As one of France’s biggest young actors, Romain Duris has a varied resume, featuring gritty crime films (the superb “The Beat That My Heart Skipped”), lush historicals (“Moliere”), and coming-of-age ensemble pieces (“L’auberge espagnole”), however despite his sigh-worthy good looks, he had somehow escaped the romantic comedies that his American peers seem to relish. “Heartbreaker” marks his first foray into the genre, and the young actor sat down with us to discuss the new challenge.
“Heartbreakers” is in limited release Friday, and we’ll have our review of the comedy later this week. Here Duris plays Alex, the schemer of the title who makes money breaking up unhappy couples. With his sister (Julie Ferrier) and brother-in-law (Francois Damiens) on his team, he’s part Danny Ocean, part, well, George Clooney, as he seduces women with ease, pushing them away from their current beaux and into bigger and better things. His newest target, Juliette (Vanessa Paradis), isn’t his typical damsel in distress, and “Heartbreaker” sees the tables tuned on the unwitting seducer when he can’t resist Juliette’s charms.
Though some actors cut their teeth on lighthearted comedies, Duris considers comedy — good comedy — a challenge and a draw. “It’s true, but I was scared, to be honest,” he says of the new direction. But it wasn’t all work thanks to his collaboration with costar Paradis and director Pascal Chaumeil. “We were agreed together to doing the same movie, to add romantic stuff and I was a bit happy about that and I trust the director in that way. I don’t know if the film is better with our help, but we had to believe what we did, totally, and the director wanted that actor to be totally free and light. That way, it’s refreshing…It’s fun.”
He elaborates on his experience with Paradis, best known on American shores as the mother of Johnny Depp’s two children, but who has a solid career in France as both an actress and a singer. “It was great,” he describes his experience with her. “You never know, but I think it helps when you’re getting along with the character. It helps because to try to make some magical thing with someone when you don’t have the feeling–that’s a job, you know. It was very easy with her and also because yes, we spoke earlier about the script and the way that we wanted to dream with the movie.”
Duris was also in town for a BAM retrospective of his films, ending today. When asked to look back on his favorite roles, the César-nominated actor muses, “Ah yes, but I’m proud about more the experience than the performance, you know….sometimes I have so good memories because the life was so intense during the shooting that, for me, it’s very important.” Unsurprisingly, he does pick one of fans’ — and critics’ — favorites when pressed: “But the one they choose, ‘The Beat That My Heart Skipped,’ of course, for me it was great. It was great, and I think the performance is something so it’s cool when both things match.”
In contrast to his other roles, there’s a vaguely Bond-ish air to Duris’ suave Alex in “Heartbreaker,” an odd coincidence since Duris was rumored to be up for “Casino Royale” villain Le Chiffre, who was played by Mads Mikkelsen. But Duris didn’t pass on the part: “No, no, I didn’t turn down,” he explains. “It was just a question of schedule, I think, and they wanted me to pass another exam for my English and I didn’t have the time, so I told them I couldn’t do the meeting.” Christophe Honore’s “Dans Paris” was the film that created the conflict, but he wouldn’t be averse to starring in an English-language film.
“If the character suits me,” he elaborates on his possible future in American movies. “But I don’t want to be the French lover and do with my personality. I don’t want to do that. I want to be attracted to the role.” Unsurprisingly, it’s not the thought of more fame that draws him to parts. “If I’m dreaming, I would want to be involved in a movement,” he says. “You know, like the Nouvelle Vague. That’s so big; [Jean-Paul] Belmondo worked with Jean-Luc Godard, and that is incredible, so if I’m dreaming…a movement of cinema like that, but I think it’s a dream. To be part of a new cinema could be great, so I don’t think it’s now, I don’t think it’s happening. It’s just difficult, the new cinema, it’s a tricky definition.
“Maybe after the revolution?” he says with a laugh.