Synopsis
COUP DE CHANCE is about the important role chance and luck play in our lives.
Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud) look like the ideal married couple - they're both professionally accomplished, they live in a gorgeous apartment in an exclusive neighborhood of Paris, and they seem to be in love just as much as they were when they first met. But when Fanny accidentally bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a former high school classmate, she's swept off her feet. They soon see each other again and get closer and closer.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Although Woody Allen's filmography is unquestionably associated with New York City, Paris has always had a special place in the filmmaker's heart. After he filmed - in part - EVERYBODY SAYS I LOVE YOU in Paris in 1996, and he made the French capital into a character in its own right in MIDNIGHT IN PARIS in 2010, he returns to the City of Light this time around for a film entirely shot in French. Originally, however, he considered doing COUP DE CHANCE in English and thought the protagonists would be Americans living in Paris. "I don't speak French and I understand even less, but as I finished the script, I thought that it would be a great experience to make it in French," says Allen. "I've always been in love with the European cinema and the French cinema very strongly, and when I suggested that I make it in French to my producers, they responded enthusiastically."
So, we meet Paris-based Jean (Melvil Poupaud) and Fanny (Lou de Laâge), a glamorous and wealthy couple living in a splendid, typical Haussmannian building in the west end of the city. Jean is a charismatic, highly successful businessman - even though some of his friends hint, jokingly or out of jealousy, that he has benefited from his partner's sudden passing. Not only is Jean a charming character, but he most importantly likes to feel that he's in control of things, sometimes even making his luck. "Many successful businessmen feel that they make their luck and that they're not at the mercy of chance," the director continues. "Luck is not the whole thing by any means, but Jean is the controlling kind, so much so that, as we find out early on, he may have extended himself into illegality to get rid of his partner."
After she had a painful marriage and eventually broke up with her first husband, Fanny, unnerved by her failed marriage, was attracted to Jean, who appeared as stable and reliable. "This attractive, wealthy man came along at a good time in her life, just as she felt confused and needed to be comforted," says Allen. "She let him take over her life in a way that was generous and comforting to her. She liked it, but if she had met him under less stressful circumstances, perhaps she would not have necessarily married him."
Fanny gradually realizes she's not at home with her husband's shallow crowd of people and that it's boring for her to spend weekends at his country estate, hunting and playing golf. "She's a bright, cultivated young woman who's always had an artistic leaning and thought of herself as marrying a musician, a painter or a writer," adds the filmmaker. "She married one, and he turned out to be artistically stimulating - and If her first husband hadn't been a druggie, she would have remained in the world of art."
When she accidentally bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a former classmate turned writer, in the street, Fanny is swept off her feet. Not only does it rekindle his attraction to her, but she realizes even more acutely that she's not living the life she was intended for and that she has become, to Jean, a kind of trophy wife he's proud to show off to his friend circle. "Alain has very little money, so he lives in an inexpensive attic apartment of sorts, but his lifestyle resonates with Fanny's Bohemian spirit," says Allen. Unlike Jean, Alain is a character that embraces chance and luck - a theme that is recurring in the director's work, as in MATCH POINT. "Alain appreciates the influence of chance and luck in life - he has observed it and has lived it, unlike Jean who is a much more controlling, rigid personality," adds the director. "My feeling is that luck and chance play a much greater role than people care to admit - they like to think that if they work hard if they apply themselves and discipline themselves, they will be able to control their lives. But it is only partly true, even if it is a slightly unnerving thought."
Jean hasn't only charmed Fanny - he has won over her mother (Valérie Lemercier) who has a lot in common with him and who is relieved that her daughter is safe living with a stable, rich man. "She likes him very much," the director admits. "They're both very outdoorsy - they like fishing, hunting, and hiking, and she's happy that her daughter married someone who's stable. As a matter of fact, Jean and Fanny's mother are two people who are very much alike." However, her mother's instinct kicks in when she hears a remark and feels her daughter may be in danger - and she becomes very suspicious of Jean. "She hears things about her son-in-law, and, unlike Fanny, she follows up on the gossip," says Allen. "In the beginning, she only has a vague feeling of suspicion, but she's more and more worried, and she decides to investigate as she feels there is something amiss."
While the romantic plot and the themes are deeply felt, working with actors in a different language than English was a dramatically new experience for the director. "I speak only English, so I never thought I'd get a chance to work in another language, but I found that it was fine because you can tell if a person is acting believably or acting not believably," says Allen. "And I wrote the script, so I know what they're saying in every scene. So, if I feel somebody made a mistake, I can ask the script supervisor and the cameramen that do speak the language." Allen admits that he didn't know any of the actors playing in COUP DE CHANCE, but that all the cast members he picked out from videotapes were first-rate actors and appropriately correct for the parts. He was introduced to them briefly before the shoot and, as with all of his collaborators, he let them have an enormous amount of creative freedom. "I wanted them to be able to put things in their own words and speak as regular French citizens," adds the director. "They didn't have to obey my script in a rigid way - they could relax and improvise and speak as they would speak under similar circumstances. When you give them such freedom, you get fine performances."
The cinematography and the various colors, from warm and golden hues to colder tones, enhance the city's beauty and express the characters' emotional journey. COUP DE CHANCE marks the fifth time that Allen has collaborated with cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, after CAFÉ SOCIETY, WONDER WHEEL, A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK and RIFKIN'S FESTIVAL. "Most of the trick to make a good picture is to surround yourself with first-rate collaborators," continues Allen. "You need to pick them out appropriately and then don't sit on top of them - let them express themselves artistically. With Vittorio, we always work the same way. He reads the script, we have a conversation about what the feeling of the picture should be, and as with all of my collaborators, I give him an enormous amount of freedom. He's a great artist, and almost everything he does naturally is beautiful." Storaro decided to go with a Sony Venice 16-bit digital camera that delivers unparalleled resolution and image quality. "I don't miss film at all," says the cinematographer who leased most of Bernardo Bertolucci's films and Francis Ford Coppola's APOCALYPSE NOW. "With this camera, you can capture up to 200 billion different hues! For COUP DE CHANCE, we were shooting in Paris which is essentially a northern city, and we were shooting in the fall season, which meant it was mostly cloudy and the entire city was using artificial lights. So, for the most part, I used the contrast between artificial and natural light according to specific moments."
Just as he usually does, Storaro sought to emphasize visually the opposition between the two protagonists. "I connected warm tonalities with Fanny, using the beautiful midday light or the warm light of the sunset as these are the moments when she meets with Alain," the director of photography explains. "To enhance Fanny's sense of freedom, I mostly filmed her with a Steadicam and went with a longer lens connected to her. It was quite the opposite with Jean as he's associated with the moonlight and so I filmed him with a very wide angle, showing that he practically moved in a very straight line." Likewise, he wished to give the gorgeous Parisian apartment - Jean's ultimate territory - a bluish tone that intensifies as the tension builds. "The walls of the apartment were white," adds Storaro. "But I realized that if I let the natural light filter through the windows and if I set the camera in 'artificial mode', the walls came out bluish. Woody was sold by the idea, even if he wanted a very light blue at the beginning and a darker blue at a later juncture. I showed him he needn't worry, as you could increase the bluish tonality by increments."
Just like Storaro's cinematography, the places and neighborhoods of Paris visited by the characters offer an idealized vision of the city - that of Woody Allen's. Once again, the director gave much leeway to production designer Véronique Mélery who had never worked with him before, and did not give her specific references. "We mostly had a conversation about the characters and their psyche, but I quickly realized that he wished to showcase the Paris he loves and film the city in all its glory," says Mélery. The Luxembourg Garden, the classically beautiful grand avenues of the West End, and the Montmartre neighborhood already featured in MIDNIGHT IN PARIS all relate to the director's personal memories. The country house turned out to be slightly more challenging. "We'd visited the house on the first day of scouting", she continues. "The place's obvious charm and soul, and the surroundings were perfect. But Woody wanted to find a place closer to Paris. So, we went back to scouting but never found the ideal location and after weeks of research, we happily came back to our initial choice."
For the interiors, Mélery saw again MATCH POINT and MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY, which share a crime plot with COUP DE CHANCE, to get immersed in both films' atmosphere. However, she admits that at the outset her cultural references clashed a bit with Allen's. "His vision of rich interiors, which was very American, was challenged by my vision, as a French woman, of a young Parisian couple navigating the high society," she says. "Woody embraced this representation and trusted me completely." For Jean and Fanny's apartment, a mirror of the couple's flawless, attractive facade, Mélery and her team sought the furniture at the famed
Clignancourt Flea Market, from Paris antique shops and foreign dealers offered original pieces in tune with the characters' cosmopolitan culture. The many artworks one can spot in the apartment were either created by the crew - that found their inspiration in classic pieces - or lent out by private collectors. The restaurants that play a major role in the film were picked out because the director knew them and liked them. "Some were typical of the Parisian bistro and others were trendy places offering a panoramic view of the city," says Mélery. Other locations were found quite by accident, in a nod to the film's main theme! "I had visited the Guimet Museum for the exhibition galleries and the rooftop terraces, and we went through the offices just to avoid any future regrets," she adds. "When I saw the archive boxes, the detective's office appeared as an obvious choice - you could picture a family-operated business with investigation files sorted in all those boxes that had been going on for generations! Woody had a more unassuming office in mind, but he liked the natural beauty of the location. Jean's office was found in the same building that was also picked out because we just fell for it. I asked an artist to paint the backdrops that have Jean immersed in a forest - another major 'character' of the film!"
Just like the locations and the production design, the costumes, in their way, help tell the story and emphasize the moments of tension and emotion. As a six-time collaborator with Woody Allen, costume designer Sonia Grande has developed a professional shorthand with the director so that she knows instinctively what he likes. "There are certain colors he doesn't like, and the wardrobe must have a light, drawn appearance," she says. "He doesn't like excessive layers of clothing over the actors' bodies, covering or sheltering them too much." As for the director, he trusts Grande totally. "I've worked on a number of pictures with Sonia and I let her express herself artistically," he notes. "If an actor or actress comes in wearing something that I feel is wrong, I'll tell Sonia, but that's rare. If you let a collaborator such as her do what she wants to do, because she understands the script so well, nine out of ten times what she wants to do instinctively is correct." For Jean and Fanny, it was about showing the couple's social status and good taste through their outfits, shoes, and jewelry. As far as Fanny is concerned, she first boasts a sophisticated, elegant look that grows simpler and more unassuming as she gets closer to Alain. "Her look is more laid-back as if, in a way, she was returning to be the girl she used to be before she married Jean," says Grande. Conversely, Jean is very image-conscious and wants his style to convey his power. "We worked with high-end brands including Hermès, Zegna, and Ralph Lauren to achieve her character," Grande adds. For Alain, the costume designer meant to avoid disguising him as Bohemian and went for a genuine look instead. The collaboration with Niels Schneider turned out to be key. "I wanted to show that this is a young man who traveled quite a lot and who is very cultivated, although he has virtually no money," says Grande. "I needed the character's style to come out very directly from the actor's personality. We purchased most of the clothes from the second-hand market, and Niels made them his own immediately - and his natural charm did the rest."
Woody Allen had a wonderful experience shooting a film in Paris, France, and he'd be happy doing it again. While he kept the same methods that he uses when he shoots in the US and has worked with many of his long-standing collaborators, he made an exception for the soundtrack. "Usually in all my pictures I have much older jazz music, which is the music that I like," he concludes. "But since I was making a French picture, I paid homage to the French cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, like Louis Malle's ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS that I discovered when I first became aware of the French cinema. French filmmakers at the time used Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet and a kind of modern jazz in general. So, that's the style I used for COUP DE CHANCE, and it worked out very well."
Cast
LOU DE LAÂGE
Fanny
Woody Allen "I grew up watching Woody Allen's films, and he's a filmmaker who has always been a part of my inner world ever since I was a teenager. When you look at his filmography, you can see his evolution as a director, as an actor, and as a human being." "I'd never have possibly imagined that I would be offered to play in a Woody Allen film. Being a part of his journey as an artist, at one particular moment in time, felt amazing. When I got the script, it came with a note where Woody told me that he offered me the part but that if I didn't like it, I could just say so. Such elegance is rare."
THE SCRIPT
"I was aware that Woody Allen was a filmmaker that offered major roles to actresses. All my expectations were met. I was so lucky to be sent a script that was both profound and light-hearted, with a disillusioned touch."
"Most importantly, the writing was superb. I read it in one go, just as you read a novel. Scripts are often burdened by unnecessary scenes and lengthy parts, but in this case, you could tell the writer was very experienced. The writing was so accomplished. I didn't feel like I had to come up with a backstory, as you just understood this young woman tended to dive into whatever came her way."
THE CHARACTER
"Fanny is a young woman who can be vulnerable and insecure and who, at some point in her life, needed to be strongly supported, so she turned to Jean. I think she actually fell in love with him, with all that he stood for, even though she may have been in denial. But I don't think she married Jean out of ambition, as she wouldn't give up on her desires. Besides, Jean managed to hide some aspects of his personality. It takes time to realize who you're dealing with. That's also what the film is about - you never quite know the person you live with."
"When her mother begins suspecting Jean, Fanny cannot possibly figure out that the man she lives with and sleeps with every night can do such a thing. She's so guilt-ridden - she blames herself so much for all that she triggered - that she cannot question her husband."
A LIFE-CHANGING MEETING
"When she comes across Alain, she's overwhelmed by her desires. So she's torn between her reason and her profound desires, just as when you have a conversation with yourself where you try to find who you are - except that Fanny is someone that goes astray a bit."
"Thanks to Alain, Fanny wakes up and realizes that she's living a life that she's not comfortable with - she's in a gilded cage even if, objectively, she has no reason to complain. Her reconnection with Alain is eye-opening, and she stops lying to herself. She reconnects with a version of herself that she had distanced herself with. Alain is someone who has doubts, questions himself, who loves poetry, and likes to philosophize, whereas Jean is a very rational person - when he makes a decision, he doesn't look back. Fanny is halfway between both personalities - between one man who believes in luck and another who believes he can make his luck."
THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP
"Fanny and her mother have deep love and respect for each other, but they are two different personalities who don't share the same dreams. Her mother has always dreamed of belonging to high society and having money, whereas Fanny is realizing that this is all very limited. Theirs is a beautiful relationship, despite the pitfalls and failings that love and family relationships involve."
A GENTLE, JOYFUL PRODUCTION
"From the get-go, Woody Allen told me that he trusted me and that if I felt like changing the lines or the costumes, I could feel free to do so. Film productions sometimes take you to dark places, but not in this film. I didn't end up exhausted, which very rarely happens."
"It was a very gentle shoot, with no power struggles, and relationships were natural. I'd already worked with Niels [Schneider], so I knew it would be fine, and I got along well with Melvil [Poupaud] and Valérie [Lemercier] whom I did not know at all. When it comes to Woody Allen or Vittorio Storaro, they have nothing to prove anymore, and they make the films they want to make, with a kind of detachment that makes for a healthy atmosphere on set. It reflected on our relationships as actors."
VALÉRIE LEMERCIER
Camille
THE CREATION OF THE CHARACTER
"To begin with, because Camille lives in New York, costume designer Sonia Grande and I came up with a very sophisticated, Diane Keaton-like character, and we dressed her stylishly. But when Woody Allen saw the pictures of the fittings, he thought she looked too brainy, too fashionable. He felt she had to be an ordinary woman, as he thought it was more fun to see extraordinary things happen to someone ordinary. So, I called up my agent saying that Woody may have picked the wrong person and that he could feel free to change his mind - I even gave him names of other actresses I knew. And then as I couldn't sleep one night, I thought that before they cast a different actress, maybe I could change glasses. I understood what Woody wanted - we went for Windsor glasses, that looked less hip, and we pared down every outfit. And I realized that he was right."
A SIMPLE WOMAN
"When we first met, Woody told me Camille was a mother who just has intuition, but that isn't particularly smart or fundamentally suspicious. These were very simple words, but they told a great deal about the character, and they were actually key. Later on, I realized how important it was for her to be normal so that the audience does not expect her to start investigating."
"It seemed important to me that she was married. She didn't raise her daughter on her own. You can imagine that her husband remained in New York. There's a friend of mine whose mother is a bit like Camille, and she was an inspiration for the character that has nothing to do with my own mother. I pictured her life in New York, her vacations, her readings, and her dynamic with her only daughter she's crazy about. She obviously didn't think much of Fanny's first husband, but she just loves Jean. Come to think of it, she's quite a straightforward person."
THE CHARACTER'S INTRODUCTION
The very first time you're introduced to a character is key. Even when I play a character on stage, you as an audience need to know with just a couple of lines who you're dealing with. When I direct a movie, I always remind my cast that their arrival into the film is crucial. In this respect, Woody was right not wanting me to look too much of a hip, smart woman. I had to look like someone common, but that everyone was happy to be around. Even if I felt I looked like Columbo with my old, putty-colored raincoat!" (laughter)
WOODY ALLEN
I'm a great fan of Woody's. Of all his films, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS is my all time favorite and I love the line, 'A strange man defecated on my sister'! I saw some of his early films again, including TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN, and the scene from BANANAS where a crucified Woody is stuck between two cars still makes me laugh to this day. I saw MATCH POINT several times, and I think Woody wonderfully portrays women - especially upper-middle-class women. There's a playground in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY that appeals to me and that I find funny. And then, I also love Woody Allen as an actor."
"I enjoyed his memoirs so much. It's full of fun details like, for instance, the fact that Woody would sell gags for 50 bucks to clients who wanted to appear witty when invited over for dinner! Although I can understand that you may rent a suit, buying a joke from someone sounds crazy to me."
"What I find fascinating about him is that he still to this day devotes his life to his art, to his work. He is a man of habit - a trait I can certainly relate to - and what is most important to him is to keep on writing films and putting them together."
ON SET
"In the beginning, we were all a bit impressed, but Woody was very warm and, unlike what he'd told us when we first met, he talked a lot between takes and he always spoke the right words. Likewise, I am aware he's known to do few takes, but for the ultimate shot, in the woods, I think we did 17 takes! Most importantly, it was such a thrill to see him direct more, particularly when it came to group scenes. He would try one take with a standing actor, and then with another one sitting, and then with both sitting, etc. It all had to be very much alive, joyful, dynamic - never stilted - even if it meant speaking the wrong lines."
"He let us take ownership of the dialogue, and I rewrote some of my lines that didn't sound French. I spent a lot of time, for example, rewriting the scene in the café with Lou where I had a lot of lines because, otherwise, it felt impossible to learn."
"Woody's two daughters, who both speak perfect French, were on set - one worked with the unit production manager, and the younger one with the costume department. It was very moving to see him surrounded by his sister, his daughters, his niece and his niece's husband and Soon-yi naturally. It was a very family-like atmosphere."
LEMERCIER'S CO-STARS
"It was very enjoyable to work with Lou and Melvil. I had immediate chemistry with Lou, even if I'm not a mother myself. I'm not used to those dynamics in my own family but those are relationships I have always longed for. When I see the connection between a mother and her daughter at a restaurant, I'm amazed - it's great having a positive, kind-hearted, fit mother who has your happiness at heart. With Lou, we found a camaraderie and a connectedness very quickly."
MELVIL POUPAUD
Jean
A POWERFUL SCRIPT
"The script was perfectly balanced between tragedy and comedy - and it was all brought to a climax that is typical of Woody Allen's genius. In this film, every frame, every creative decision - whether it has to do with editing or music - bears a constant balance between pathos and humor, between a sense of threat and of lightheartedness - so you laugh and experience thrills all at once thanks to this amazing ambivalence. The vaudeville-farcical element connected the film to a tradition of French drama, but it was imbued with a darker, more ambiguous dimension through my character, both monstrous and charming."
"I was surprised by the ending, which expresses Woody Allen's vision of existence - life is a roll of the dice, and we're all at the mercy of destiny. The structure of the script, which is unrelenting despite its tale-like quality, reminded me of Éric Rohmer."
THE CHARACTER
"This man believes he's all-powerful, a bit like narcissistic perverts. He's very much in love with his wife, he's gentle and caring, and even if he's not the destructive kind of narcissistic pervert, he can't stand seeing his plan not being brought to completion and being thwarted by outside circumstances. He almost behaves like a mobster to reach his goal - he has something of a psychopath, he simply can't empathize with anyone, and he's willing to kill anyone interfering with his plan."
"From the outset, Woody said to me, 'It's a complex, charming, unnerving, threatening, gentle role' and he added, 'I'll be there to help you.' Through his words, I could feel that he was somewhat close to the character and that he related to him from the inside. I think Jean felt like running away from the world - he suffered as a child and was afraid of things would escape him. This childlike, fragile quality makes him relatable - to a certain extent. It was a wonderful part to play as, within the same scene, he can be charming and win everybody over with his charisma, and in the blink of an eye, he can reveal a much darker side."
Woody Allen
"I was told he didn't speak much and remained behind the monitor. When we first met, he was quite taciturn but on our second meeting, he was much more talkative. On set, after three or four takes, he'd ask us if we wanted to try something different. He paid great attention to our acting, to our desire to suggest things. He was very much into directing his cast, and you could feel he very much enjoyed himself, like someone being energized and exhilarated by the production. As we moved forward, I felt he was getting even happier and in top form, as the film meant a great deal to him."
"It was wonderful seeing Woody Allen and Vittorio Storaro - these two wise maestros - working together. They had fun like happy-go-lucky kids, constantly enjoying themselves. Woody wanted scenes to grow ever more intense by staying close to actors, and Vittorio would film in sequence shots. Each scene was constructed like a small film in its own right - with a beginning, a middle, and an end."
AMAZING CO-STARS
"It was a very relevant cast. Lou [de Laâge] is a wonderful actress who has myriad facets - she's confused, and yet she pulls herself together, she's both part of the bourgeoisie and Bohemian. She's very gentle, she has genuine vulnerability, and her face is so expressive that even in wide-angle shots, you can feel she goes through a whole array of emotions. Niels [Schneider] is the ultimate Allenian character. He's a true romantic with generous ideals, a bashful lover quality, a Bohemian side to him, and actual manliness, so you relate to Fanny when she falls for him." "I didn't know Valérie [Lemercier]. She's genuinely funny, but Woody directed her in a less farcical way. She reminds me of a worrying, Jewish mother - there's a Miss-Marple side to her that is also reminiscent of Diane Keaton. You can't help laughing when she does all those expressions, but her lightheartedness is limited by her growing concern and her desire to investigate."
NIELS SCHNEIDER
Alain
AN INSTANT APPEAL
"I grew up with Woody Allen's films ever since HUSBANDS AND WIVES, and he's one of the few filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman, and Francis Ford Coppola whose movies I can watch over and over again with equal enjoyment. During the lockdown, I watched Woody's entire filmography all over again - and he's to me one of the greatest writers, directors, and auteurs alive. So it was an obvious choice when I was offered the part - even though it felt unbelievable that I was going to appear in a Woody Allen film!"
"Along with John Cassavetes, Woody Allen is also the most independent filmmaker there ever was. He always found financing to keep full creative control on his films and not be influenced by Hollywood."
THE SCREENPLAY
I played Coltrane at home to get in the mood right off, and I realized it was all about the writing - the lightheartedness, pace, and musical quality of the dialogue; the soulful characters that each had beliefs and a natural banter; and themes that cut across his filmography. You can find, just as in MATCH POINT, life's irony, the fact that no matter how much you struggle and believe you have some control over your existence - in the end, you're quite insignificant, and you hardly have any control over your life. I was awestruck by the script, as it conveyed beautifully this feeling on existence in a profound and light-hearted way, without any contrived humor and comical effects."
THE CHARACTER
Alain is a die-hard optimist who trusts life and goes with the flow. When he comes across Fanny, the one true love of his life he missed out on, he reveals her to herself, to what she used to be, to what she's lost. This makes him even more optimistic - he couldn't have taken any action by controlling himself since life is on his side! He thinks he has a destiny and that chance is his friend. He goes with the flow, but he believes he will reach a destination - a good destination."
"Alain was a student in a private high school, and Fanny was different. She had a natural charm about her, a natural elegance that wasn't about being attractive or seductive. Like many of Woody Allen's female characters, often portrayed by Diane Keaton, she was sophisticated, bright, interested in literature, and witty, which set her apart from other girls."
THE SHOOT
Woody Allen gave us a lot of leeway. Everything was already in the script, in the dialogue. I didn't try to make an impression of Woody as an actor, even though Alain's character is quite close to him. However, I found my inspiration in Michael Caine in HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, where he portrayed a very passionate character. Woody is a bit like this on set - he's quite fatalistic, like Alain, and has you believe he has no control over anything. He trusted us, although he didn't know us very well. As if the film was going to get made and that whether it would be good or bad was not up to him. So, there was a laid-back atmosphere on set."
"When Woody directs you, his instructions only concern your pace, your tone of voice, and his direction is definitely musical. He asked me to push my voice to a higher pitch and to speak faster. It dispelled all my concerns about his possible difficulty directing actors in French because, with him, it's all about musicality! So, the language doesn't really matter at all!"