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Your new movie Whenever
I'm Alone with You - in a few words, what's it about?
Whenever
I'm Alone with You (France, 91 min) is a Godardian, French New Wave,
punk anti romantic comedy all shot in the South of France. Vesper, my
whole family including my 98 year old grandma, and myself all play our own
roles.
What were your inspirations when writing
Whenever I'm Alone with You,
and is any of it based on personal experiences? The
film is inspired by French New Wave directors such as Jean Luc Godard and
François Truffaut. I wanted to be punk and follow no rules, from
producing the film to the use of sounds, music, colors, non-linear
storyline, etc. Whenever I'm Alone with You
is constructed in a rather non-linear, sometimes associative way - was
this approach planned from the get-go or did it happen during shooting or even
editing? And how hard was it not to literally lose your plot in the
process? The film was supposed to be a normal romantic comedy, boy meets girl. So
that's how the writing started. But then the script became more and more
free. There's nothing you can do when that happens. From the start of the
shooting, it was clear we were going to make something far from a
normal romantic comedy. And I pushed this envelope even more with editing,
color correction and sound. Losing the plot was impossible. I knew exactly
what I wanted, even if the film kept on evolving. You've
written and directed Whenever
I'm Alone with You together with your co-lead Vesper Egon - so
what was your collaboration like during both the writing process and the
shoot? I think co-writing a film can be an amazing way to develop a story. It
really can bring several points of view together. But in terms of
directing, I do not think co-directing is a great idea. There needs to be
one pilot, one god of his universe. And there will always be one in such a
situation. It can work great for certain personalities, cinema history is
filled with such great duos. But this is not for me.
You also play one of the leads of Whenever I'm Alone with You
- so what can you tell us about your character,
and what did you draw upon to bring Guillaume to life? And have you
written him with yourself in mind from the get-go? Yes,
I knew I was going to play myself from the get go. My character is myself,
but not myself at the same time. A version of myself in a different
universe with a different set of circumstances that could never exist. My
character is very depressed and suicidal, I have a smile on my face. What
can you tell us about the rest of your cast, and why exactly these people? We
all played our own roles. My whole family acts in the film. I chose them
because they are great actors and because, as they are my family, I did
not pay them and feed them sandwiches (they actually fed me sandwiches). My
sister Alexandra Dellemme and her husband Nathan Dellemme are both
working professional actors. Their kids Naomi and Marlon were naturals,
my parents Gilles and Sylvie Campanacci and my 98 year old grandma did not
have a choice. My dad is everybody's favorite in the film, a natural born
actor with a South of France accent. The only person not playing her own
role was Tatiana Gómez, a Colombian actress that sent such a crazy
amazing audition tape we had to work with her.
You
of course also have to talk about your beautiful locations in the South of
France, and what was it like filming there? I
was born and raised in Cannes. So for me living where everybody wants to
come on holidays, with the beach right there and the mountains to
snowboard two hours away and a world famous film festival was normal.
Everybody lives this way! I did not know how beautiful the region was
growing up. But since then I did realize it, and Whenever
I'm Alone with You is my love letter to the South of France. A
few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
film was shot in 20 days, with a lot of cast and crew compared to my first
feature film Devils in Disguise, which was shot with a three
man crew (including myself). It was shot in the summer and it was of
course mayhem. It cannot not be mayhem, we re shooting a film! But still,
fun, with cool locations like a castle, a yacht, etc. The
$64-question of course, where can Whenever
I'm Alone with You be seen?
It is not yet distributed but you can buy it here (and still can become a
producer): www.ulule.com/campanacci
Anything you can tell us about critical and audience reception of
Whenever I'm Alone with You?
The reception and critics have been insane. In
4 months, the film went to 15 festivals and won 18 awards. Amongst them:
World Premiere @ Oldenburg International Film Festival
Best Actress @ Matera International Film Festival
Best Actor/Best Actress @ 35th Girona Film Festival
Best Film/Best Directors/ Best Editing @ TIFA Sao Paulo
Best Indie Feature Film @ Cannes World Film Festival
Best Director @ IndieFEST
Best Ensemble Cast @ Red Movies Awards
Any
future projects you'd like to share?
Yes, I am working on 4 different projects at the moment.
- Spoiled, about my fucked up life as a model in Asia.
- The adaptation of the memoir of the biggest drug smuggler of the 90s.
- A new film with my family.
- A TV show set in Cannes.
You actually entered the filmworld as an actor - so what drew you to
acting to begin with, and did you receive any formal education on the
subject?
Shortly after obtaining my Masters in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, at
the "Arts et Metiers" ENSAM in Aix en Provence and Paris, I
realized this wasn't a life for me so I had the opportunity to travel the
world as a model: Athens, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Buenos
Aires, Miami, New York, Los Angeles. But modeling didn't fulfill me so I studied Meisner technique at the
William
Esper Studio in New York and became an actor.
What made you pick up writing, directing and producing eventually?
And which side of the camera do you actually prefer?
After going to acting school and starting performing, I realized I wanted to
create my own worlds. So I did my own film school by reading everything
about screenwriting and directing. I then made short films and music
videos until my first feature film Devils in Disguise. I need
both sides of the camera.
What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Whenever I'm Alone with You,
in whatever position?
My first feature film Devils in Disguise has been viewed 27
million times, and premiered at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
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As an actor, I worked with David Fincher, David Lynch, Emmanuel Lubezki, Jane
Fonda, Eva Longoria, etc.
David Lynch told me: "Guillaume, you are a great actor."
How would you describe yourself as an actor, how as a director?
As a director I'm the god of my own universe, as an actor I'm all about the
director's vision. I love both positions. They're complementary to me.
Actors, filmmakers, whoever else who inspire you?
David Fincher, Tarantino, Godard, Kubrick, Alain Delon, Jean Paul Belmondo, Anthony Bourdain.
Your favourite movies?
Plein Soleil, A Clockwork Orange, Mélodie en
Sous-Sol, Fight Club, Les Diaboliques, L'Aventure c'est
l'Aventure, Funny Games US.
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
www.instagram.com/mojorise
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5807412/
Anything else you are dying to mention and I have merely forgotten
to ask?
I'd like to thank you for this interview and for the review.
Thanks for the interview!
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