CINEMA

PIO MARMAI ON ACTING

By Crash redaction

ACTOR OF STAGE AND SCREEN, PIO MARMAÏ EXUDES ENTHUSIASM AND CURIOSITY. NOMINATED TWICE FOR A FRENCH CESAR FOR BEST NEW ACTOR, HE CAME TO PROMINENCE WITH THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. IN THE THIRD FILM FROM REMI BEZANÇON, PIO PLAYS A FUTURE FATHER COMING TO GRIPS WITH THE DIFFICULTIES OF MATERNITY.

Interview by Armelle Leturcq

How did you First come into contact with film as a viewer?

My first great encounter with film was Fellini’s 8 1⁄2. I was really interested in the mise-en-scène of films.

You wanted to become a film actor at the time?

I never wanted to act in movies. I was a theater actor and then I discovered this. I noticed several differences with these actors. In truth, it’s another way of working. It took me some time to accept the idea of working like you do in movies. Film demands total availability. There are no rehearsals. The element of visibility isn’t quite the same either. I truly enjoy acting in movies now.

You share the billing For Un heureux evénement, which will come out on september 28, with Louise Bourgoin…

It’s the story of a couple who’s about to have a child; so it’s a film about maternity. It treats the subject in a realist manner and defiles it a bit.

Don’t you think the general public or critics will approach the theme with their own opinions?

It’s an exasperating exercise. I already worked with Remi Bezançon on The First Day of the Rest of Your Life. Remi and I are friends for life, which makes things easier. Since he wrote the role for me, it was very easy to play it. But we also wanted to go further with it.

So you’re quite comfortable with comedies, then?

They’re a lot different. This season I also filmed more dramatic things, too. Over the summer, for example, I acted in Elie Wajeman’s first feature film. It’s the story of a man who sells drugs so that he can go to Israel and escape the stress he has in France. It’s a whole different way of working when you act with a young director who takes risks and tries things that are very different. I’m fully behind the new generation of directors who are giving new life to film.

Do you notice this new life only in French film, or in international film as well?

I’m also attracted to foreign film. I’m completely open. I like writing, new encounters, directors who have a language, a photography. I prefer a long sequence shot to a shot-countershot scene.

The risks you’re talking about are also apparent in Contre toi with Kristin Scott Thomas…

I like alternating lighter subjects with more risky ones.

Do you think the roles you play end up influencing how you act?

Yes, definitely. I put a lot of distance between film and my life, but I try to be completely free in choosing roles. I feel both relaxed and tense. I don’t want to play roles i’ve already done.

What would you say about acting in a genre film? A horror flick or a b movie? 

I would love it. Even an Italian erotico-trash film à la Dario Argento. Or a zombie movie. Cutting off heads, chopping up arms, beating people with hammers… I’d love to do that (laughs). I’m quite fond of these kinds of movies as a viewer. I also had a thing for bandit movies. Then I acted in Francis le Belge, which broke the spell for me.

You don’t separate your preferences as a viewer and your acting decisions?

Sometimes i’ll watch a movie and i’ll say that I would have liked to have acted in it. When watching a movie, we can sense certain things about how it was filmed. When I read a screenplay and meet the director, I decide pretty quickly about the part.

Any other projects Lined up For this year?

I’m also working on a film with Nicolas Mercier, who has worked with François Ozon and Anne Fontaine. And i’ll be doing a residence in Valences for theater.

Are French actors more easily categorized than american actors, who we tend to think of as chameleon actors?

Quite often we compare young actors to more experienced actors with established careers. “It’s the new…”: I think it’s exhausting. Every actor has their own personality.theamericanfilmindustryisgiganticandfarfromanythingartisanal.Superproductions,greenscreens…Ihavealotoftrouble imagining all that. What counts is how you act. Adèle Haenel says something very relevant on this subject: “I’m an actress quite simply because I like acting”. I can relate to that idea of acting. Taking part in an exchange. Being an actor is not an end in itself. Representation becomes something almost essential. You have to stay fresh and keep finding enjoyment in acting.

Photography: Morgan Roudaut
Fashion: Armelle Leturcq
Make-up & Hair: Maniacha@B4 Agency