Ant (France 2) – François Damiens: "I was too scared to play the alcoholic man"

Like Kirikou, Théo is small but stout. On a football field, Ant is a giant who, despite his size, is nicknamed affectionately. The boy is the pride of his teammates, his coach, and most importantly of all, his father, Laurent, an unemployed worker who falls more and more into alcoholism every day. So, when a recruiter from English club Arsenal passes by, everyone imagines Ant will catch their attention. And this perspective rekindles his desire to live in his father. Get out of the bottle. Bad luck, Arsenal didn’t hire him, despite Theo’s talent: he’s too small. With the help of his friends, Théo decides to keep the news from his father: there is no question of interrupting him on his unexpected return. Julien Rappeneau tells us this beautiful story simply and generously for his second film, adapted from Laperla and Torrecillas’ comic book DreamTeam. Unconditional love, an overwhelming father-son relationship.

Rappeneau immediately thought of François Damiens for the humanity and exaggerated sensitivity he exuded. They serve his character perfectly, whose cracks allow the light to shine, according to Michel Audiard’s formula. “This role, Damiens explained to us, I took it as a challenge in 2019. Taking lightness to serious issues like crisis, alcoholism, separation, job loss. We needed to make the movie both moving and entertaining. Ant is a person like Julien Rappeneau. He is a sensitive man, very nice. Kindness is the most beautiful quality. “Maleaume Paquin, alias Fourmi, couldn’t have imagined a better partner to play the movie father. One hundred 12-year-old boys who had previously played opposite Daniel Auteuil were selected from Maleaume. Familyless RemiHe proved to be a great playmaker in 2018. Besides being a born player, he is passionate about football, playing for a club since he was 7 years old.

Coach Dussollier

Upon their conversation, François made Maleaume laugh and Maleaume made him laugh “, recalls the director. The more stressed he was from the two, the less captivating he was. Damiens admits: “I was so scared playing the alcoholic man, you can do a lot very quickly. Instead of judging or suppressing it, I tried to play it as sincerely as possible. As with all good comedies, supporting roles have not been neglected. The filmmaker recruited three promising young exiles around Maleaume. However, we will especially remember the services of Lætitia Dosch, a gently perched social worker who reached out to help Laurent get her back into the penalty area. Generous and sun compartment. In tune with emotions without melodrama, André Dussollier stands out as a father-style coach with a smiling eye. For this football fan, this role was a gift. ” On the set, the director recalls, André treated the young people a little as an instructor. He even went to play football with them between the two scenes and continued to coach them. ! »

Ant: Sunday, July 3 at 21:10 in France 2

Julien Barcilon