I want to depict the extreme, I wanted to make a film that wasn't lukewarm but was driven by anger, says Legrand to TT.
As an actor, he has had successes both on film and on the theater stage. "All for my son" was awarded the director's prize at the film festival in Venice and subsequently four César prizes in France.
After that, he received numerous offers to direct other films, but declined in order to instead focus on playing theater. At the same time, he wrote the script for "The Successor" together with two others.
I wanted to tell about male violence, I wanted to make a film that was realistic and full of emotions. About the violence between men, about the violence one inherits.
Suffers from a weak heart
The main character is the fashion designer Ellias, who has just had a major breakthrough in Paris. He suffers from a weak heart, something he has inherited from his father who lives in Canada and whom he has not had any contact with for many years.
When his father dies, Ellias is forced to travel to Canada to take care of his father's house and sell it. In the basement, he makes a horrific discovery. This makes him start wondering if the weak heart is the only thing he has inherited from his father.
You can call it a horror film, but without bloodshed, notes Legrand, who wanted to tackle another aspect of masculinity.
Wets himself
Ellias is a person who becomes completely overwhelmed by what happens – he regresses to a little boy again and wets himself, says the director.
He has built a career on creating clothes for women. He respects them, he doesn't sexualize them. He has created a life that is supposed to be the opposite of what his father is, but in the end...
A review has described the film as "Hitchcock meets Ulrich Seidl". Legrand mentions not only Hitchcock as an inspiration but also Michael Haneke, Claude Chabrol, and Darren Aronofsky. He is now taking a break from directing again and focusing on acting.
Doing it gives me a lot as a director. It makes me understand where everything comes from. I know the vocabulary. I know how to protect actors, he says.
Age: 45 years.
Lives: In Paris.
Occupation: Actor, screenwriter, director.
Previous films as director: "Just before losing everything", "All for my son".
Currently with: "The Successor" which has its Swedish cinema premiere on 29/11.
