Heartthrob Gaspard Ulliel in The Princess of Montpensier

The tres adorable French actor Gaspard Ulliel may be best known to American viewers who saw him in Hannibal Rising, or from his part in the Gus Van Sant segment of Paris Je T’aime. But anyone who saw his seductive performance in out filmmaker André Téchiné’s Strayed, or as one of the lovers in A Very Long Engagement knows Ulliel’s sex appeal.

Now starring as Henri, a dashing rogue caught in a love quadrangle in the fabulous historical costume drama/romance The Princess of Montpensier, this French dreamboat may be once again poised for breakout success.

The San Francisco Bay Times met with Ulliel to discuss his career and his character, as well as his thoughts about love, sword fighting, and his dimple-like facial scar.

(Bay Times) You are a heartthrob in France - and to American viewers who know you. Do you find that quality difficult? Do your striking good looks play into your characters, and your roles?

(Ulliel) It can be a privilege, but at the same time, it can prevent you from going to certain roles - you can be typecast. If you look handsome, or you have this image as a young, handsome guy, sometimes you want to break it and play certain characters, but you are too good looking. Some directors, have a lack of imagination. For an actor, the most pleasurable job is to work on a character that is far from who you are in real life. I think the most important thing is in your eyes and your look - it can add to your acting. But obviously, if you are born [handsome], you have to embrace your body.

It’s interesting to trigger other things by working on your body and the way you look. You can see this with many actors who transform themselves and change their whole body - like Christian Bale.

American viewers may know you best from your role as young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising. Can you discuss that experience? Were you looking for a breakout success?

I was aware of the risks when they asked me about the part. At the same time, it was really appealing to me, to play such an amazing part, and working in English, with an American team. I think I refused the first two times they came to me. It was awkward to have a French guy do Hannibal Lecter. But the thing that made me change my mind was my first meeting with the director, Peter Webber, who was really witty and clever. I appreciated his first film The Girl with the Pearl Earring. I thought it was nice and interesting idea for the producer to pick someone like this to direct this film.

But a breakthrough American success would have changed your career…

True, true. Another important thing I took into consideration was that this gave me the opportunity to work in English with a great director and to work on a fascinating character.

What appealed to you about playing Henri in Princess of Montpensier?

I was asked to meet Bertrand [Tavernier, the director], who is a great filmmaker in French cinema. It was easy to say yes before I read the script. We had a simple meeting and he talked about the project, and I read it, and I was in. The story was adapted from a famous French story I studied in school, and it was interesting to see what they did with it. The [story’s] style of writing is pretty specific - concise and elliptic - and a bit cold, and the film is the total opposite, full of energy and told at a quick pace. The sentences in the book are so dense and rich. But they did a great job in finding a way for the characters to speak in the period style, but for the audience to understand it. I never had a problem with the dialogue.

How did you research your role?

We were lucky to have Bertrand, who knows so much about so many things. He’s really precise on everything. He’s fascinated by history, so he knew a lot of really important details to help us actors get a full glimpse of daily life at that time. He asked the whole crew to read a biography of King Henry III, and in it, there were details about the way people were living at that time.

What do you like to read?

I’m reading Dostoevsky. I recently read Notes from the Underground, and I’ve always wanted to - I never did it, but I’m going to pick it up soon - to read Remembrance of Things Past by Proust. So many people have told me about it. It’s thick.

How as it work in period costume, and sword fighting in the mud?

I’m really thankful to the costumes, and makeup. The idea of having long hair and a heavy costume was quite helpful for the character, and this was Bertrand’s choice. He insisted on the fact that I let my hair grow for this part - especially for the fight scene, where I have my hair pulled back a bit like a samurai. We had to do a lot of adjustments with the costumes. When they created them at first, we just did fittings. But when we started to rehearse with the costumes, we couldn’t move the way we wanted to. We had two months of rehearsals for the fighting - this was totally new to me - and quite fun to do. But it’s more like a dance than a fight, because it’s choreographed. And riding the horse was a big load of fun. That was totally new to me as well, and I really loved it. After the film, I missed the horse so much - the feeling of freedom.

Henri is described as a man of impulse - are you impulsive?

He is in the present all the time. I’m not like that. I’m the opposite. Impulsive at some point, but I try to take a lot of distance with things. Think before I act. Sometimes, I would like to be like Henri. He embraces life fully. When you think too much, you have a lack of life…You need to be impulsive.

Your character weighs love against money. Are you more romantic or practical in your life?

More romantic I think. Well, I hope. For me, I need to experience some love in my daily life. It’s really stimulating and gives you power and confidence.

I wouldn’t be able to act like this character. At the same time, in this story, he sacrifices for other purposes, but Henri’s feelings for [the Princess] is true passion - it’s really visceral, and linked to sexual attraction. The story is a bit like a Western. The story has the same construction of a female figure in the middle of all these men. It’s a like the only rose in the middle of a desert.

Henri has a morality - he never forgets an offence. He also weeps, and admits it. Do you think he’s tough or vulnerable? How did you find his internal struggle?

When I read the script, I thought that Henri was quite direct and easy to understand as a character, but when I started thinking about it, and talking to Bertrand, I realized his personality was much more complex. He has this strong harsh appearance and at the same time, when he is facing the princess, he becomes softer, and quite weak.

What was it like working with you costars - was there camaraderie on the set?

Most of the experiences I’ve had on set [previously] were with older actors, because I started acting quite young. Here, I worked with a lot of actors from my generation, who were my age. It was moving to work with Gregoire [Leprince-Ringuet, who co-starred with Ulliel in Strayed in 2003]. He’s so different now - he became a man, so it was really nice to work with him again. Raphaël Personnaz [who plays Duc d’Anjou], was a friend, so it was nice to work with him.

You have a scar on your left cheek and in the film your character is scarred. Do you equate any meaning to that?

It was fun - it was the first time they added a scar to my face! I already have this one [indicates scar on his cheek], but it can look like a dimple. I am thankful to the surgeon. It was fun for me to have another scar, and it worked well in the story, because my character already has one scar, but adds another during a fight. So we used my scar for the first scar and they added the other one.

I think it’s a nice metaphor in the story - he wears it on his face, but his deepest scar is in his heart.

L.A and New York Screening

Source: Gaspard Ulliel Online

The Inside Reel Interview

IR Interview: Bertrand Travernier & Gaspard Ulliel For “The Princess Of Montpensier” [IFC Films]

Clic the link to watch the interview

Photoshoot April 2011 DailySingle

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Q&A With Gaspard Ulliel

In the States, Gaspard Ulliel (pronounced ull-yell, preferably with a French accent) is most commonly referred to as ‘that one French dude’ or ‘the sexiest man on the planet’—depending on who you ask. Since getting his modest start in made-for-TV movies in France at 12 years old, Ulliel has built the sort of CV that nobody could have predicted, least of all the actor himself. Now, 26, he has already worked with Gus Van Sant (Paris, Je t’aime), took on Anthony Hopkins’ career-defining role as Hannibal Lector (Hannibal Rising), became the face of Chanel’s new men’s fragrance (Bleu de Chanel), and was nominated as the Most Promising Male Newcomer at the César Awards—the equivalent of the Oscars in France—for three consecutive years.

Ulliel’s most recent role in Bertrand Tavernier’s The Princess of Montpensier, a costume drama that premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival last year, continues to take him beyond home turf recognition toward international idolatry. An adaptation of Madame de La Fayette’s 17th century short story, the princess in question is Marie de Mézières (Mélanie Thierry), a beautiful aristocrat who falls for the rakish Henri de Guise (Ulliel), but promised by her father in a political match to marry his childhood friend, Prince de Montpensier (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet).

The Princess of Montpensier opens this Friday in New York and Los Angeles with a national rollout to follow.

When did you get into New York?

I flew in yesterday. I really enjoy this city a lot and have a couple of friends here. I think I’ve been here maybe 10 times now.

Do you get recognized on the street?

It happens, but not as much as in France, obviously. It’s mostly French people that recognize me in New York.

I find it interesting that a lot of people know who you are outside of France and Europe, but they’re not so familiar with the specifics of your film work. I think that will change, though, especially with The Princess of Montpensier hitting theaters in the US. How did you get involved with that project?

It all happened quite smoothly. My agents told me that Bertrand Tavernier, one of the major filmmakers in France nowadays, wanted to meet with me. I had coffee with him at this little café in Paris and he was very straightforward and offered me the role. I read the script the next day and really liked it. I was keen on working with him even if the script didn’t meet my expectations, but thankfully it did.

The film is based on a famous short story, right?

It’s a really important story in French literature. It’s such a lovely story and I studied the author, Madame de La Fayette, when I was in school. I thought Bertrand did a great job on the script with his co-writer, Jean Cosmos, because the short story is quite old-fashioned. It’s from the 17th century, the beginning of romanticism in French literature. It’s written in a style that, for young people especially, can feel a bit cold in certain parts. The construction is so elliptic that it feels cold. But they managed to do the complete opposite with the film, which feels very modern and full of life. I was also pleased with the dialogue because they managed to form this special language that’s credible for this period in history and, at the same time, totally understandable for modern audiences. It’s not at all how I would speak in modern life, but it was really interesting to work with this kind of language.

There’s a lot of sword fighting and horse riding in the film. What kind of training did they put you through?

I had never been on a horse before. I learned how to ride from this great trainer and he had amazing horses. It was actually quite easy because the horses were so well behaved and they were specifically trained to work in cinema. They’re like a Rolls-Royce. [Laughs] You whistle and they would stop what they’re doing. I’ve actually continued to ride horses after the shoot. I think I discovered a real passion for it. As for the sword fighting, we worked on the choreography for about a month and a half before shooting. It was tough at certain points because I have many fights in the film. We started training too close to the beginning of the shoot, so we had to work on it very intensely. It felt more like a dance than fighting because everything is planned in advance. But yeah, this was really interesting too.

You often say that you fell into acting by chance. If I was a struggling actor, I think I would absolutely detest hearing stuff like that from uncommonly successful people like yourself.

[Laughs] Well, I studied acting when I was really young, but it was something I did after school for fun with other kids. When I was 11 or 12 years old, a friend of a friend my mother was working at an agency and she was looking for young actors. She asked me if I wanted to give it a try and I said ‘yes,’ but just for fun. Quite quickly, I ended up with some small parts in films and I kept doing it, shooting maybe 1 or 2 things a year. I started acting on French TV with small parts. I like looking back on that today because I had a slow and regular progression as an actor. I started with small parts before going into feature films and that gave me time to think. It’s not before I reached 17 that I really decided to continue working in this industry. At first, it was just something I wanted to do for fun.

What was it like working with Gus Van Sant on “La Marais” for Paris Je t’aime?

I’m a big fan of Gus and his films, so I was so happy to be able to work on that with him. We kept in touch for a bit and discussed making bigger films together, but this never happened. We had a really nice project together that would’ve been shot in France, but it didn’t happen in the end. I regret that because I’m a really big fan of his work.

How did that collaboration come about?

On Paris Je t’aime?

Yeah. Did he seek you out?

No, not really. I was attached to the project before he came in. I don’t know how it all happened, but this film was meant to mix a lot talent from different nationalities. I was supposed to work on another district with a different director, but the producers phoned me a year later saying, “We’re still working on Paris Je t’aime and we still want to work with you. But we want you to work on a different district with Gus Van Sant.”

You also worked with Martin Scorsese on the Blue de Chanel campaign not long ago. How did you get paired up for that?

I wasn’t directly connected to Marty. It’s the Chanel people who phoned me saying they were interested in working with me on a campaign. We had a lot of discussions about it. At the time, they hadn’t chosen a director. One day, they came to me with the idea of asking Martin Scorsese and of course I said, ‘That’s a great idea. I would be the happiest man in the world to work with him.” So that’s how we ended up working together. I pinched myself on the set every day—“Yup. I’m not dreaming.” [Laughs] It was really great because Chanel gave Marty and me total freedom. He works so precisely and you can see that his team loves him so much that they work really hard. Marty knows exactly what he wants, how he’s going to get what he wants, and knows when he has it. This shoot only lasted 4 to 5 days.

It all certainly looks very good.

The perfume sales are so good. That’s the purpose of commercials, so it was a big success.

Looking back at your career and what you’ve accomplished, what else sticks out to you? What are you particularly proud of having done?

I think one really memorable experience for me was on a film called Strayed by André Téchiné, a great filmmaker in France. That was an experience where I learned the most because he wouldn’t leave me alone, even for a second, between takes. [Laughs] He was really focused on his actors and that was really wonderful. I was really young at the time and that was a really important film for me.

Do you want to eventually direct your own films?

I do, but it’s a bit difficult. I think I was around 17 years old when I had my first parts in feature films and that’s when I really started to get interested in all of cinema, not just acting. After high school, I went to film school for 2 years. That was a great moment for me because I discovered a lot of directors from around the world and a lot of different types of genre. It would’ve taken me a long time to make these kinds of discoveries on my own without school, so I’m really thankful. At the time, I wanted to express myself with my own films as a director, but as I was getting more and more offers as an actor, I had to stop those studies to focus on acting. I feel trapped now because I really enjoy acting. But it’s true, I wake up every morning with this idea stuck in my mind that I want to write and direct my own film one day. As I work more and more on different sets, I see how hard it is to be a director. It’s insane the amount of work and confidence that goes into it. I’m so respectful of filmmakers and I admire what they do. I hope that one day I’ll find the right subject and the confidence to try it. I’m still young.

Have you come across any good screenplays lately?

I’m reading a lot, but nothing really interesting. I’m in this very tricky moment in my career where I have to be really aware about where I’m going and what I want to show the audience and the industry. This is a shame, but you have to keep in mind what kind of image you want to put out there. I think the hardest thing for a young actor is to breakthrough and keep working toward a long career. Right now, I’m at a level where I have to pick the right projects in order to maintain a good stature in the industry. I have a few projects coming up in France and I’m going to shoot something this summer with a director friend of mine, a young director.

Aside from a good story and interesting characters, do you look for anything specific when you’re considering screenplays?

I think something has to speak to your identity with every role, both as an actor and a public figure. So you have this kind of repetition from one film to another, from one part to another. At the same time, you need to try and find the right balance and be able to move from one character to another where you can surprise the audience all the time. Obviously, the idea is to work on characters that I never really explored before and projects that are different from what I’ve done before. I like working with new directors and different styles of film. I think the more you work as an actor, the more you’re looking for parts that are the furthest from what you are in real life.

I guess Hannibal Lector is a good example. What kind of pressure were you under with Hannibal Rising?

It was terrifying. When they asked me if I wanted to do this project, I refused many times before finally agreeing to it. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to pick up this role after Anthony Hopkins because he did the most amazing job in creating this character. Also, working on this role with a French accent was a bit awkward. It was meeting with the director, Peter Webber, that really influenced my decision because he was really witty and had interesting thoughts on how he would make it. I really liked his first film, Girl with the Pearl Earring. Also, being able to work abroad with an American and British crew, shoot it in English, and work on such an amazing and mythical character was what convinced me to give it a try. It wasn’t easy.

Can I ask you about the scar on your cheek? It’s your trademark.

It is. I have to thank my surgeon who did a great job. It almost looks like a dimple. When I was maybe 6 years old, I stayed at my parents’ friend’s country house in France and they had this huge dog. The dog was sleeping on a tree and I jumped on his back like I was riding a horse or something. The dog wasn’t aggressive or mean, but it was just totally surprised when I did that and he tore up my cheek with his big paw. But it’s true, maybe the scar helped me in some way because it adds something to my face. It’s very interesting because it’s asymmetrical. It’s like a dimple that I only have on one side of my face. Many directors have used it for scenes in their films. The most memorable one was in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s A Very Long Engagement where I’m kissing Audrey Tautou and she runs her finger across the scar. [Laughs]

What films have you seen most recently?

The King’s Speech was a good film. I think it was a bit classical in the directing and I liked that. Then I saw True Grit. I kind of liked it. I prefer their last film, A Serious Man, but this one was also quite nice. The young girl in it is just amazing. I saw this Australian film called Animal Kingdom and I really liked that. It has really great atmosphere and great actors, too. I also saw Black Swan. I loved it. It’s a masterpiece for me. It’s very clever in the way that the director brought together the codes of a B-movie and made it mainstream. Natalie Portman is just amazing.

Gaspard Ulliel and Bertrand Tavernier on the Making of a Princess

While most period films hold viewers at a distance, Bertrand Tavernier's The Princess of Montpensier draws you in. Based on the a classic short story by Madame de La Fayette, the story follows Marie, played by a luminous Mélanie Thierry, as she becomes the titular princess and subsequently the object of affection for most of the French court. Telling a story of young love and lust gone awry, the film manages to avoid feeling like a history lesson. Legendary director Tavernier eschews most of the frills associated with costume dramas in favor of showing a grittier version of 16th-century France in the throes of civil war. Balancing out Thierry's coquettish princess is Gaspard Ulliel as a devoted but untrustworthy suitor. We caught up with Ulliel and Tavernier to ask about updating history for today's audience and what to avoid in a costume drama.

GILLIAN MOHNEY: What struck you about the short story when you first read it?

GASPARD ULLIEL: I had read the short story along time ago at school, but I had forgotten it. [When] I read it again I noticed [in] the short story from La Fayette—her style is sometimes quite short, and it can feel a bit stiff—

BERTRAND TAVERNIER: Austere—

ULLIEL: Yeah, and the script was the opposite. I could feel a lot of life and energy and also a lot of pace and rhythm. Also... as an actor, I could read the lines with real pleasure. It was really easy to understand for a contemporary audience and for young actors like us. It was a pleasure to work with that dialogue.

TAVERNIER: I worked with Jean Cosmos, who is a very talented screenwriter, he's one of those unsung heroes of French cinema... We respected the essence of the short story and the construction of the emotion. But I think we brought the flesh and the blood. Our job was trying to find the roots of the emotion of the short story. Madame de La Fayette just described one fact. I want to understand why that fact happened.

MOHNEY: It's a much grittier staging than most period films; how did you approach that?

TAVERNIER: A lot of people do a costume drama to show you they're doing a costume drama. I wanted to forget it. I want to keep the drama—and it happens to be costume, but it's not what's important. I've [always remembered] a line by one of the actors who worked on my second film, it was a historical film set in 1750. He said "You are doing the film like the camera had just been invented." That's the idea—let's do a period film like the camera had just been invented. When the Lumière brothers were shooting, they did things they did not know were going to become historic. They were shooting what they were seeing... I would shoot the moment of love or passion as if it was just happening—those characters don't know they're a part of history. They are just living. In many films, people do the opposite. People want to remind you that they did all their homework. The set piece and the furniture is right... The important thing is that all the actors must feel like it's normal, it's casual—it's something they do every day. Not something that will be part of a museum later on.

MOHNEY: The characters in the film are these historical figures, but they're also barely out of their teens, and it gives the film a youthful presence. How did that affect the filming?

ULLIEL: Well, for me, it was great, because I got the chance to act with a lot of actors my age. That's not always the case for me, because I started quite young working in this industry, and most of the time I was working with much older people. It was really nice to be with all those young actors... Most of the characters in the film really existed, and at that time, they were even younger than we are now. It's crazy if you think about it, because the king was only 20 years old, or he was the head of the army at 17.

TAVERNIER: Age 17 in the 17th century isn't the 17 of today. A historian will say, add four or five years to the age of the period, because they were so young when they were confronted with reality. The Duke was in the army since the age of 14... One great thing in the film is that you had all these actors of the same generation and the same age, and they loved working together. It was like a family. Every night they were having dinner together—that paid off in the film. You can see they were getting along. There is so much that can be added by creating that spirit. And Mélanie worked very, very well with Gaspard and Lambert and Grégoire. Both Mélanie and Lambert were connected. It was like seeing two soloists working on a piece of music and creating their own rhythm and beat. I love that. I had several moments when I was really moved by all of them.

MOHNEY: She was so great in the film—what made you want to cast her? She's the only female presence in the film.

TAVERNIER: Yes—yes, and surrounded by a bunch of very sexy men. She was very happy. [laughs]

ULLIEL: She was the center of attention.

TAVERNIER: She was cast in the most classical way, in a series of tests. But—I remember the first test with her was not completely successful, because she arrived late, and her story about why she was late—no one believed, but it was true!

ULLIEL: Apparently she got [a ticket] while in the back of a cab because she wasn't wearing a seat belt.

TAVERNIER: She did many tests. But right from the beginning, my wife was absolutely passionate about her."‘She's the best!" She has the exact beauty of the time. The forehead, the eyes, the color of the skin, and she has an intensity—when she got the right mood, she was totally unique. Nobody was like her. I will never forget when I picked her. I spoke with an actress who was on the stage with her and I said, "Monique, I've chosen Mélanie." And she said "Bertrand, you could not have picked a better choice. She's like a Stradivarius. She will give you everything you want."

MOHNEY: Gaspard, you were playing an historical figure—is it helpful to have his back story, or intimidating to play a real figure?

ULLIEL: No, it's great. I think it's great. When you work on a contemporary role, you have to mostly create it and sometimes you can feel a bit lost. Here, it's like you have all this food to feed yourself and create the character. Working with a historical character is great because you have all these readings you can do to get information on this man. Also, I was so thrilled to be able to discover this part of French history and to understand how they lived their daily lives. In working with Bertrand, it was great, because this is one of his great passions. He would work with a great historian, and then he would give the actors really precise references.

TAVERNIER: Nothing abstract! Fact! How you would wash or don't wash. An actor doesn't have to know the date of a treaty—

ULLIEL: Yeah, casual facts.

TAVERNIER: He has to know that during a duel at that time there was no code. You could do anything. You could bite. You could kill. You could be ruthless.

ULLIEL: Most of the work actors do, he would do it for us. He would come with all the information you need.

TAVERNIER: History isn't just dates and battles—it's made of flesh and blood.


THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER IS OUT TODAY IN LIMITED RELEASE.

SOURCE

Last Session Photoshoots

Source: Gaspars Fans Photogallery

Gaspard Ulliel: The French Acting Star and the Male Face of Chanel

Gaspard Ulliel, above. Photo by Nora Schaefer, used with permission

While playing a French historical character with the nickname of "le Balafré," or "the Scarred," in his new film The Princess of Montpensier, actor Gaspard Ulliel also risked his own famous features during the shooting of some of the film's highly realistic fight scenes. Although Ulliel does, in fact, sport a small scar on his left cheek from an accident with a dog when he was a child, the marks carried by his young warrior character in the film, the Duc de Guise, are considerably more pronounced, which isn't surprising when you see Ulliel as the Duc in the heated battle scenes of Princess.

Directed by legendary filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier ('Round Midnight), The Princess of Montpensier takes place during the French Wars of Religion of the 1500s, and the director opted not to use many stuntmen, so when Ulliel's Duc intensely fights on foot, or on horseback, it really is the young actor performing those scenes. During one highly memorable sword duel that proceeds down a staircase and into a courtyard, Ulliel engages with fellow actor Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, who portrays the historical figure of the Prince of Montpensier, in a fight composed by Tavernier using raw, long takes, without cutting away from the moments in which the actors stumble, or miss a thrust. As a result of this fly-on-the-wall approach, the fights in Princess appear genuinely dangerous, and they potentially were, requiring Ulliel to train for two months prior to shooting with martial arts expert Alain Figlarz. Recalling the moment when he came closest to injury, Ulliel says, "In the fight with the Prince, in the courtyard, his knife went into my mouth and cut me a little. The blades were not sharp, so it was okay!" A good thing for many reasons, including the fact that Ulliel is also the current male face of Chanel and can be seen today on thousands of billboards, and assorted advertisements, around the world.

After acting in television, and also attending the University of Saint-Denis, where he majored in cinema, Ulliel broke into feature film acting with a small part in 2001's Brotherhood of the Wolf. In 2004, he then attained greater prominence in the United States, via his leading role opposite Audrey Tautou in the worldwide hit A Very Long Engagement, which earned him the French Cesar Award for Best Newcomer. He went on to play the young Hannibal Lecter in 2007's Hannibal Rising in the U.S., and co-star in international productions with the likes of Jean Reno in Le Premiere Circle, and Isabelle Huppert in Barrage Contre Le Pacifique.

Based on a short 17th century novel by Madame de la Fayette, The Princess of Montpensier centers on a young beauty named Marie de Mézières (played by Mélanie Thierry), who is poised to inherit one of the country's greatest fortunes. Although she loves Ulliel's Duc de Guise, Marie is married off to the Prince of Montpensier for financial and political purposes. As the Wars of Religion rage, Marie finds that her affections have become the prize of a much smaller battle, between the Duc de Guise, the Prince, and the Duc d'Anjou (played by Raphael Personnaz), who will one day ascend the throne as King Henry III. Acting as Marie's confidante and tutor is an older warrior, the Comte de Chabannes (Lambert Wilson), who abandoned the battlefield after killing a pregnant woman, and hopes to teach the young Marie the value of an open and inquisitive mind.

Tavernier manages to imbue Princess with an energy that is often missing in period productions, in which everyone from the performers to the set designers often seem to be very aware that they're making a film set in the distant past. By contrast, Princess feels as if the cameras were just sort of dropped into this earlier century and began capturing pieces of it. Ulliel elaborates on some of the elements that give Princess a more modern feel:

"When you see period films, it tends to often be with older actors. Here, you have all these younger actors and that gives a lot of energy and a modern feeling. At the same time, usually, 'period film' means really precise filming with [dolly] tracks, and it feels stiff at some point. But here, Bertrand wanted to film this more like a documentary, in a way. He would be in the middle of the set with handheld shots and action."

Source

Gaspard Ulliel - Inside Ring scene

Pictures March 2011

Screen Captures Unifrance Interview

Unifrance/ Mélanie Thierry, Gaspard Ulliel et Bertrand Tavernier