Vincent Lindon, fucking rock ‘n’ roll

This article is published in number 38 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until 21 September 2021

Mid-eighties, a young man in his twenties drives a white 500 convertible and smokes weed. Scion of the salons of Paris, one day he realizes that a friend who plays theater is surrounded by beautiful women. It is the spring that pushes him towards acting – then it will take decades to let the nickname of sex symbol slip off him.

The debut of Vincent of France (among the protagonists of the Venice exhibition with Another world by Stéphane Brizé, in cinemas next year) is, however, as a costume assistant.

A brief stay in the United States followed and a parenthesis as a journalist a The morning. The turning point comes next to Sophie Marceau in The time of apples 3, and from then on we understand more and more of what talent he is gifted with, a talent that will transform Vincent Lindon into the greatest actor from beyond the Alps. Jewish on his father’s side (his real surname is Lindenbaum), Irish on his mother’s side, at the age of 62 he also allowed himself the full nude in Titanium, Palme d’Or in Cannes (from 30 September in cinemas). It looks a bit like the Olympus of a path built on subtraction and the ability to never be in the center. Because if you are looking for Lindon, you will always find it on the side …

They say you are a hard worker, with the enthusiasm of a scout.
«I have always thought that in life you can do whatever you want, the sailor, the bartender, the photographer… The important thing is that you have to do it well, and be one of the best».

His first acting lesson?
“I was 24, I was very vital. But when the teacher asked me to take the stage, I didn’t want to. Once up there, I never wanted to go down again. My first part in the theater lasted two minutes, the next four. Today I am here ».

At 62 he is here, to play in Titanium a firefighter desperate for the loss of his son, who seeks refuge in a woman programmed to kill and who is not afraid to show himself naked in front of the camera.
“It took me a year and a half to transform, without hurting myself. At my age, the cells in the body are slower. I trained for an hour and a half five days a week ».

Is he vain?
“No, and I’m not even handsome. But with the body in place it is better, I went to the tailor and I had everything tightened. A good feeling ».

Is it a sex symbol?
“I find a man to be sexy and virile when he accepts his own femininity. Mind you, whoever didn’t include it isn’t attractive. We are men with a woman inside us, and for you it is the same, but the other way around ».

When does he really feel naked?
“When they ask me to dance and sing. And if they ask me to be outgoing and funny, I feel bad. Better naked in front of two thousand people ».

It took a director half her age, Julia Ducournau, to get her to dance.
«On the set of Titanium she was very authoritarian, she asked me to lose control, to follow her even though I didn’t understand everything she wanted from me. And believe me, doing it isn’t as simple as seeing it on a screen once it’s done. It was a very hard journey ».

His set colleagues were the age of his children, he said.
“I loved being surrounded by such energetic people. There were those who were not yet born when I saw Apocalypse Now, and outside of the shoot they were on Instagram and Twitter. I have none of this, and I don’t want to see anything people write about others, much less know what they think of me. I would go mad ».

Are you afraid of the passing of time?
“Today I know that there is less in front of me than there is behind me. But I have an addiction to physical work mixed with that feeling of still being young enough to handle it all. Do you know what my children tell me? “Dad, you’re fucking rock’n’roll!” ».

What scares you?
“I wish the world were fine. I don’t give a damn about Instagram, while I’m interested that the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and that Covid is increasing the distance between people “.

Her mother is a journalist and, even if briefly, she was too, while her uncle directs the celebrities Midnight Editions. What advice would you give to the category?
“Don’t write half-brained thinking about what your colleagues will say, and don’t worry about being unassailable. Write what you think, even if it is different from how others see it. “

Have you ever had problems with the image that the press gave of you, especially in the years when you were very exposed for your sentimental issues?
«None, I have problems with the image I have of myself. I do what I want, my freedom has a cost but it is priceless ».

Suzanne and Marcel are the children of his ex-wife, actress and director Sandrine Kiberlain. Is he a good father?
“I don’t know if I’m a good father or not, but I think I’m a fair father. I spend quality time with my children. I listen to them a lot and I always repeat not to hide anything from me, to talk to me before something becomes terrible, at least I can intervene in time ».

Has he changed as a parent?
“I would like it to be said that my obsession, in life, in work and in friendship, is the last sentence I utter in Titanium: “I am here”. That “I am here” is important, it obliges me to keep my word ».
Look for a sheet of paper and start drawing a river, underlining the line of the banks and placing an X at the point where which he places himself.
“Do you see this river? I am on one side and I don’t know how I will reach the other, but what I do know is that tomorrow I will arrive on the other side. I trust myself, but I’m not sure about myself. Sometimes I need to promise things because then I am forced to do them ».

Is he jealous of the daughter?
“Not at all, less than zero. If he says “hello, thank you and goodbye”, and is kind to his neighbor, he can also change his boyfriend every week ».

And with the male?
“I’m the same, I just want him to be a beautiful person, which for me means having eyes open, trying to help those who are weaker, being people you can count on. What they do with their mind and body is their business. The madness of society is to say “my” daughter, “my” wife, it is all “mine”, when in reality nothing is ours ».

Have you ever felt powerless?
“Well, sometimes they are cornered. My life is more important than cinema: I like cinema, life is something I love ».

Do you find it easy to say “no”?
“Very easy. I have trouble saying yes, once you’ve said it the word gets out, and that must be it. I find it extraordinary who knows how to say “yes, I’ll marry you” or “yes, let’s have a child”, “yes, let’s start a company…” ».

While what will never have a “yes” on his part?
“Those contracts where they tell you you can’t take planes, chew gum or ride a motorbike. And you have to stay eight months in one place, even worse if in a hotel ».

He has often played men of humble backgrounds, despite belonging to the French aristocracy: as if he is explains?
“True, if they need a poor person, a desperate person or someone from the working class, they call me. And I’m glad of it, I like the dignity and honesty of that part of the French ».

A scene that would terrify you to shoot?
“Me walking on a table, holding a microphone in my hand and being an entertainer. Don’t let me be the center of attention, it would be like going to war for me ».

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