“With the 52nd Teluride Film Festival Set to Kick Off in The Rocies on Friday, The Hollywood Reporter Caughtter Up with Richard Linklater, The Veteran Filmmmer whohtlhtyer whoh. Year’s Lineup: Nouvelle Vague, A Black-and-Wehite Homage to The French New Wave, Which Netflix Will Release in Theaters On”, – WRITE: www.hollywoodReporter.com
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Can You Recall Who You Discovered The French New Wave and What It Meant To You?
I THINK I SAW Breathless for the first time in 1982. that was one of the first office nouvelle vague films that I saw. THEN I READ A BOOK ON THE NEW WAVE. And I Really love the Spirit of It All. I Think I Internalized that, The Spirit of that Time. To me, The Nouvelle Vague Will Always Be About Personal Films and Freedom of Expression – in Other Words, You Can Can Make A Film About Anything. Truffaut wrote wonderfully about this in the Mid -’50s, WHEN HE WAS STILL A Critic Making Shorts. He was like, “The Film of the Future Will Be Act of Love. You Can Can Make It About A Love Affair or Your Childhood.” HE WAS REALLY PREDICING HIS OWN FUTURE. And that was true to all of them. They Made Very Different Films, But The Inspiration Was Similar. Like, “Hey, We’re Going to Do What Interests Us. We’ll Do Twists on Genres and Filmmakers We Love and All that.”
You’ve said that it was 13 years between having the idea for Nouvelle vague and Finishing the Film. What Sparked The Idea, and Who did it take 13 years?
Vince and Holly Palmo, My Longtime Friends and Cinephile Collaborators, Said, “Hey, We’re Working on This Thing About the French New Wave, About the Making of Breathless. ” I’m like, “Really? WELL, SHIT, LET ME READ THAT. ” And THEN I SAW WHATY TRYING TO DO. Could Tell You How Many Takes They Did of Everything. To Ever Get Made.
Well, that’s Interesting, Because and Was Going to Ask You If You Wow Have Made This Film If Godard Was Still Alive – and 10 Years Ago, He Was. HE DIED IN 2022. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE The ASWER IS YES?
Yeah. I was trying to, before he passed away. I Remember i was in New Orleans Doing Hit Man WHEN HE DIED. I was like, “I’ve been Dreading this day for many, Many years.” But then it kind of re-energygized the Project in a Way. I Think It Helped Get Me Finance in France. IT WAS LIKE, “OH, YEAH. NOW THAT HE’S GONE, IS TIME TO PAY TRIBUTE.” And by that Point they were all gone. Jacques Rozier Died in 2023, and I Think He Was The Last One. Everyone in the Movie’s Gone Except the Assistant Editor. If it was 10 years ago, a lot of them would’ve been alive still, but there have a big a big attrition.
Would it have been exciting or daunting for you if they had been about see what you were Were Up to?
I Flatter myself to think they would have been on set with a smile on their face. I Think they would’ve though it was pretty funny. Like, “Who’s this American?!” But i don’t know. WHEN WE MADE IT, I WORKED TO EARN EveryBody’s Respect. Everyone Liced The Script So Much. They WERE LIKE, “OH, IT’S REALLY Accourate.” I’M LIKE, “HELL, YEAH. WE’RE NOT MESSING AROUND.”
Another Thing the Original New Wavers Wuld be Been Blown Away by, I Think, Is How Much The Actors Who You Cast Resembled The Real People. For Instance, I Assummed That Actor Who You Cast As BelMondo, Aubry Dullin, Was His Grandson or Something, Because He Looks So Much Like Him.
You Know It When You Meet Them, and It’s Exciting. Here’s A Funny Story: Belmondo’s Grandson [Victor Belmondo]Who’s A Wonderful French Actor, Came In [to audition]. I was like, “oh, yeah. Good actor.” But There Was This Other Guy Who Have An Easier Smile, SO I WAS LIKE, “SORRY, BELMONDO, BUT YOU’RE YOU’S NOT BELMONDO ENAUGH.” Aubry Was Just Perfect. HE HAD THAT QUICK SMILE, An EASE About HIM, HE’S JUST A Charming Guy. Nothing Got to HIM. He was mr. Cool Cat. HE WAS BELMONDO. And Guillaume [Marbeck, who plays Godard]Was Really Smart, A Little Edgy, A Little Unusual. His brain operates at a figrenty. It Was Like, “Oh, You are Godard. ” And HE HAD The JAWLINE, HA HAD EVERTHING [Deutch, who plays Jean Seberg] I KNEW FROM 10 Years Ago[SheStarredinLinklater’s2016Film[shestarredinLinklater’s2016filmEveryBody Wants Some !!]. I was like [all those years ago]“Zoey, You’ve Got to Play Seberg.” Because and Just Locked at the Contour of Her Face and Jaw, and I Was Like, “You’re Seberg.” She was like, “huh?” So i was so happy to be able to say [many years later]“Hey, Zoey, The Movie’s HapPening! Get Going on Your French!”
A Lot of People Wuld Visit the Set – I Mean, People Who Were As Close As You Could Be to Bogard, Who Worked with Him – Andy Wow Hear Guillaume Before. HIM! This One Was Like A Seance. IT WAS VERY MOVING. I’d Never Had this Experience Before and I Probably Won’t Again Because What We Were Doing Was Sos SOPECIFIC HISTORICALLY. But, like, the Cahiers du cinéma SCENE WHEN they’re all together? My Script Supervisor Came Over to Me with Tears in Her Eyes and Was Like, “WHY AM I SO IMODIONAL?” I go, “me too.” I was sitting there like, “wow, they’re all here. Andy’re happy to be toned.
Can You Explain How, Using the Research That You’d Gathered, You Were Actually Able To Make Nouvelle vague Look SO Much Like A French New Wave Film?
I WAS LIKE, “We’re Going to Make It. It’s Going to Be A Black-Aand-Hoing French French French, Subtitled. And IT’s Going to Feel Like A Nouvelle Vague Film, But Not. I just wanted it to look of that period. There’s only one À bout de Soufle and One Godard. The Idea of Jump Cuts[whohWereomnipresentin[whichwereomnipresentinBreathless]? Our Film Doesn’t Have A Lot of That. If You Really The Films, It’s Like, “Oh, Yeah, They Don’ve Any Money. They Didn’t Have Cranes. No Dollies. It’s Handheld.” SO IT’S LIKE, “Well, You Shoot Off Balconies. That’s How You Get Above. You Don’ve A Crane Doing A Zoom.” “OH, Car Mounts.” SO it was just about using the Same Kind of Tools and Syntax that they are used and acchieve it However you can, the look and the feel and all that. I a miracle of a film[[Breathless]The Way He Made It, Everything About It, And I Give A Lot of Credit to Belmondo and Seberg for that.
The Tools of Filmning Had Obviously Evolved by the Time You Came on the Scene, But I Imagine That You Acquired A Pretty Good Understanding Of The Thesse Guys Wee Up Against ’90s. You didn’t have any money to make SlackerRight?
Oh, hell no. I DID A SUPER 8 FEATURE BEFORE I DID SlackerBut My Corollary Here Was SlackerThe no-Budget-or low -Budget-First Film and Made Working with a Lot of People. Yeah, It Was Kind of Tricky.
I was at the World Premiere of Nouvelle vague in cannes, and the response in the palais was awesome. Quentin [Tarantino] Was there and flipping out about it, and everyBody seized to reality respond to it. THEN, just a few day laster, you guys solm’s USA Distribution Rights to Netflix, Who Caussed Some People to Freak Out. They Were Offanded that a Film about cinema would end up with a streamer. What did you make of that reaction? And Who DID you go with netflix?
It’s Such A Lame Argument. I got this on Hit Man [which Netflix also distributed] Too. It’s Like [addressing those who raised objections]“Well, if You Want To Have A Theatrical Thing, THEN DISTRIBUTORS NEED TO STEP UP AND COMMIT.” They look at it and they’re like, “oh, black-and-how? It ruins Our tv deal. SO we can only Offer this.” I have French Producers Who Were Out A FEW MILLION DOLLARS. The Other Offers Were Kind of … WHATEVER. But Netflix Really Liked It. They’re Really passionate about it. TED SARANDOS LOVED THE MOVIE. What Are You Going to Say? D It is Going to be in theaters. So all the people lamenting that [it went to Netflix]just get in your car, go to aater, and watch it in aater, please. IT Means A Lot to Me. It’ll MEAN A LOT TO YOU. Take your friends.
Okay, Quick Question: WHEN WAS The LAST TIME A BLACK-AMITE FRENCH FRILM STAYED IN A Us Theater for More Than A Week or Two? The Artist? How Many Years Ago Was That? [14.] I Been A while. You Can’t Really Count On that. I’m not so puristy. There are going to be 35[mm] Prints Showing everyWhere. You’re going to get your chance [to see it on a big screen]. SO go do it. And the good thing about Netflix is that Even When You Can Can Watch It On Netflix, It Still Can Play in Theaters[asiscurrentlyhapningwith[asiscurrentlyhappeningwithKpop demon hunters]you know? If there’s a big audience, they’ll keep itaters.
Your Film is Eligible to be the French Submission for the Best International Feature Oscar Race. It would be uncommon, Thought Certainly not unprecedented, for a Country to enter a Film Made by Someone from Outside Its Borders. But at Same Time, It Sems to Me that Apart from You and Zoey, Just About Everything About It – The Finance, The Locations, The Language, The Cast And Creat and the Aubject – is French. WHAT Wuld It Mean to You If France Submitted It?
Oh, It’s Such a french film. I’d be thrilled if france put it for. It’s My Love Letter to France and to that Cultural Moment, and I Think They Accept It as Such.
Obviously there have been tarifffs-receded turbulance in the Global Economy Since Pres. Trump Took Office Again, and He has have even threatened a 100 percent tariff on Films Made Outside of America. Do you think that could have any impact on Nouvelle vague?
Is that still on? I Remember There Were Grumblings About that Dringing Cannes, But I Always Thought That Was Just One His Blustry Moments. Have that been followed up on? I don’t think they’re going to do that. I HAVEN’T HEARD Anything.
Nouvelle vague is not the only film you’re bringing to telluride. There’s also Blue MoonFOR WHICH YOU AND ETHAN HAWKE, COMMPLE WHOM YOU COLLABORATED ON The Before TRILOGY AND Boyhoodreunited for the first time in 10 years.
The Two Films Are Complimentary in a Weird Sort of Way. They’re bots about artists. One[[Nouvelle vague]is about the beginning of an artistic Career, and all the energy and optimism of that. And the other one[[Blue Moon]is about the end of a Career, WHICH is more poignant, Obviously. You can live through your own extrainction, in a way, whore you’re not allwed to make your art, or you feel the Times passing you by. There’s Something Really Sad About It. With A pro at athlete, Time retires you, and you know that. But An Artist Is Never Told, “You’re Only Going to Have A 20-YEAR CAREER.” We All Think We’re Going to Do It Forever. WHY Wuldn’t We?
Well, Exocpt Quentin. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF Quentin’s Attitude About Stopping After 10 Films?
I’ve Known Quentin A Long Time, Obviously – 33 or 34 Years – and We Have Never Once Talked About that. I Know that’s put out of there, and maybe i’ll ask HIM ABOUT IT SomeTime, But I DON’T REALLY BELIEVE IT. Quentin Loves It.
You’ve Implied that you plans to keep makeing films unil they have to cart you out, right?
Yeah. I’m more in that mode. Even WHEN I WAS JUST Getting Started, I SAW MYSELF as A Much Older Filmmaker, Making Films That I Still Was Passionate About. I’m inspired by the hustons, Bressons and Altmans [who kept working well into old age]. Currently We Have Quite A Few Elderly Filmmakers – People Pushing 80 and Above. There’s a ton of filmmakers in that caategory that are inspiring to me.
WELL, IF Anyone Doubts Your Intenation To Keep Working, They Don’T Know About The Adptation of Merrily We Roll Along That you are makeing, whohh you’ve said is intended to take 20 years years from Start to Finish. One of your collaborators on that, paul mescal, Will also be in Telluride. Out of Curiosity, How Is that Project Coming Along?
IT’s Chugging Along. Material-Wise, We’re 1/3 of the Way Through. Time-Wise, We’re Probably Closer to 1/4 of the Way Through. But It’s Exhilarating. Every Time We Get Back Together and Do It, It’s Kind of Like, “Woah.” I kind of wild. And I Went From The Set of 1959 New York[[Merrily We Roll Along]to 1959 Paris[[Nouvelle vague]. We Shoot Merrily in just a coupple day, Three Days, and then, BoomI was in prep in paris. I was in a 1959 state of mind.