JÉRÔME SEYDOUX PRESENTS ALICE DANY MICHEL YVAN SABINE PATRICK FRANÇOIS FLORENT POL BOON BLANC ATTAL AZEMA MILLE LEVANTAL PEYRE

A COMEDY BY DANY BOON - CRÉDITS NON CONTRACTUELS

WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF ALAIN DOUTEY JÉRÔME SEYDOUX PRESENTS

A COMEDY BY DANY BOON

RUNTIME: 105 MINS

DISTRIBUTION INTERNATIONAL SALES Pathé Distribution Pathé International 2, rue Lamennais – 75008 2, rue Lamennais – 75008 Paris Phone: +33 (1) 71 72 30 00 Phone: +33 (1) 71 72 30 00 Materials downloadable at www.pathefilms.com SYNOPSIS

Johanna Pasquali is your typical woman cop. Absent-minded, head-in-the-clouds, clumsy, from the standpoint of pure police work she is both likeable and a total zero. She does have some real skills (good shot, hand-to-hand combat skills and a cop’s sixth sense), and even her stumbles make her a threat to criminals, but also to her fellow officers and the general public.

Relegated to such dangerous assignments as parking violations and shoplifting, she uses every minute of her spare time to make her dream come true – she wants to become the first woman officer in R.A.I.D.1

For mysterious and political reasons, she is accepted into the elite unit’s training program and becomes the problem of agent Eugène Froissard (AKA “Gene the Jinx”), the most misogynous of RAID agents. This unlikely duo is in charge of stopping the Leopard Gang, which is behind some daring burglaries on the streets of Paris.

But before they can put the bad guys behind bars, they must find a way to partner without killing one another, whether in training or on a series of very colorful cases.

R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT is a comedy/adventure set against the background of the extraordinary true-life stories of these heroes of exemplary humility and courage.

1 R.A.I.D., or Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion (Search, Rescue, Intervention, Deterrence) is the French national police’s elite unit, roughly equivalent to the American S.W.A.T. INTERVIEW WITH DANY BOON

HOW LONG CAN YOU REMEMBER WANTING TO absent-minded, awkward, funny. She’s also a TELL THIS STORY? very attractive woman who never hesitates to I think I got the idea for R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT go over the top in the faces she makes, never about ten years ago. Back then, I thought I afraid to be ridiculous, without compromising would like to play a cop who was sort of a her talents as an actress. That’s what gave me bungler and joins an elite unit. It was also the spark – what if my awkward cop were because I wanted to make an action comedy. a woman? So my co-writer, Sarah Kaminsky, Over the years I wrote some ideas down and and I went to work seriously about two and sort of tucked them away, taking them out a half years ago. That’s also when I started once in a while for a look. Actually, I guess I researching the GIGN (Groupe d’Intervention was missing that little spark to start seriously de la Gendarmerie Nationale) which is a working on the screenplay. I felt like this kind military unit and on RAID, which I found of movie has already been done and I was more interesting because it’s part of the looking for an original angle, that little extra national police. I wanted my character to be something to convince me that this would an homage to Belmondo and all those French really be an exciting project. films that influenced the American movies, for example the Bruce Willis movies, where the AND HOW DID YOU FIND THAT SPARK? hero is heroic, but also funny and flawed… It was meeting someone. When I made SUPERCHONDRIAC in 2013, I gave the lead THOSE REFERENCES ARE VERY PRESENT IN R.A.I.D. role to Alice Pol, with whom I had acted in SPECIAL UNIT – PIERRE RICHARD ON THE POSTERS ’s film A PERFECT PLAN, a THE BELMONDO FILM YOUR CHARACTER WATCHES couple of years before. My wife and I went to AT HOME. THE STORY ITSELF AND YOUR WAY OF see her on stage a little while later and when TELLING IT ALSO EVOKES PHILIPPE DE BROCA, I auditioned her, Alice was so great that I EDOUARD MOLINARO OR GÉRARD OURY. IT’S A decided to give her a larger role in my film. GENRE THAT FRENCH CINEMA HAS SHIED AWAY On the shoot I felt like I was discovering a FROM, BUT WHICH GAVE RISE TO A WHOLE female Pierre Richard! In real life, Alice Pol is GENERATION OF ARTISTS, YOURSELF INCLUDED… Absolutely. We grew up with those movies. It’s always fun to watch them again because they’re entertaining, funny and full of adventures. Back then, don’t forget, Hollywood was turning out these smooth and big-budget pictures, much less interesting. These films had a little flesh on them, they were more human.

WHOM DID YOU APPROACH AT RAID TO TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT? Sarah and I went to see them in June, 2014 and we had lunch with their top guy, Jean- Michel Fauvergue. I could feel he was a little worried in the beginning! “Uh- read when preparing the film. Some of them oh, Dany Boon wants to make a movie about are sort of superstitious about doing a job us…” My first question was, are there any that constantly puts them in harm’s way. These women in the elite unit. Turns out there are 3, are incredible destinies, incredible lives. And out of 170 officers. We spoke to all three of I was also fascinated by the women in RAID. them as well, including the very first woman Just like the men, they go through intensive to join RAID. Then I dove into the books on the training, putting their lives on the line, and I subject – Robert Paturel’s book, for example, wanted to address that issue. There are very which is one of the group’s historical pillars. few if any action comedies where the main He worked as technical advisor on the film character is a woman. What happened in and also played the role of Alice’s Pygmalion 2015 did complicate matters – we could no instructor. I was really impressed with these longer shoot in with RAID equipment men and women, this elite unit of our police and uniforms, for example. So we had to force. Their sacrifice, courage, and sense of shoot certain action scenes in Belgium. duty demands respect. But I also found out that these people have a real conscious idea RAID ALLOWED YOU TO SHOOT USING THEIR about the role they play and the dangers LOGISTICAL MEANS BUT ALSO IN THEIR ACTUAL involved. RAID doesn’t recruit young police HEADQUARTERS… officers, but rather people in the 30 – 40 Yes, we were lucky enough to be able to set range. You have to have several years as a up our cameras in their actual operations

“I was also fascinated by the women in RAID. Just like the men, they go through intensive training, putting their lives on the line, and I wanted to address that issue. There are very few if any action comedies where the main character is a woman.”

cop under your belt before you can apply. center. And I met personnel all the way up The management isn’t looking for gung-ho the chain of command, including the Minister types – they want people with something to of the Interior, Mr. Bernard Cazeneuve, who lose, like a family. I really admire them and I was really great with us. Sarah and I spent actually have stayed in touch with more than a lot of time with them, observing them, a few of them. For me, this film also had to participating in simulated ops, training with be an homage to their work for our safety, them, in order to be as close as possible to especially with what’s been going on recently. their reality. In the end, to the extent possible and doable, we actually managed to make ABOUT THAT, WHEN THE 2015 TERRORIST ATTACKS a place for ourselves in the unit. Two and a OCCURRED DID YOU THINK ABOUT WHETHER YOU half years of common experience leaves some SHOULD CONTINUE? pretty intense memories. We had a special No, just the opposite. It only made me want screening for Police Orphans, and another to talk more about these modern-day heroes. one for members of RAID. When those dramatic events you mention I know they really liked the move, especially took place, I was frightened not only for the the fact – and this is something true of all victims but also for those who would risk their my films – that we laugh “with” someone or lives in coming to their assistance. In R.A.I.D. something and never “at” them. SPECIAL UNIT, there are some emotional moments when we realize that that is their LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR PHYSICAL TRAINING AS day-to-day reality. My character, Eugène WELL. SEVERAL TIMES ON SCREEN, YOU CAN TELL Froissard, thinks he’s a little jinxed and that is THE TRAINING WAS INTENSIVE! the sort of thing that came out of the stories I Alain Figlarz was the one who first brought it up to me. This guy is both great and a complete wagon a little since then, but I still work out! lunatic! He’s the one who set up Alice’s fights and stunts. At our first meeting he looked me LET’S TURN TO DIRECTING R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT. up and down and he said, “Are you going THERE ARE SOME PRETTY IMPRESSIVE ACTION to keep that body or you’re going to get a SCENES, LIKE THOSE SHOT AT CHATEAU VAUX LE new one for the movie?” I really wanted to be VICOMTE, AND I’D SAY THAT YOU’VE BEEN UPPING credible as a RAID officer so Alain suggested YOUR GAME AS A DIRECTOR WITH EACH NEW I get on it right away! I started intense training FILM… with a fantastic coach named Fred Mompo. I see what you mean. First, you have to realize It was a body building program with a diet that I now have the means and the crew to of egg whites, dried meat, and 0% fromage shoot whatever I want. I should, by the way, blanc. I was an athlete as a young man so cite the extraordinary work of my set designer those reflexes kicked in pretty quickly and Hervé Gallet, with whom I was working for the I got the satisfaction of watching my body first time. There’s also my cinematographer change. I absolutely had to be plausible as Denis Rouden who was fantastic as well. a RAID trainer. So I started slowly, with 20 Everyone was completely invested in this push-ups a day and by the end I was up to project, and that’s how you get to shoot some more than 200. I lost 30 pounds, then put 20 very complex and significant sequences, like back on in muscle. The transformation was the one at the château. But it’s true that with much to my wife Yaël’s liking and that sort of each film I make, I feel like I have more control threw me. I asked her why she didn’t seem over my subject and I go right to the essentials. that interested before, when I had my comic’s In my first films, you can feel the frustration body. I had already justified carrying a few when you see that there wasn’t enough time extra pounds by saying I was doing it for a or certain directorial ideas that didn’t come to part, Actor’s Studio style. But when you’re on you – especially since, on a shoot there are a a diet it’s like it’s for life, there’s no real finish thousand things happening at once and it can date. That’s why generally you have people get confusing… Today, I know how to shoot giving up along the way. But here I needed to complicated scenes which require a week’s be ready for the first day of shooting. I love work for maybe only a minute or two of to eat and I had to wean myself off all sorts screen time, even as I manage all the rest of it. of food, like refined sugar. I’ve fallen off the For the Vaux-le Vicomte sequence, we had to “I think it’s a really good idea to have a woman playing this role, playing someone who wants to get into the police elite unit. In a world of guys, I think that’s modern”

reconstruct part of the set on the lot, because gradually, as the story developed, out of the the screenplay called for destroying part of it, need to create the tension necessary for comic making sure we could match everything to the situations between Johanna and Eugène. They real château, which means lots of detail work. start out diametrically opposed to one another But I managed at the same time to adapt my and they draw inexorably closer. They each script, writing or re-writing scenes at night have something to give the other, they each fill for shooting the next morning, wedging them an emotional need for the other, they reassure into an already crowded shooting schedule. each other as the story progresses in order All that is to say that I now feel very much at to provide the emotional content. That’s what home on a set. I have a fairly good general guided our writing. view of what’s going on and I know where I’m going, so that helps me deal with whatever JOHANNA PASQUALI, ALICE POL’S CHARACTER, IS comes up on the shoot. On R.A.I.D. SPECIAL THE DAUGHTER OF THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR, UNIT, beyond the actual direction part of it, I PLAYED BY . IT’S SORT OF TOUCHING think that also helped with all the characters. TO SEE THAT THE WORLD OF THE (REKNOWN I feel like they really exist in the story I’m COMEDY TROOP) CAN INTERSECT SO creating. WELL WITH YOURS. I was thrilled Michel liked the script and WHICH BRINGS US TO YOUR ACTORS. TELL ME accepted the role. He doesn’t shoot a lot of MORE ABOUT ALICE POL… films, and turns down lots of offers. I really Just one story. The first day of shooting on admire his career as an actor, writer and SUPERCHONDRIAC, she shows up totally director. From FRENCH FRIED VACATION to freaked out, goes over and sits down and , to DEAD TIRED, his résumé pours her entire mug of tea into my briefcase, is incredibly rich. containing my script and all my notes. That’s I was impressed by his positive stage fright. Alice Pol. But once again, she is just a natural Michel does a lot of soul-searching before comic and she makes me laugh all the time he plays a scene – he looks around, really and I really admire her. Believe me, very few invested all the time, and in the end he is actors would dare to go as far as she does incredibly generous. He’s an actor who needs in her comic work. She is all in, like Pierre to get in a zone where he’s very fragile and Richard was in LA CHÈVRE, in the quicksand at the same time there’s a give-and-take with scene. I had no doubts about giving her the his director. His character is touching because lead role in the film, just as I had no doubts he’s both a politician and a father. That really about giving it to in WELCOME comes across in the scenes with François TO THE STICKS. And I might add that I think Levantal, who plays my head of RAID. That’s it’s a really good idea to have a woman another of this film’s duos. The Minister forces playing this role, playing someone who wants the police captain’s hand, to get him to hire to get into the police elite unit. In a world of his daughter so she’ll lose her appetite for guys, I think that’s modern. RAID. But he has to use a little juice to get him to comply – it’s either take his daughter or FOR YOURSELF YOU WROTE THE ROLE OF EUGENE lose funding for RAID. He loves her and he’d FROISSARD, A QUIET MISOGYNIST COP, KIND OF do anything to protect her. Michel was perfect SAD AND CLOSED OFF, A MAN WHO IS AT ONCE in his portrayal of that emotional content UNSETTLING AND TOUCHING. YOU SEEM MORE combined with the cool distance of certain ATTRACTED TO THAT KIND OF CHARACTER, AS YOU politicians. GO FROM FILM TO FILM… No, I didn’t set out to write any particular kind SPEAKING OF FRANÇOIS LEVANTAL, HE’S A REALLY of role for myself. That role came together PROMINENT “FACE” IN FRENCH CINEMA NOW… Yes, and he’s also a great actor. We were WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU GOT PLANNED FOR YOUR talking earlier about French cinema of the FUTURE? 70’s and 80’s? They used to work really hard Writing screenplays is going to take up more on supporting roles back then. François is and more of my time. I’ve announced that remarkable in this movie. He gets a lot of I’m going to stop performing my solo act laughs and at the same time he’s very credible after my last performance because I want as the head of RAID. I’m really glad I cast to spend more time on other projects. I am him. exec producing a film shot in Columbia with Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, directed by YOU ALSO NEEDED A VILLAIN, SO YOU GAVE YVAN Fernando Leon, about the love affair between ATTAL A SORT OF OUTSIZED JAMES BOND TYPE BAD a woman journalist and Pablo Escobar. My GUY. American partner Dean Nichols, Yaël and I Yvan accepted right away because no one have been working on it for four years. Yaël had ever offered him this kind of part. I must went there for us because I was performing at point out that Yaël was the one who had the at the time, which I was obviously the idea, as well as Patrick Mille for Alice’s very happy about as well. I want to make fiancé, by the way. For the bad guy, Viktor, I another film very quickly, perhaps as early wanted a very a highly crafted character with as 2017. Sarah Kaminsky and I wrote the some madness, and some color. My idea is screenplay while I was performing. It’s called that we would dress him differently every time UNE JOLIE CH’TITE FAMILLE (LITTLE FAMILY he appears in the film. First he’s an armored IN THE STICKS), which I’ve been working guard, then a fed, a dandy, a transvestite, and on since 2011. I’m aware that ideas take finally Louis XIV in the big Vaux-le-Vicomte time to develop and that you really have to scene. I was really lucky to have Yvan put so invest time in them if you want to bring them much into this role. I could say as much for all along. Sometimes, as with R.A.I.D. SPECIAL of my supporting cast, by the way – Sabine UNIT, it’s about meeting someone at the right Azéma, Patrick Mille, Anne Marivin, Florent time, or the juxtaposition of two ideas, or an Peyre… uncontrollable laugh. And to finish with an amusing detail that my 1st Assistant Director R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT IS YOUR 5TH FILM AS pointed out to me at the beginning of the DIRECTOR. IT WILL BE COMING OUT AT THE END shoot, Alice Pol is playing her first lead role OF WHAT HAS BEEN QUITE A YEAR FOR YOU AS A in a feature, a policewoman with a passion. PERFORMER. YOU STARRED IN THE FILM RADIN! And “Alice Pol” is an anagram for “La Police”. AND YOU’RE 25TH ANNIVERSARY ON THE STAGE… Some things were meant to be. INTERVIEW WITH ALICE POL

YOU MET DANY BOON ON THE SHOOT OF A BEING CAST IN SUPERCHONDRIAC CAME AS A PERFECT PLAN AND HE GAVE YOU THE FEMININE SURPRISE? LEAD IN SUPERCHONDRIAC. NOW HERE YOU ARE, Yes, a huge one. Starting with A PERFECT YOUR FIRST TIME OUT AS THE MAIN CHARACTER IN PLAN, I had been working regularly. Then, R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT! with the success of SUPERCHONDRIAC, I was really lucky to have Dany’s confidence everyone told me, “You’re only going to do because he’s a great performer but he’s also comedies – be careful you don’t get limited to an elegant and generous human being. That that register.” But I had no time to be afraid! goes for his actors, his crew, but also with I had gone so long being afraid I wouldn’t people he encounters in everyday life. Our work. And actually I wound up doing Claude relationship developed in two stages – Pascal Lelouch’s UN + UNE next, then CÉZANNE Chaumeil cast me for A PERFECT PLAN and AND I with Danièle Thompson, so I wasn’t I could feel he was interested and that gave working in comedies. I stayed in touch with me confidence. That’s when I really felt I was Dany, who kept me up to date about his becoming an actress. Then when Dany saw the work and I was pretty sure we would work finished film, since we didn’t have any scenes together again some day because he’s very together, he noticed me and Pascal advised loyal. And then he offers me R.A.I.D. SPECIAL him to hire me for SUPERCHONDRIAC. UNIT! At first he had thought the main part When I told him it was a done deal, actually, would be a man but then he decided it would Pascal was happier than my own mother, and be funnier as a woman. Especially since for that’s saying something! He and Dany have this character who’s a klutz he had first-hand that in common – they can really see people, experience of my qualifications! even when they’re not at the top of the bill. THE INCIDENT WITH THE MUG OF TEA ON THE SHOOT OF SUPERCHONDRIAC… I see everybody’s heard the story! True, I spilled an entire mug of tea on his script and his notes. It inspired him – seeing my clumsiness was a huge distraction, he turned it to his advantage and made the role of Johanna. That’s how one fine day I got the screenplay Dany had written with Sarah Kaminsky.

AND THAT’S WHEN YOU REALIZE HE WAS OFFERING YOU THE MAIN ROLE IN THE PICTURE! Right, and even though I thought it was wonderful, I’m ashamed to say I got scared. I thought I couldn’t do it. I never in a million years expected to be offered such a great part. I told Dany how much I loved his script, that he was making a childhood dream come true, because I’ve always had a particular thing with comedy, for those naïve characters and, of course, for his whole world. So I kept my fears to myself, I accepted the part, and the fear came back when I started the physical boxing, for example – I actually managed to preparation. I think I hadn’t done any running punch myself out! So I wasn’t going to show since 9th grade. By the way, I was a smoker off with them. When we started to really get and I’m the kind who likes to eat. So the first along I let myself go with the humor because days of training were kind of difficult. I was most of them guys who really like a laugh. doing my thing all alone and I didn’t dare And I think it the end it did everybody some talk to Dany about it. Then all of a sudden good to meet someone who’s a little different. things fell into place. The only remedy for fear Talking about different things, discovering is work. So I worked my butt off! other problems, other joys is really important.

SO HOW IS JOHANNA PASQUALI A TOUCHING AND WHAT IMPRESSED YOU MOST ABOUT THEM? INTERESTING CHARACTER FOR YOU? Their simplicity more than anything else. It’s her absolute sincerity. Johanna never They’re very discreet, open to hearing, disguises anything – or if she does she does it entering the psychology of the people they so clumsily that it’s obvious. There’s something deal with. Humility is always the best quality in about her that reminds me of childhood. people as a general rule, but especially when Everything is in the moment; If she’s happy, it comes to people who do extraordinary you can tell. And you can also tell if she’s things. sad or afraid. There’s something beautiful about people who aren’t putting up a front, AND HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE THE FIGHT AND who are strong enough not to pretend they’re ACTION SCENES, FOR WHICH YOU MOSTLY DID better than they are. And Johanna is also YOUR OWN STUNT WORK? a very willful person, pushing the limits of I loved it and I’d even say that now I miss “where there’s a will there’s a way.” She is it. It was really great, instead of showing up determined to overcome the obstacles and two weeks later having only been fitted for the prove that if you stick with it a lot of things costumes and worked on my lines by myself, I are possible in life. And finally, she’s brave had more than a year of prep work on R.A.I.D. and rash and I’m not just speaking of physical SPECIAL UNIT. That means that on the first day things. Johanna is a courageous woman in a of shooting, I had a real foundation and so I very male world. She has the courage to let wasn’t so afraid. I have never been in such herself be called a zero and I identify with that good shape on a shoot, from beginning to because it happened to me at the beginning end. I really felt like I earned my way because of my career or working part-time jobs along I had gone all out. There was some real pain the way. involved, like in the body building sessions where you realize there are muscles that you YOU SPEAK OF THE VERY MALE WORLD OF RAID. never knew you had! And by the way, baths YOU WERE SHOOTING PARTLY IN THEIR BUILDING, of aspirin or Arnica don’t help at all, that’s an AT TIMES WITH REAL LIVE OFFICERS OR FORMER urban legend. OFFICERS. IS IT EASY FOR A WOMAN TO FIND HER PLACE AMONG THEM? LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR FELLOW CAST MEMBERS, The main thing was not to make too big a deal BEGINNING WITH DANY BOON, WHO PLAYS A and try to be accepted. I tried to listen mostly SOMBER AND STUBBORN MISOGYNIST. HOW DID at first, to make them forget I was an actress YOU SEE HIM IN THIS FILM? who had showed up in their world. I had to Like a sort of whiteface clown. On the shoot, understand how they saw things so I could try the chemistry just worked between us. As to exist among them. It wasn’t about distance, an actor, he knows how to have fun with the it was more about culling the essential in the accidents that happen on a shoot, and to use relationship, especially since I was so awful at them, but he always remains very concentrated

“I told Dany how much I loved his script, that he was making a childhood dream come true, because I’ve always had a particular thing with comedy, for those naïve characters and, of course, for his whole world.” on the script. As a director he’s extremely father or mother when I had a bad report card precise, he knows where he wants to go, or when I forgot to write down my homework then as an actor he takes on another sort of assignments, and they looked at me and concentration, with sort of a childlike naiveté, said, “Yes, she’s trouble but what can we do that you can find in a lot of his characters. to help her?” Looking back I find that really What I liked about Eugène Froissard was that touching and I think Michel did a fantastic he deliberately took a step back by playing a job in conveying that ambivalence, like in guy who’s full of doubts, very alone, and he the scene when I hit the President of France develops some fantastic emotion and pain. In in the head. And he says, “No, no, you’re real life, Dany has that emotion and it shows fine.” The champion of two-faced bastards! up regularly when he acts for other directors We had never met and I think we really hit it – I’m thinking of Fred Cavayé’s RADIN! most off. Michel is very elegant, never showing off recently. But he hadn’t really used that in his what he knows how to do. To accept him as own films until now. Then, on a dime, he just my movie father was easy, completely natural, lifts an eyebrow and you laugh your head off. including for the physical part of it. Giving him a kiss. Those little signs of affection came PATRICK MILLE PLAYS YOUR FIANCÉ... naturally for us. I loved working with him for the first time. Patrick literally through himself into the role. , SABINE AZÉMA, FRANÇOIS LEVANTAL, He had no qualms about playing a guy who’s ANNE MARIVIN, FLORENT PEYRE AND OTHERS, sort of a phony, who tries to work things ROUND OUT THE CAST. DID IT FEEL LIKE A REAL out with Johanna’s father, and he actually TROOP ON THE SHOOT? managed to be likeable! Patrick even gives Yes, and that comes mostly from Dany. It’s his his character a sort of absurd and sympathetic natural way of working. We all have to be dimension when he admits to Johanna that he together. That’s good because the contrary has been afraid she would hit him! It’s very wouldn’t be good for me at all – worse, it would hard for a guy to play that and he didn’t hold pull the rug out from under me, no matter back, making that situation irresistible. We what my rank is in the movie. An actor’s work started the film together, shooting the first few begins right there – that exchange between scenes, with the alarm clock, and he’s a really partners. On a shoot, I don’t go off on my good acting partner. But I could say as much own, except for a few minutes here and there, for the entire cast. to rest. That happened on R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT because I needed to be in shape all the YOUR FATHER AND THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR time. But I need to be on the set, with my fellow IN THE FILM IS PLAYED BY MICHEL BLANC... actors and with the crew. Otherwise I feel like Another character who balances sneakiness I’m setting myself apart and that stresses me with empathy. You can feel he’s always afraid out. for his daughter. It reminded me of my own INTERVIEW WITH YVAN ATTAL

YOU CAST DANY BOON IN YOUR FILM ILS SONT of fun to play with the accent and the broad PARTOUT. DID YOUR DESIRE TO PLAY IN ONE OF HIS comedy. For me, Viktor at times spills over into FILMS START THERE? burlesque, stepping over every imaginable No, I wished he would called me long before line. And in fact I asked Dany if I wasn’t too that! But yeah, we really did get to know over the top, but I totally trusted his opinion as each other on ILS SONT PARTOUT and we a comedy professional. both wanted to keep working together. We had crossed paths before that, but only for YOU KEEP CHANGING COSTUMES IN THE FILM, the César Awards or that kind of event, as WEARING ALL KINDS OF DISGUISES – DID THAT “colleagues”. On the shoot of ILS SONT HELP YOU CONSTRUCT THE CHARACTER? PARTOUT, Dany and I got to know each other I took it to the limit! When you play a character beyond the casual co-worker relationship. like that you just have to let go and laugh. He’s really an amazing person and I was very There is no particular preparation. Once flattered, very happy when he called me a you’re wearing high heels and red panties, few months later to offer me a role in his film. false eyelashes, or wearing a Louis XIV wig, or dancing, or shooting a gun… you don’t ask HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU DISCOVERED THE a lot of questions, you just go for it, you have ROLE OF VIKTOR, THAT DANY BOON WANTED YOU fun with it. We had some pretty uncontrollable TO PLAY? laughs, especially in the scene where I dress I said yes right away, without even knowing as a transvestite and I’m supposed to slap my what Dany was thinking about. But when I accomplice, who’s also dressed as a woman. saw who Viktor was, I was happy for several Which is a scene, by the way, that Dany reasons. First because I’m very rarely offered improvised on the shoot. comic roles. My own films are all comedies and I think that in MY WIFE IS AN ACTRESS, AS A DIRECTOR YOURSELF, HOW DO YOU SEE HIS for example, in all modesty, I was pretty WORK AS A DIRECTOR? funny. Then there was the role itself – a lot I always ask myself how the director I’m “I loved it – if you’re going to make a comedy, you might as well be in the hands of someone who knows how it’s done, who likes to laugh, to poke around and improvise!”

working for functions. How he goes about Although she did prefer me calling her John things, how he manages them. What’s McClane! She really cracked me up, both in important for him in any particular scene? the film and elsewhere. Here, things were even simpler than that because Dany (like in whose THERE ARE ALSO SOME OTHER ACTORS IN R.A.I.D. next film ROCK’N’ROLL I’m playing) is also SPECIAL UNIT THAT YOU’VE NEVER WORKED WITH an actor. That makes all the difference for BEFORE… me and I feel very close to them, I even see Yes, and that was one great thing about the myself in them. For Dany, there was also all adventure, to be able to play with such a the physical preparation – between the time cast. Michel Blanc, with whom I unfortunately I left him on ILS SONT PARTOUT and when didn’t have a scene, Sabine Azéma, with I saw him again on R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT, whom I laughed… a lot! I also loved working his whole body had changed! But the thing with François Levantal for the first time and it I was certain of on this shoot was that Dany was great to work with Patrick Mille, whom is a real director – you can feel it already on I didn’t know. It’s always a pleasure to cross SUPERCHONDRIAC, in no uncertain terms. paths with people you like to watch in the Here, in certain rather complex action scenes, movies, that’s one of the great privileges. I was watching a director apply himself completely in his work. He’s really impressive, YOU MENTIONED YOU WEREN’T OFTEN OFFERED too, because I know that after his day as actor/ THIS KIND OF ROLE. DID R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT director, he was writing his new comedy act MAKE YOU WANT TO WRITE YOURSELF ANOTHER as well, even as he was thinking about other ONE? projects. I don’t know how he does it! Well I hope that thanks to Dany I’ll be offered more comic roles. I’ve written comic roles for AND AS AN ACTOR, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE myself only because people only thought of EXPERIENCE OF BEING DIRECTED BY DANY BOON? me for more serious stuff. I’m usually cast I loved it – if you’re going to make a comedy, as the guy who’s turned inward, who “isn’t you might as well be in the hands of someone acting” and I’m sick and tired of it. I want to who knows how it’s done, who likes to laugh, act, to do stuff, to play big stuff, take pleasure to poke around and improvise. To write as an actor. That’s why I was so thrilled about a story like R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT and a playing Viktor. Thank you, Mr. Boon. character like Viktor, you really have to love comedy, even farce. That was the register we sometimes were working in with my character.

LET’S TALK ABOUT ALICE POL, WITH WHOM YOU HAVE SEVERAL SCENES – SHE AS THE COP, YOU AS THE BAD GUY. We only met on a few occasions because I wasn’t there for the entire shoot. We did take several train rides together and what I saw was a fresh young actress, who’s both beautiful and funny. Alice gives off a really generous vibe, she gets along with everyone on a shoot, and really shares the scenes with her fellow actors. She’s like a Pierre Richard, both on screen and in real life! She has a natural clumsiness that served the story well. INTERVIEW WITH MICHEL BLANC

YOU ARE THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR IN THE I really enjoy hearing that. Dany and I sort of FILM. LAST YEAR YOU PLAYED A SULTAN IN THE NEW met by accident on a TV program, when we ADVENTURES OF ALADIN AND IN 2011, YOU WERE were each promoting our films. A little while PRIVATE SECRETARY TO A MINISTER IN L’EXERCICE later he sent me his script and asked if the DE L’ÉTAT... role of the minister might interest me. It did, And I’m still hoping I’ll play the President one but I was also attracted to the idea of entering day! the world of a performer who does comedy in a very cutting edge way. I had that same DO YOU LIKE PLAYING THOSE ROLES OF POWER feeling when I did ALADIN with Kev Adams, BROKERS? along with Jean-Paul Rouve. It was a different Yes, because it’s different and it’s fun to do. world from the one I’m used to, a form of It’s also sort of new to me. Of course, the comedy that addresses teens and I was first thing I look at when I’m offered a role really interested in that. I like the idea of not is if it’s well-written, whether it’s a comedy or feeling like an old guy drying up in a corner something more serious. I always ask myself somewhere! I should add that Dany is also a if this will widen the range of roles that I can really great actor’s director. He knows exactly hope to play. With R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT, it what he wants, and that’s very important. wasn’t about climbing the ladder to dizzying political heights! The idea is to play roles that YOU ARE ALSO A WRITER-DIRECTOR-ACTOR. HOW are different from the ones I played in the DID YOU SEE HIS WORK, WEARING ALL THREE HATS past. Not because I regret what I’ve done, but ON R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT? I simply don’t give off the same fragile quality Usually when I’m on a set, I trust my director I once had. I’ve sort of been there and done and, even if it might seem like a paradox, I that with the little twitchy fellows and I don’t never watch him direct. Maybe that’s because, mind trying my hand at someone who has as an actor and as a director, I’ve seen some convictions. pains-in-the-ass ask “Where are you putting the camera?” and “How are you going to IN R.A.I.D. SPECIAL UNIT, YOUR MINISTER PASQUALI cut this scene?” It’s intolerable! When I’m on IS INTERESTING BOTH AS A POWERFUL MAN BUT a set I talk to the director about my acting, ALSO ONE WHO IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A FATHER, period. Like I said, Dany knows what he wants CONCERNED WITH WHAT MIGHT BECOME OF HIS and, in some scenes in this film he had to DAUGHTER... Johanna’s mother has died and you can feel he’s sort of overprotective as a father. He loves his daughter immensely and she loves him back, which is very touching. Dany underscored this in hi script and it’s important because it’s what makes the film not just a comedy good for a laugh. There’s a second layer to this story, and that second layer is pretty satisfying.

THAT’S WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT SEEING THE WORLD OF DANY BOON MESH WITH YOURS, THE HEIR TO THE “LE SPLENDID” ADVENTURE. manage complicated action stuff along with up to other people to judge. But there is one the comedy. From a filmmaker’s standpoint, thing that I can feel immediately, and that’s that’s a fairly complex business. To pull it the quality of someone’s acting when we’re off while remaining coherent and efficient working together. With François, I thought is really amazing – especially since beyond right away, “Wow, what a great actor.” the complication of the scenes themselves the When you’re looking straight into the other crew had to endure the shock of the Brussels actor’s eye during a line and you can see airport bombing. Part of the film was being how on the money and intelligent he is, you shot in Belgium at that time. Dany kept his know it’s going to work. François is a fairly calm the whole time, even as he acted in his exceptional actor who has a remarkable sense own film. I hope audiences appreciate the of underlying truth and who can develop a release of laughter he provides. In short, it form of comedy which isn’t all gag. He’s got a really went well with him and that’s not always great face, too, a voice, a presence. For me, the case, or else there’s little chemistry. I really he really is the head of RAID! like this guy and he can call on me whenever he wants – chances are I’ll say yes. YOU’VE BEEN SHOOTING FEWER FILMS IN RECENT YEARS. SINCE LES SOUVENIRS, YOU’VE CHOSEN LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR FELLOW CAST MEMBERS, SOME NOTABLE SUPPORTING ROLES… STARTING WITH ALICE POL, WHO PLAYS THE ROLE Well since LES SOUVENIRS, the lead roles OF YOUR DAUGHTER JOHANNA I’ve been offered haven’t really interested me. She’s an actress who has enormous comic You know, I’m still practicing this profession potential and, in addition, is much like her for the pleasure. So between a lead role character in real life, especially with her that’s only half interesting and a more minor clumsiness, all those enormous miscues she character but with something to do, I never makes as the film unfolds. Beyond that, she’s hesitate for a second! I just finished writing a very touching woman in real life. We got the script for my next film as director and I along really well. I would even say that there will only be playing two scenes in it. Listen, was something shared between us and I take if a really interesting lead role comes along away a certain almost fatherly tenderness. tomorrow, I’d be overjoyed. But I’m not going Believe me, it doesn’t always work out that to show up on a set just to demonstrate that way – even if as an actor it’s your job to I’m still working, even at my age! summon that sentiment. Obviously Alice isn’t my daughter but it was easy to construct that relationship with her. I wanted to protect her, to speak to her gently, especially in the scene when I try to convince her not to try out for RAID.

THE FILM ALSO PAIRS YOU WITH FRANÇOIS LEVANTAL, HEAD OF RAID. It’s complicated for me to know if it’s working between two actors on the screen. That’s more CAST

JOHANNA PASQUALI ALICE POL EUGENE FROISSARD DANY BOON JACQUES PASQUALI MICHEL BLANC VIKTOR YVAN ATTAL MARIE-CAROLINE DUBARRY SABINE AZEMA EDOUARD DUBARRY PATRICK MILLE PATRICK LEGRAND FRANÇOIS LEVANTAL RAID PSYCHOLOGIST ANNE MARIVIN OLIVIER LOPEZ FLORENT PEYRE BERNARD DUBARRY ALAIN DOUTEY PRESIDENT OF FRANCE URBAIN CANCELIER CREW

DIRECTOR DANY BOON WRITTEN BY DANY BOON SARAH KAMINSKY BASED ON AN ORIGINAL IDEA BY DANY BOON ARTISTIC COLLABORATION YAËL BOON MUSIC MICHAEL TORDJMAN MAXIME DESPREZ DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DENIS ROUDEN A.F.C PRODUCTION DESIGNER HERVÉ GALLET 1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR NICOLAS GUY CONTINUITY SUPERVISOR ISABELLE PERRIN-THEVENET COSTUME DESIGN LAETITIA BOUIX EDITOR ÉLODIE CODACCIONI SOUND LUCIEN BALIBAR GUILLAUME BOUCHATEAU THOMAS GAUDER PRODUCTION MANAGER BRUNO MORIN POST-PRODUCTION MANAGER VIRGINIA ANDERSON PRODUCED BY JÉRÔME SEYDOUX EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ÉRIC HUBERT ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS ROMAIN LE GRAND VIVIEN ASLANIAN CO-PRODUCER PATRICK QUINET A COPRODUCTION PATHÉ LES PRODUCTIONS DU CH’TIMI TF1 FILMS PRODUCTION ARTEMIS PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHELTER PROD WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF CANAL+ CINÉ+ TF1 WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF LA WALLONIE WITH THE SUPPORT OF TAXSHELTER.BE ING TAX SHELTER WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF BELGIUM

© PHOTOS: DAVID KOSKAS