Director Thomas Bidegain Denies Jake Gyllenhaal's Unprofessional Behavior Ruined Their Film

[p0uritup]

Director Thomas Bidegain Denies Jake Gyllenhaal's Unprofessional Behavior Ruined Their Film, but Says ‘We Didn’t Have the Same Vision’ https://t.co/dKgov2kXD9
- Variety (@Variety) February 2, 2024
Jake was accused of ruining a french director's movie due to his shocking demands

Comments

[fernandocolunga]

What were his demands? “Pls French man my current French girlfriend is already over 25, new one NOW”

[donaestrangera]

i just looked at the original french article again and what that article described is no different from what the director is now describing. the article discusses gyllenhaal's strange behavior but makes it clear that that's not what did that version of the film in, the disagreements over the script are what did that version of the film in.

i think the english-language media decided to hone in on the strange behavior (it makes for better headlines after all) and not the disagreements over the script which led to people thinking the former and not the latter were the main issue. and once one outlet published their version everyone else just rushed to copy them without checking the source.

[umilicious]

I started reading the source yesterday, but that first pull quote about how they had two Anglo-Saxon leads threw me off. Was that their way of saying that the actors weren’t French, but they were still white? It confused me because Gyllenhaal is American and Kirby is British, so the only thing they have in common is their skin color.

[donaestrangera]

yeah, they're referring to both jake and vanessa coming from (white) english-speaking cultures that share cultural similarities vs. (white) french-speaking cultures that share their own cultural similarities. the anglosphere vs the francophonie basically

for example, i'm american but i have a lot of family in france and studied at a french school in a different french-speaking country for a time and when i've been in french-speaking countries i've always been struck by how hierarchical schools/workplaces are compared to what i've seen in the U.S. or the U.K. the french director explains how he's not used to french actors ever challenging him, while jake and vanessa being american and british did challenge him. i guess there were a lot of little cultural clashes like these between the english-speaking actors and the french-speaking everyone else.

[umilicious]

Thank you! This helped a lot. I wasn’t sure if there was a unstated race element like “they were white so it should have been fine!” or if it was more of a general culture clash like you described.

[nalaa1906]

We have very different ways to make films in France and in the U.S.

So in France when they see the sea they don't swim in the sea?

[genbu_no_miko24]

Yeah I remember Michel Gondry saying something about directors have the final word and Final Cut on films but in America actors can clash with their directors and Final Cut is not always a given.

[belle_chouette]

so did he do pepe le pew or not?
(I also thought pepe le pew was what the call peppa pig in France oop sorry to my French prof)