"TITANE" Director Julia Ducournau Adding humor is a mixture [Director's Interview Vol.197]

Learning from the gaze of serial killers

Q: The story unfolds in an incredibly unique way, but the performances of Vincent Lindon (Vincent) and Agathe Roussel (Alexia) are powerful and persuasive, breathing life and realism into the story. What kind of conversations did you have with them?

Ducournau: Agathe Roussel was a newcomer, but he had a chaotic, overflowing energy. On the other hand, Vincent Lindon is a veteran with 40 years of experience. I was sure that it would be very interesting if the two of them met. Although they had different careers, in my world they were both newcomers. I didn't distinguish between newcomers and veterans, and approached both with the same stance.

Alexia, played by Agathe, has almost no lines in this film. This means that she is required to act with her gaze and facial expressions, which is quite a high hurdle for a newcomer like her. So, I had her watch a lot of movies with serial killers in them, and somehow get a grasp on their gaze. I think that this was perfectly utilized in her acting this time.

"TITANE" ©KAZAK PRODUCTIONS - FRAKAS PRODUCTIONS - ARTE FRANCE CINEMA - VOO 2020

On the other hand, Vincent's role required psychological digging. The character he plays is strong but also weak, tolerant but also disturbing, a man of light and shadow. We had many discussions to make sure that both of these aspects came out naturally.

Also, there were some scenes in this film where the two of them were naked. However, they were never meant to be sexy. After getting their full understanding and consent, we filmed with a minimum of staff. If there was anything they were concerned about, they were welcome to tell us, and we took that into consideration as we proceeded with filming.

Adding humor is a mix