Why British actors?
PATRICE CHEREAU: Because they are very good. Because their level is very high. The level here is high too, but in the landscape of Europe, English actors are the best. Because of their education because of their schools, I don’t know, but the commitment is very high and very deep. Probably deeper than I could expect from French actors. But my first idea was that, saying that if I do the film, I’ll do the film in London with English actors I will be able to do it with the English actors. Sorry. Then I tried to understand how was the landscape of the British actors. I met many, many people, hundred, hundred-fifty. I watched films to understand who’s who. The first person I found, I made a real proposition was Timothy Spall. He was so smart. Talking with him I knew that he would be the best person. Sometimes you are looking for people, you don’t just want a face and a body, but you want an intelligence and a civility and sensitivity. Also you need a very good partner when talking about th
