Gilles Lellouche: this phone call he made to Gérard Depardieu to play Obélix

On February 1, the new film directed by Guillaume Canet and which is called Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom. For this project, which took years to produce, the actor called on a host of personalities, notably footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but also Angela. In an interview at 50’Inside broadcast on Saturday January 21 on TF1, the 27-year-old singer confided in her role as Falbala who marked his first steps in the cinema. “I put pressure on myself“, she said. And to continue on Guillaume Canet: “He was aware that it was not my job and it was not a problem for him“.

A significant weight gain for Gilles Lellouche in order to get into the skin of Obélix

This Sunday, January 22, Anne-Claire Coudray received on the set of 20 hours of TF1 Gilles Lellouche and Guillaume Canet for the promotion of the film Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom. An interview during which the two actors discussed their long friendship, but also the filming of this new project. Thus, Gilles Lellouche was asked about his role as Obélix on the screen. “How many pounds have you gained?” asked the presenter. To which he replied: “Twenty in six months“. Pounds he hasn’t fully lost yet,”but mostly yes“, he assured. And to emphasize that there was “a great responsibility“to play this role:”It’s Obelix. Obélix is ​​France and who made Obélix before? Gerard Depardieu, for the first four moviesso succeeding Gérard was complicated in my head“.

A phone call made to Gérard Depardieu, what did they say to each other?

Gilles Lellouche then confided that he had called “several times” Gérard Depardieu to discuss the role with him. “He never answered and then one day, he kindly called me back to say: ‘What, do you want some advice on how to play Obelix? I’m going to tell you something: Obélix, he has daisies in his eyes, that’s all, go hello my deer. It was synthetic, but these are words that I kept with me throughout the shoot because that’s exactly it, Obélix, it’s poetry, naivety, childhood in a body of raw“, he said. Guillaume Canet clarified: “The idea is not to forget Gérard Depardieu, we don’t forget him, and we can’t forget him in this character, but Gilles managed to embody the character from the comic strip and therefore immediately, when the film starts, we are with the character from the comic strip and it’s fantastic. He did a really great job.”