A Frenchman in Hollywood

Being one of France’s most revered and respected actors, Jean Reno like his compatriots (among them Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Simone Signoret, Gerard Depardieu and Jean-Paul Belmondo) didn’t find it hard to penetrate Hollywood where he has played varied roles in such blockbusters as Brian DePalma’s Mission: Impossible (with Tom Cruise), Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla (with Matthew Broderick), Luc Bessons’ The Professional (with Natalie Portman), John Frankenheimer’s Ronin (with Robert DeNiro) and Ron Howard’s Da Vinci Code (with Tom Hanks).

In his latest movie, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures’ Pink Panther 2 (with Steve Martin reprising his role as the fumbling French police detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau, opening today in the Philippines), Jean shifts gears and essays comedy as Steve’s partner in pursuing the thief of treasures from around the world.

Born in Casablanca to Spanish parents, Jean pursued his dream to be an actor after serving in the military in Germany. For the first 11 years of his life, he spoke only in Spanish. He now speaks fluent French, Italian, English and Japanese. He divides his time between Paris and New York.

Following are excerpts from a one-on-one Funfare did with Jean two weeks ago in New York:

How did you find the shift from action films to comedy?

“It’s easy. I look at msyelf as an interpreter no matter what role I am playing. I don’t put myself in one category. I can do any role.”

What for you is the funniest scene in the movie?

“The scene where Steve pretends to be The Pope. Steve is so funny that everytime we shot the scene, even if we knew what was going to happen, we would end up laughing and laughing. Work is easy if you’re working with good actors and a good director. The entire cast is very generous. All of us felt very lucky to be a part of the collaboration Everybody was in the same mood; everybody was on top of their game.”

How do you think Pope Benedict XVI will react to that scene?

“He called me. He said, ‘It’s okay.’ (Laughs and laughs) I don’t know. I hope he won’t be offended by the movie. It is only humor, nothing else.”

When did you decide to be an actor?

“When I was 12 years old. I loved watching movies even when I was a kid. I remember how fascinated I was with the movie Casablanca. I love that movie.”

What’s the difference between working in France and working in Hollywood?

“A movie is still a movie. In America, they don’t say ‘Action!’ with a bunch of dollars in their hands. It’s the same anywhere, except that in France it is more tense because we have to do things as fast as we can. It’s always, ‘Quickly, quickly, quickly! We have no time!’ In America, they take their time.”

Aren’t you annoyed by the paparazzi in Hollywood?

“No. There are paparazzi everywhere. I am not bothered by the press either as long as what they write is true.”

What do you miss most about your country?

“My friends. So I ask them to come and visit me.”

What was your most unforgettable experience serving the French military in Germany?

“The cold. Because I came from Africa so suddenly it was minus 17/minus 18 degree celsius. We had to guard the place at night with tanks and ammunition. All that we could hear was the rabbits and the crows. It was very lonely. I was stationed in a little village. It was in 1968; I was 20 then.”

Briefly noted

• From Mark Gil, reacting to a recent item about Marian Rivera whom Funfare described as part-Spaniard: A native of Spain is actually called Spanish. Calling him a Spaniard is like calling a Black person a Negro.”

• From Jerry Tandag of The Freeman (a Cebu newspaper), reacting to the story about Peter Cetera: The songs Just You n’ Me, I’ve Been Searchin’ So Long, Call On Me, Wishing You Were Here, Old Days and No Tell Lover were all recorded by Chicago as an entire band with Peter Cetera still in it, not when he already went solo.

• After Butas (Loopholes), Marco Morales will be seen next in the gay Bona (directed by Lino Brocka) indie movie, Booking, where he plays a struggling actor who will do anything and everything just to go places. The gay drama also stars Emilio Garcia, Snooky Serna and Anita Linda. Marco plays the role Phillip Salvador played in the Brocka movie and Emilio, the Nora Aunor role. Other stars are Bernie Guinto, Mercedes Cabral (of Serbis) and Charles Delgado (being introduced in the movie). Showing starts on March 4, with advance screening on Feb. 23 at the UP Cine Adarna.

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