Actress Karin Viard and comedian Franck Dubosc, who have been friends for more than 40 years, had never had the opportunity to appear in the cinema together before they were offered the leading roles restart, a comedy about a couple who separate after 30 years of marriage. The newspaper met Karin Viard during her visit to Montreal last November as part of the Cinémania Festival.
How did this reunion with Franck Dubosc go?
“The wonderful thing about friendship is that you can't see each other for 12 years and still pick up the conversation right where you left off. That's what happened to Franck, who I've known since 1981! When we started this work, we formed a group with other friends in which we made sketches. But after that we didn't have the opportunity to work together again. So if this opportunity [de jouer dans le film Nouveau départ] came, we were so happy!”
Franck became known as a comedian. But in this film, it's your character who provides the funniest scenes…
“Franck is actually the white clown of the film. He's the one who makes passes so I can make people laugh. It's true that it's not normal for him. Furthermore, if Philippe Lefebvre [le réalisateur] When offered the role, he said, “But my character is not funny. With Karin it's funnier… He said he wanted to make people laugh too [rires]. But in the end, he really enjoyed playing this type of role.”
You've always managed to navigate between drama and comedy well, but you seem particularly comfortable in the comic position…
“My first passion is comedy. I like what it brings out in people. When comedy works it creates something very happy and there is an infectious laughter in the room that creates a great feeling of joy. That's why I love comedy. And I think it’s an extremely noble genre.”
You presented three films at Cinémania this year. It's often said that it's harder for actresses over 50 to find roles, but isn't that the case for you?
“It's true that I work a lot. But I'm still afraid that it will stop, or that I won't be offered important or interesting roles anymore. I'm always afraid of becoming the opposite of a leading role because I'm too old. I don't want it to end because I love my job very much and need it to live. I don't do this job to make money or become famous. I do this job because it fulfills a deep and vital need. I'm exactly where I feel like I should be. It’s strong, isn’t it?”
The film New Beginning hits theaters on January 19th.