Richard Linklater Captures the Spirit of French New Wave in Upcoming Film
director Richard Linklater sought to embody the essence of the French New Wave movement-not just its aesthetics-in his latest project, focusing on the personalities of key figures like Jean-Paul Belmondo, jean-Luc Godard, and François Truffaut. The film aims to recreate the feeling of being in the presence of thes iconic filmmakers and actors, prioritizing capturing their spirit over mere physical resemblance.
LinklaterS approach centered on finding actors who possessed the intangible qualities of their subjects. While belmondo’s grandson auditioned and demonstrated acting ability, Linklater ultimately cast Aubry Dullin for his embodiment of Belmondo’s “light, airy [quality] rapid smile, happy-he struck me as Belmondo, like, ‘I don’t care much. I’m here, but I’m floating through. I’m a boxer. I’ve got all these things, ladies love me,'” according to the director. This emphasis on feeling extended to the casting of actors portraying Godard, Truffaut, and Suzanne schiffman (played by Jodie Ruth-Forest).
The director described a pivotal moment during auditions where he videotaped a scene with the core cast and shared it with his producer, resulting in a shared realization: “See how special this is?’ And they’re like, ‘oh my God, I see what you’re talking about. It’s them, it’s them!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s them. This is what we’re going for.’ [you] just feel like you’re there with them.” Linklater prioritized the dynamic between actors, believing he had “caught lightning in a bottle” when they were together in the room.
More details about the project and Linklater’s process can be found in his full interview on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, available on Apple and Spotify.