The beautiful spark: The condition imposed by Bernard Campan to play in the TV film broadcast this evening

Chef of a starred restaurant, Philippe (Bernard Campan) loses his job. While he fears he will no longer find a job in the kitchen, he is contacted by Virginie (Melanie Doutey). The latter asks her to take charge of the restaurant that she recently bought and which employs employees suffering from autism spectrum disorder… Loosely inspired by the true story of Parisian restaurant The Beautiful Sparklebroadcast this Thursday, October 5 from 9:10 p.m. on M6, this TV film is a lovely and refreshing success, embodied by actors, professionals and amateurs, neurotypical and autistic, absolutely remarkable, as the one who claims to be reluctant to a return of Unknown on the scene…

Bernard Campan: “There was a lot of tenderness and goodwill between all of us on set”

Télé-Loisirs: What attracted you to this project?
For me, the sine qua non condition for making this TV film was to play with young people suffering from autism spectrum disorder. This is the first question I asked the director, Hervé Mimran. When he answered me “Yes”, I gone ahead ! I also found it very nice that this story was approached without pathos and that it had this humorous note to talk about disability and inclusion.

What were you most surprised by in your young partners?
I often felt a particular anxiety in them. They wondered how they were going to be perceived, if they were going to measure up. I also saw in them a joy of living, of sharing, of laughing. For example, with one of the actors, Pierrot (Goldstein, who plays Martin, one of the young apprentices, editor’s note), we had a good laugh! I no longer know why we went into the delirium of calling each other “My corner” ! (He’s laughing.) But we also had to find the line between fun and work. Sometimes I had to tell him: “There, I need to concentrate before the shot.” I also found it very interesting to work with Gauthier (Gagnière, who plays Noé, the main role, editor’s note). He had never acted, but he had this desire to be an actor. He learned his lines extremely well but he also had a unique flow of words. We had to respect that while finding the very specific rhythm of the comedy. But, in the end, it was simple. There was a lot of tenderness and kindness between all of us on set. And it shows on the screen.

Did you take cooking classes for this TV movie?
So no… I like to cook from time to time, to please myself. Since I know how to cut vegetables well and I can do it quickly, I thought I could do it on set. But when I saw how quickly professional chefs cut… (He’s laughing.) So I sometimes resorted to a hand double on set.

“I want to go towards films through which I feel a little more useful”

The more the years go by, the more you bring strong societal issues through your roles, like in the film Almost…
I don’t know why life takes me to these roles. What I know is that I want to move towards films through which I feel a little more useful, which tackle subjects that speak to our society, to the need for collective intelligence. This is true inclusion. That’s what guides me.

The film Remember beautiful things released in 2002 changed our view of you…
Yes, and it also allowed me to pursue projects that were not comedy. Until then, I had only played a supporting role in a different register, for Augustin, king of kung fu ofAnne Fontaine, which hadn’t worked well anyway. So I had already tasted this more sober and natural game. But it is with this film of Zabou Breitman that I felt capable of playing serious roles and being comfortable in them.

Alongside these more moving or cutting-edge projects, do you keep comedy in mind?
At the moment, I’m shooting a pure comedy, but I don’t really do much of it. I’ve become a little skittish about this genre. I’m afraid of making a mistake, of not daring enough or of daring too much and being ridiculous. A few years ago, I didn’t ask myself so many questions, especially with my comrades from Les Inconnus.

“I don’t have confidence in myself, but I deal with it”

You had already mentioned this doubt that assail you…
I often hear actors talk about imposter syndrome. What I feel is very close. I always ask myself: “Am I capable of doing this?” I often feel like I’m not up to par. A day, Isabelle Carré said : “I’m scared. But that’s never stopped me from doing things.” It’s a bit like that. I don’t have confidence in myself, but I deal with it.

Isn’t there a role, a moment, when you said to yourself: “That’s it, I’m good at it.” ?
From time to time. I like to feel that something is happening. What scares me the most is doing too much: being too grimacing or too marked, pushing the anger a little too much. I succeed sometimes, not on an entire role but on certain sequences.

You have a reputation for protecting your privacy. Why did you choose this approach of keeping this aside?
I don’t know if I’ve tried to protect my privacy, but yes, I’m careful. We display our lives on the Internet or Instagram and then we are surprised to see that it comes back to us. I am often told to open an account on a certain network, to publish my opinion, send a photo… But doing that will stress me out! (He’s laughing.) What will those who read what I write say? I am in too much doubt, in reflection. I can’t do things spontaneously.

You are always thinking…
It’s tiring, eh! (He’s laughing.) I think it’s a bit complicated in the ciboulot. But it works on its own, it spins, but rarely to the point of exhausting me.