Cannes

Pierre Deladonchamps is a French actor and filmmaker, known for Stranger by the lake, Golden Years & House of Time. In Sorry Angel (Plaire, Aimer et Courir Vite) by Christophe Honoré portrays a 90s Parisian gay writer who develops a relationship with a young student, Vincent Lacoste, who is also one of France's youngest talents, known for Amanda and The French Kissers. 

Bodies are very important in Christophe’s films. How did you get comfortable with that? 

My body is a tool. As is the face and voice. It’s very important and it gives sensuality to the images. Showing legs, arms, bottom can be really sensual. We spoke a lot about it but Christophe was very respectful toward what we wanted to show and how much exposed we wanted to be. 

The film was more about the intimacy and tenderness between the characters and their relationship than about sex, what do you think? 

Both characters are very sexual but their lives are in the spotlight. But essentially it’s a non love story. 

Even Paris’ least romantic is shown in the film. 

The emotional attraction between the two characters is so unique because of their differences, since they are so many. What do you think makes them so attracted to each other? 

I think it’s cerebral. At first it’s physical and in then it becomes emotional. 

One of them is an artist, a creative soul, inspired by people Christophe observed over time. He has such admiration for writers and creatives. 

The film is a tribute to all those who died of AIDS in the 90s. One of you was there and old enough to possibly remember Paris of that time, while the other was born in the mid 90s. Did this play a role in your dialogue about it and how you portray your characters? 

Vincent: That’s true.. I was born in 93, so was too little to understand or know what was going on. But seeing it in Christophe’s work now, it makes me realise how these people back then wrote history and how important it is to honour them. 

Pierre: I was 15 in the 90s but I remember long discussions about sex education being brought into our lives then. I feel lucky but also I wish that people knew about prevention much earlier. 

What sort of guidance and references did you receive from Christophe, if any? 

Christophe did not want us to be influenced very much hence he let us be free and decide how’s best to portray our characters. But in the film you see a lot of references from his idols and people he admires, like Isabelle Hupert, Fasbinder. Even the music is all the hits he used to listen to in the 90s. And the colour blue, it’s all around. I couldn’t help but think about La Vie D’Adele (Blue is the warmest colour), if there could be any connection between the two films. 

Interview by Martin I. Petrov at Festival De Cannes 2018