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We all fell in love with Louis Garrelwhen he starred as young bohemian Theo in **Bernardo Bertolucci’**s sensual ode to cinema and the sixties, The Dreamers. Since then, Garrel has been appearing in a steady stream of French films and frequently collaborating with his director father, Philippe Garrel—the two have made five movies together. In their latest joint project, Jealousy, Garrel plays a struggling actor who leaves his girlfriend and daughter for a husky-voiced, up-to-no-good femme fatale. We spoke to the actor about working with family and his upcoming role as Jacques de Bascher in the second YSL biopic to come out later this year, Saint Laurent.
What was your favorite thing about this film?
It was fantastic to work with the little girl (Olga Milshtein) who plays my daughter. She’s completely alive; she’s not interested in being a good or bad actress. In general, it’s said that actors hate to play alongside kids or animals because you know they’re always going to outshine you. But this time, I was very happy to work with her. I was interested in exploring that sweetness and tenderness between a father and a daughter. Now that I’m a father I get it. My own daughter [with ex-girlfriend Valeria Bruni Tedeschi] is five years old right now.
What is it like collaborating with your father?
The first time I worked with him I was five years old, so he was a bit bossier. I didn’t even get a chance to say yes or no! Now I can say, “Let’s change this a little bit,” and he’s OK with it. And he only likes doing one take. So we rehearse quite a bit. The first take is always the best. He’s also very interested in the form of the movie, and even though he doesn’t have much money [to work with], he experiments; he works in cinemascope, in black-and-white. I’m very interested in his technique. I’m in awe seeing him working.
Was this experience different from working on other films directed by your father?
When my father and I did A Burning Hot Summer, I told him that it was clear he wanted to be a painter before being a director. That movie was like an oil-style painting, and for this movie the story is very simple, so I said, let’s make this one more like a watercolor painting.
Do you think he sparked your interest in acting?
Yes, of course. But my mother also did. She’s an actress and director, and she was taking me along with her when she was doing plays. But I think the moment I discovered I definitely wanted to act was when I saw a play alone by myself when I was fourteen. Maybe it was a Molière play? I discovered the atmosphere of the theater, and I knew I wanted to be an actor.
Your upcoming role in the Saint Laurent biopic is completely different from the one in Jealousy. Your role as playboy Jacques de Bascher is sort of an homme fatale.
When I read the script, right away I said, “I want to do this character.” I told [director] Bertrand Bonello, “Let’s make this a real love story.” I remember looking at the portrait by David Hockney of de Bascher and I wanted to understand why this young man who was so calm and sweet—how he could turn Yves Saint Laurent into such a state? [De Bascher is said to have contributed heavily to Saint Laurent’s addiction to drugs.]
Did you do any research on this legendary real-life personality?
Everyone knew him in the fashion world. I was working on a shoot for Vogue, and I asked Grace [Coddington], “Did you know him?” And she was like, “Oh Jacques, he was like this and this at parties.” It’s funny, everyone had sort of a souvenir of him.