve lots of ideas for all that can be done by magic. Not to grow old, never to be ill, that physical suffering didn’t exist for anyone. I try to believe that life is perfect and it’s like that that I have to live. To accept it as it is.
 

----> Here are some photos from the interview.

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