Could you start by talking about your character in Les Têtes givrées?
Clovis Cornillac:It's the character of Alain. He was a former high-level ski coach. We feel that there was a tragedy in his life, that he was a little locked up. And he has an opportunity because there is a lack of teachers in the National Education today. He has an offer to become a teacher in a college for a class of SEGPA. And in fact, this character is going to give life, well confidence rather than "life". He is going to give confidence, he is going to give in any case desire. He will create desire in students who are in a bit of a state of perdition and who have a cruel lack of confidence in themselves. And through this, he will also regain a taste for life, for confidence and all that. So it's a path, a rather virtuous path. And all of this under the backdrop of, well under the backdrop, it's a funny word compared to the story, but we'll say, linked to a big project and which is linked to global warming.
How did you prepare the role in the film?
C.C.: Often, when you play in a film, you have a character who has a job and the least you can do is try to meet the people who practice that job. Because you don't want to betray a profession or a way of... Well, there you go, you'll grasp things and you'll make things with... But in any case to try not to betray. And I met an absolutely remarkable guy named Vincent Fayet who works a bit like Alain's character, that is to say, someone who has a vision of education that I find quite fascinating and that works, where he destructures the classrooms. He asked himself, "Is it really the best way to teach to be the man of knowledge in front of people who are silent and who have to learn and not copy each other?" He broke that, he breaks up the class, basically, he creates groups that help each other, that learn together. And he, he remains in the middle the teacher figure. There is no... His classes are not messy at all. And the students, it works. That is, they graduate and all that. But the big difference is that they go to school, or to high school, or to college with desire. Because you say "I'm going to work, I'm going to learn things with my friends and all that" and this notion, I find that with Vincent Fayet, it really works.
That's it, and finally, in the film, with their project, they are obliged to take their life in hand too, to phone to become covers.
C.C.: So in the film, yeah. In the film, he gives them a lot of responsibility, he gives them... And that's pretty great. And then the cinema also allows us, in a very short time, to see how much to give to people, and in particular to this youth, to say that it is necessary to believe in its dreams. I think it's a very positive mantra because, once again, it's not the result that counts, it's the process. As long as you don't forbid yourself to go there, then the process, it will inevitably produce things for you. And that's yeah, it's very virtuous.
That's what's really beautiful, it's that in the end, it's not going to save the glacier with its class of SEGPA. But the fact of trying to do something, to act and to show them that they can be actor of their own life reveals them and transforms them.
C.C.: Of course. For all of us, for our kids and all that, I mean "but go for it!" See, the question, it's not...
That's what answers Ines who wants to go and destroy her father's building site: "go ahead, do it, what's stopping you?"
C.C.: And that is something that speaks to us. I mean, I have kids and all that. For me, it was not believing in one's dreams, it was being happy. So the quest for happiness is to believe in your dreams. Finally, it's trying to go towards.
And what attracted you to this project?
C.C.: Well, all that. So, there are several things. There are obviously the themes that I find really interesting, whether it is education, the relationship with children, the relationship with oneself and obviously the ecological transition, but also the notion of cinema. That is to say that it was important for me to see with the director, whom I did not know at the time, Stéphane. When I read the script, which I found very skilful and all that, I saw a guy who was absolutely not cynical and who didn't come to take subjects, somewhat current themes to make a film, but who was very involved in all these themes. And where I questioned him was on his desire for cinema, that is to say to say "why make a film?" Today, you have the platforms, you have the TV, you have all that, there are very beautiful programs, so why the cinema? And I think it's a question when you make films that you have to ask yourself, to say "What makes people who are going to pay a ticket, who are supposed to come and pay a ticket to go to the cinema, we didn't smoke them?" Because they can, there are things... Cinema is special, it's not better or worse than platforms or TV, it's cinema, so it has to make sense, you have to want to make cinema too, something that has to do with cinema. So that was one of my questions and indeed, he wanted to make movies. And I believe that the film, in my eyes, there is cinema.
I must admit that I was a little afraid of the ecological theme that comes out a lot and finally it is very well treated. It's not "We're not going to, we're going to change the world in one class action", it's "We're going to do our best to try to have the best future possible."
C.C.: Yeah, and then with this thing that's very complex today, as soon as you get into the subject of ecology or climate science, or... It's that as soon as you say that you are doing something at your little level and all that, often you have people in front who feel attacked. And you go, "I don't give lessons". The only thing that we can see, all the earthlings, today, can see it: "Yes, there is a huge problem." You do things on your own scale, so you share "Oh well, no, but finally I do this and you..." "Oh yeah, but then you do this, but you don't do that and everything" But no, I'm far from perfect, really, I go by... And it's funny how as soon as you communicate on this, everybody feels attacked. "Yes, I have a car. So what?" But... Frankly, I don't want to attack you because you have a car, we're talking about the thing, "Me, I can do without, I do without, you can't do without, I don't do without." But it's funny how very quickly, these are subjects that are... There are those who systematically attack you by saying "You don't do that, you don't do that", but that's unbearable in everything, it's not a way of exchanging between humans, frankly. But here, we have a real concern that goes beyond the political cleavages. So it's hopeless to see the COP 28 and to see that nothing happens at the end and I say to myself ", that's what hurts". "We're not talking politics folks, here." And it really reminds me of something that was done for the hell of it on Netflix, which was called Don't Lookup and was in my opinion... The more I see how it's progressing from time to time, the more you think, but this is crazy what. That is to say, you make a cynical fable like that, funny but terrifying. Well, it's a comet, it's coming, everyone sees it and then whole countries say "No, there's not, no." And then, you have the impression, you say "But it's crazy, it's burning at home, there are floods, there are things, everything" Even the climate skeptics today, they say sorry, we were wrong. So everybody agrees and nobody agrees. You go "Oh my God, that's crazy", we are really kids, we are really still tadpoles! As long as we are not under water, as long as we can still breathe a little. I say "Oh no, it's okay.
"So far, so good" We're still here.
C.C.: That's crazy. Yeah, yeah.
How do you think the film can encourage people to take action to protect the planet?
C.C.: Oh, I don't know.
That's not necessarily the point of the movie actually.
C.C.: Yeah, no, I don't think so. I think that yes, there is one thing in my opinion, for the ecological climate transition, it is a personal awareness. So that's part of, I think this film is just part of something generous, not at all divisive, not at all aggressive, not at all... But where maybe, you know, two weeks after, a month after having had the film or whatever, well there are little things that come up and you say... In the end, it's pretty sweet.
That's it, for me, it's a feel good movie.
C.C.: Oh yeah, it's a real feel good movie, but it has themes and you go : "Well yes, maybe, it will go a little way". And so much the better.
I was impressed by the acting of the kids who are very young and who are superb! How did you work with them ?
C.C. : They are really good ! Well, already, Stéphane, the director, was really... He didn't let them down, very gently, but he never let them down. And I tried to be the relay too, not to let them go and to... I didn't want to know them before. I told Stephane, "I don't want to meet them before." We're going to do it in order in the film and we're going to set up something that's going to happen as the days of shooting go by. And it worked quite well actually.
So the relationship was really built as you went along?
C.C.: Yes, I wanted to control it. I knew that I had scenes with one, with the other and everything, and that once you had... That one knew you a little bit better than, you had him... So he was very happy, so it spread the word among the group. And you know, that's how a teacher actually... You see, you say "ah no but I like him." "Yeah, but wait, he's still something." "Yeah, but he's" And in fact, there's this... There you go, I liked that idea.
Great! Thank you very much.
Les Têtes givrées : the sweet environmental comedy with Clovis Cornillac and Claudia Tagbo
Les Têtes Givrées, a dramatic comedy by Stéphane Cazes with Clovis Cornillac and Claudia Tagbo, will be released this Wednesday, February 8, 2023. This feel good movie, in addition to immersing us in sumptuous scenery, deals, with gentleness and sincerity, with important subjects such as education and global warming. [Read more]
Les Têtes givrées : the sweet environmental comedy with Clovis Cornillac and Claudia Tagbo
