My Crime: “I wanted two young actresses surrounded by old pigs”

François Ozon explains to us how he built the transgenerational cast for his new comedy.

Updated September 26, 2023: After its great success in theaters (1.1 million admissions), My Crime is broadcast this evening for the first time on Canal, and available for streaming on MyCanal until December 11. When it was released, we met its director, François Ozonand its two main actresses: Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Rebecca Marder.

Article from March 9, 2023: With My Crime, François Ozon reconnects with the hyperstylized cinema of Eight Women And Potiche. For the release of the film, currently in theaters, we brought together the director and his two main actresses, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Rebecca Marder, who recently competed for the César for female revelation (respectively for Les Amandiers and Une fille qui va bien). An unbridled cross-interview where the filmmaker explains to us why he decided to adapt a play from the 1930s. And how he chose to put together a diverse cast around the two young actresses, with Isabelle Huppert, Dany Boon, Fabrice LuchiniAndré Dussollier, Régis Laspalès, Daniel Prévost and even Franck de La Personne.

Here is an extract from this exchange, which you can find in full in the latest issue of Première, currently on newsstands.

My crime: a deliciously playful Ozon (review)

First: François, you were talking about the energy of the actors. In this film, you mix cinema or theater families who are a priori very distant…

François Ozon: When I do a casting, I don’t censor myself. I just choose the ones that I think are the best. Here, I wanted two young actresses surrounded by old male pigs over 50 years old… apart from Isabelle (Huppert)! And I admire comedy actors because it’s the most difficult art. In a dramatic register, everyone can end up being good. In comedy, the sanction is immediate. Especially in terms of rhythm. Now I have always loved Olivier Broche des Deschiens, or the look and diction of Régis Laspalès…

You still went looking for Franck de La Personne who had not filmed since his public engagement for Marine Le Pen in 2017…

FO: I always found Valérie Lemercier great. I tested it and objectively it was the best. So why not take it? For me, everyone has the right to a second chance.

And how did you choose Rebecca and Nadia?

I wanted strong actresses because there was a lot of text and I needed rhythm. Nadia, I spotted her in Only the Beasts. Seeing her making out with Valeria (Bruni Tedeschi), I told myself that she was going strong! She corresponded exactly to what I had in mind for Madeleine: a kind of Marilyn. For Pauline, I was looking for a Katharine Hepburn. But I had never seen Rebecca play. She arrived at the casting exhausted and without really knowing her lines…

RM: You’re pumped! (Laughs.) Can I defend myself? For these tests, I had to prepare both roles. I learned 18 pages of text, and then, the day before the casting, I was told that I was going to audition for Pauline and in another scene. I was playing at the Comédie-Française, so I didn’t really have time. I came away telling myself that, indeed, I had given the worst of myself!

FO: I really thought you weren’t motivated. But in a casting process, it is always essential to watch the videos calmly. Rebecca was an obvious choice. We tested again and it worked. The duo worked wonderfully.

NT: For me it was a little more stressful because I don’t come from theater like Rebecca. I wondered if I would be able to serve this hilarious text. The goal was to be natural while speaking with the tone of the time.