A difficult year: Jonathan Cohen seen by… the Toledano Nakache duo

In A Difficult Year, the actor plays an over-indebted man crossing paths with environmental activists fighting against the climate crisis. Its directors talk about their very first collaboration.

Why did you call on Jonathan Cohen to A difficult year ?

Olivier Nakache : It’s a story like many of us have experienced in our career. Because, at the beginning, it wasn’t him who was planned. We built a relationship with Alban Ivanov who we love very much. And the writing of this scenario was also motivated by the desire for a duet between Pio (Marmaï) and Alban. And then, shortly before the first clap, Alban had problems and it was no longer possible for him to film. We then decided to fold the cards, to entrust Pio with the role planned for Alban and to find another interpreter for Pio’s. That’s where we thought of Jonathan and we met that same evening over coffee with him who, in the middle of post-production of the Torch, immediately told us: “Guys, I dream of filming with you but I can’t because I’m burnt out.” And we replied: “it’s perfect for us and the character we’re offering you who has the nickname Lexo”!

Why did you turn to him?

WE : It’s been quite a while since he was in our desire zone. We saw him search for himself, build himself through a bunch of supporting roles and, each time he appeared, he hit the mark. I remember very well, for example, the dinner scene in the second part of Dad or Mom. He naturally has a sense of humor that cannot be taught. We knew him a little, thanks to friends of friends. So, when he finally said yes to us, with Eric, we pushed back the filming a bit, we locked ourselves away for four days and we rewrote to change our software and adapt the character to Jonathan.

A DIFFICULT YEAR: A STIMULATING SOCIAL COMEDY (REVIEW)

What does rewriting actually mean for him?

Eric Toledano: This means that we took into account, as always, the nature of the actor we have in front of us. Jonathan has something on his face where you feel like things are going to go wrong. A vista comicus. Yesterday my children were watching First vacation and at one point he arrives on a beach and says “it’s Tetanus Beach”! (laughs) Jonathan has this genius for expressions, whether he invents them or has them put into his mouth. He immediately manages to play down things. He has something of an Italian hero. With him, everything becomes a little lighter, even when it’s serious. Which is exactly what we needed to be light on a serious subject.

But being a successful comedy actor also involves the risk of having tics or locking yourself into a comfort zone where you know you’re effective. How do you fight that to bring it somewhere else?

AND : Olivier has a talent that few people know about. He knows how to imitate people very well. And in some ways, it’s a bad sign for the actors when he succeeds because it means that he’s caught something of a game. And doing it in front of them pushes him, I think, to take them elsewhere.

WE : It’s true that we like to try to cover the entire spectrum of an actor’s performance and push him to push his limits. With Jonathan, in A difficult year, we inevitably play with our nature. When it’s funny, we push him, we stimulate him like coaches. But when it’s tender or dramatic, we could see that he’s also at ease and I think he gave us things that he didn’t necessarily give in his previous films.

AND We must not forget that Jonathan attended the Conservatory. In the street, people call him Marc or Serge le Mytho. But like most actors who come from comedy, he is also keen to prove that he can be good in other registers and an ability to release a certain melancholy through comedy. This is what Jonathan shows in A difficult year. And then, on a platter, honestly, it’s a delight. He is always in a good mood. He is constant, he is humble. This is also true in the promotional tour that we did throughout France, it takes a long time with each spectator who comes to see him. But it also reflects the symptom of someone who waited their turn, today at 43 years old. Since it didn’t work at first, he had time to desire this recognition and savored it.

WE : This is also why he took charge and created his own roles which led him to where he is today.

AND : And all this while finding your uniqueness. Jonathan has a particular phrasing and style. And it is by assuming his style and his phrasing that he pleases. We could see it in this tour, it’s impressive how much people appreciate it. It reminds us of Omar (Sy). I knew of its popularity but I didn’t think it was that popular. And between the people who come to see him and him, there is not familiarity but love.

Did you work specifically with him on your film, both during the preparation phase and on set?

AND : From the moment he jumped on the bandwagon, Jonathan was impressively thorough. He was very concerned. He worked on each of his dialogues. He came to do a reading with Mathieu Amalric, with Pio then a second with Pio… He was really involved at each stage, he was even interested in the trailers… He was very concerned. And on set, he is both involved and very sharing with his partners. He gives you ideas on his own dialogues as much as on those of the other characters. But we like to operate like that by looking for inventiveness in our actors. And what we experienced with Jean-Pierre Bacri on The meaning of the partywe experienced it on A difficult year with Jonathan and Pio. And, without looking ahead, I think that, more and more, other cinemas and other roles will come his way. And I hope that we too will work with him again because we haven’t reached the end of what we can do with him. This mix between comedy and drama that Olivier calls dual nationality! (laughs) There aren’t many actors who are this intense on both sides. And it really reminds us of that moment when, apart from his comic potential, Omar’s dramatic potential jumped out at us. That’s where we went. And we want to go for it with Jonathan.

A difficult year. By Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano. With Jonathan Cohen, Pio Marmaï, Noémie Merlant. Duration: 1h58. Released October 18, 2023