Present at the 9ᵉ edition in 2024, Lambert Wilson fell under the spell of the spirit of the Liège International Comedy Film Festival and the Principality in general. So it was only natural that he agreed to become the patron of the FIFCL for its anniversary edition in 2025.
“I loved the team and the spirit of the festival! I like the principle of a democratic festival where the public is very present alongside the creators and actors. There’s no separation between a ‘creative elite’ and the rest of the public. No, it’s very Belgian, in a spirit of openness and simplicity.” – Lambert Wilson
Born in Paris, Lambert Wilson studied theater at the Drama Centre in London (1975-1978). He has collaborated with major directors such as Claude Chabrol, Bertrand Tavernier, the Wachowski sisters, Alain Resnais, Valéria Bruni-Tedeschi, Sophie Fillières, Valérie Lemercier, Alain Chabat and Andrzej Żuławski, among others. He received the Prix Jean-Gabin for his portrayal of Abbé Pierre in Hiver 54. He has distinguished himself in numerous period films, such as Jefferson in Paris, as well as in historical works such as L’Odyssée (where he played Jacques-Yves Cousteau) and De Gaulle.
Bold in his choice of roles, he doesn’t hesitate to take on singular projects such as Le Ventre de l’architecte and Les Possédés. His popularity grew with films such as Palais Royal!, Matrix, Des hommes et des dieux, Sur la piste du Marsupilami, La Vache and Alceste à bicyclette. More recently, he shone in Benedetta, Des Mains en or and 5 Hectares.
In November 2024, at the 9ᵉ edition of the FIFCL, Lambert Wilson was awarded an honorary Golden Bull in recognition of his outstanding career. He will return in 2025 as the festival’s patron.
Interview with Lambert Wilson
What is your relationship with Belgium, and more specifically with the city of Liège?
I love Belgium, its humor, its actors… It must be said that we import them to France, which is a precious commodity (laughs). What’s more, symbolically, I’m very attached to Liège. The city’s patron saint is Saint-Lambert, so I have a special affinity with it.
Getting back to comedy, once you’ve mastered the art of acting, whatever the register, how do you look at the genre?
Comedy is walking a tightrope. It’s a very specific form of acting, undoubtedly the most perilous and therefore, in a way, the most admirable. Especially in film.
In the theater, we get immediate feedback from the audience, so we can constantly adjust our performance. In film, on the other hand, we work blind. Writers, directors and actors who manage to create a real comedy in front of a film crew that is quickly “indifferent”… that’s great art.
I would also say that there are several types of comedy. There are the “natural comedians”, those actors we admire but can’t imitate, because they have an innate gift. Bourvil, De Funès… And then there are the rest of us, those who take part in comedies. We’re in total awe of a successful performance, because for us, it’s the hardest part.
It’s a bit like a singer watching an opera and hearing a soprano perform a particularly perilous aria… You’re speechless. You can hurt yourself in tragedy, you can provoke tears, it’s not that complicated. But to make people laugh with your body, your face, your writing… that’s very difficult.
What’s the difference between making people laugh and being funny?
There’s a real difference between work and comic nature. Work is when you build comedy: it comes from writing, directing, transforming actors… Comedy is something else. To take a female example: Valérie Lemercier. Whatever situation she finds herself in, her gaze is tinged with irony. I think it’s often a question of intelligence. Comedy at the highest level, this comic presence, is almost a way of looking at life. A real philosophy (laughs).
It can also be a way of coping with life, a sort of lifeline. Sometimes, it comes from a particular physique that, from childhood, makes friends laugh. Among the great comedians, such as Devos, sometimes humor is born of a complex. You escape into the group by playing the clown, and then it becomes a vocation, a specialty.
Without getting too philosophical, today’s cinema seems very different from yesterday’s… And what about tomorrow’s?
My only wish is that it will continue to exist. We’re in a period where the cards are being reshuffled, where the whole system is evolving to the benefit of platforms, series… If we’re talking about cinema, let’s fervently hope it survives and continues to be seen in cinemas. 2024 has been a very difficult year for film creation.
I have absolutely no vision of what it might become. Cinema is always a reflection of society and its concerns. My only wish is that it can continue to exist in this form.
Any final message for festival-goers?
Let’s keep the party going! But I don’t think I need to tell that to the people of Liège (laughs). That’s the charm of Belgium: it’s innate. The French always have this cliché of Belgian surrealism, but in reality, in countries where the climate is harsher, the sense of celebration is often stronger. We look for warmth wherever we can find it. All I want to say to festival-goers is: keep up the spirit of celebration and conviviality!
Interview by Sandy Louis.
Bertrand Noël