French actor and director Louis Garrel, who gained international fame starring in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Dreamers,” is at the Venice Film Festival with a film by another Italian auteur, Nanni Moretti‘s “It Will Happen Tonight.” The romantic drama, which is competing for the prestigious Golden Lion, stars Garrel as Matteo, the male lead of a pair of star-crossed lovers opposite Greta, played by Italian A-lister Jasmine Trinca (“La Storia”). The film reunites Moretti with Trinca, who made her acting debut in “The Son’s Room” in 2001, when she was 18, and subsequently appeared in the “The Caiman.” But “It Will Happen Tonight” marks Moretti’s first collaboration with Garrel, who recently starred in French blockbusters “The Three Musketeers” parts one as well as opposite Angelina Jolie in Alice Winocour’s “Couture.” It’s also his first-ever role in the Italian language. Garrel spoke with Variety in Venice about the “Moretti method” on set, how it applied to his sexual scenes with Trinca and why he’s comfortable with the film being called an elevated soap opera.
We first met because his Sacher Cinema in Rome organizes a French festival there. So I’ve been there many times. The first time I met him, I was a little shaky because it’s like when you meet your idol; it’s a bit strange.
But I could see that it was not so hard to have a connection with him. And while we were presenting a movie together we would joke sometimes. Then, we had a coffee and we really got to talking.
Shortly after that, out of the blue, Moretti called me and said, “What are you doing in September?” I had an engagement, but I said, “I’m free.” He said, “OK, but how about your Italian?” I said, “But we had coffee like three weeks ago, Nanni, so you know how my Italian is.” He said, “OK, let’s think about it, both of us, about making a movie.” I said, “No, Nanni. I’ve already thought about it. Call me back whenever you want.” Then he called back and asked me to come to Rome and do a screen test with Jasmine and other actors.
So we did the screen tests in his office, with two video cameras. We did this test with Jasmine, and suddenly he said: “OK, I think it works. The chemistry between you is good.” So he sent me the script, and that was it.
I asked him, “Is it a political movie?” He said, “No, this one is a love story.” I said, “OK, fantastic.” We never talked about the psychology of the character in the film. We talked mostly about rhythm, about the speed of the monologues or the dialogues. More joyful.” He’s [also] an actor, so he knows that you need to be precise when you talk to an actor.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
