The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan | “All for one, one for all, we really lived it”

The Three Musketeers are back on the big screen! This is twice, not once. D’Artagnanthe first part of the diptych that will end in December, and open on April 28th. Journalism He spoke with director Martin Bourboulon and translator of the Fourth Musketeers François Civil.

In order to get the role of d’Artagnan, François Civil lied. He told productions that when he was younger, The three musketeersWritten by Alexandre Dumas, his book was at his bedside, although he had never read it. I tried to hide this story from Dimitri Rassam, the producer, for as long as possible, but as I told it to Beau Marmay [qui incarne Porthos] “He likes to put me in the sauce, as we say in France,” he said, laughing. “He told him right away and I had to assume.”

Obviously, he’s read the novel since then. “I loved the character of Milady, who was a bit like a female James Bond on the 17th^H Century, denotes a person who has been nominated for a César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in In the bodyby Cedric Klapisch. I obviously loved d’Artagnan and the whole adventure. I was also pleased to read the script which necessarily adapts a lot of things, yet retains the spirit of the novel. »

Martin Bourboulon approves the plot of Alexandre de la Bataille and Mathieu Delaporte. “When the fundamentals are solid, it’s not worth changing them for nothing,” he says. There was a balance to be found between the new ideas and what really belonged to the strength of the novel. »

Fighting and camaraderie

bossEiffel Nevertheless, he wanted to suggest a new reading of the work. “I wanted us to feel free from all the modifications that had been done before and not hold ourselves back from visual innovation – whether for costumes, skits or fight scenes – to depict the action a little differently. In order to realize his vision, Martin Bourboulon asked his actors to do their own stunts.” They were amazing and thanks to their work I was able to shoot the scenes in a burst. »

François Civil confirms that the training that preceded the shooting was an unforgettable experience. “I was excited to be involved in something so immersive and was surrounded by such talented people, starting with Yannick Borrell, the Olympic fencing champion. When you have a guy like him teaching you his sport, it humiliates you and makes you want to live up to it,” the actor admits. who also took lessons from equestrian athlete Mario Lorachi.

The 33-year-old actor notes that his sense of humor “united” the team, but he and the three riders – Vincent Cassel (Athos), Pio Marmay (Porthos) and Romain Duris (Aramis) – really understood their motto characters during the fight scenes. “When it’s shot in a sequence shot, that means we have to be able to count on each other. If someone fails, you have to start over, so, inevitably, you want to give the best to your mates. The ‘all-for-one, one’ side For everyone”, we really lived it in our body. »

A little love too

It is also a matter of love in The three musketeers. Between King Louis XIII (Louis Garel) and Queen Anne of Austria (Vicky Krebs). and between her and the Duke of Buckingham (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd). But especially between d’Artagnan and Constance Bonacieux (Lina Khoudri), who serves the Queen.

“On paper, my character was already quite clear, but I interfered a bit as far as writing the scenes between Constance and d’Artagnan, specifies François Civil. In early versions of the script, I found him so comfortable in flirting that he allowed himself a lot of wit. These are indeed “The trait of his character when confronted by the King and his fellow knights. I told myself that in love, there might be another dimension to be explored. Something more fragile, a little more sensitive, a little less powerful with Constance.”

A little tour of Gaul

D’Artagnan and its complement, AD, scheduled for December, was shot at the same time, over the course of 150 days. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that almost all of it was shot on real locations rather than in a studio. Thus, we see different places in Paris, such as the Hôtel des Invalides and the Louvre Palace, as well as the National Castle of Saint-Malo and the Château de Fontainebleau.

“It was a great tourist thing that, even in my own country, I remember François Civil, who spent 110 days filming. We also realized the quality it would give to our adaptation. Because as a show, I’ve seen a lot of film adaptations and some of them lack a little sincerity. We wanted credibility throughout this The project. ”

“more drama”

Eva Green plays the evil Milady – but is she really? His role is important in the first part and will certainly be more important in the next part that bears his name.

“We will learn several things, especially about the past of Milady and Athos,” Martin Bourboulon reveals. It will be a slightly different film in tone and color. »

François Civil adds: “I think there is more drama. All the stakes are approaching. There are things that are revealed. There is a kind of relationship that is established between d’Artagnan and Milady in this film and this bond of intimate enemies weaves more and more into the sequel.”

The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan Hits theaters April 28th.