Gerard Depardieu is promoting his new film, Valley of Love, which premiered at Cannes (where he smoked at a photocall). Depardieu has led an extremely prolific career, and he’s still churning out several movies per year as he stares down age 70. I used to think of the guy as a legend and along the same lines as John Malkovich in terms of acting prowess. These days, Depardieu seems like a caricature. In 2011, he famously took a leak in a plane cabin. This is the first thing that comes to mind when Depardieu’s name comes up.
The guy knows people think of him this way, and he’s not happy. In an interview with The Guardian, Depardieu complains about his acting career. Out of 181 movies, he only likes 15 of them. He’s convinced that people only know him for his loose bladder. Now that’s not entirely true. We know that Gerard can’t stand France because of their astronomically high income tax rate. What else? He claimed to drink 14 bottles of wine per day, which is also astronomical. Depardieu reinforces his messy status in these excerpts:
He’ll never live down the plane incident: “When I travel around the world what people know is that I p*ssed on a plane, that I’m [now] Russian and that I wrote a letter of complaint to the prime minister.”
He loves dumb action movies: Depardieu covered a wide range of subjects, including his penchant for “stupid” Bruce Willis movies, how cinema audiences are “misogynist,” and I don’t care and I don’t want to hear about how many Rafales [French fighter jets] have been sold all the time on the radio. That’s why I live in a country where I don’t speak the language.”
He doesn’t drink much? “I don’t always drink alcohol, despite my reputation. I live for life and living makes me drunk. I’m totally ascetic at the moment.”
On body image: “I don’t see myself as obese. Near the Valley of Love in America is Nevada and I would go to the supermarkets there. I love big supermarkets and there the aisles are twice as big as our supermarkets because the trolleys are twice as big and the obese are larger than the trolleys on each side. I would think, ‘what a mad world.’ Lucian Freud showed larger older men and women and it was beautiful. Nowadays we see women who are sacks of bones and sometimes that too is beautiful when they are young, but not when one is old.”
Any regrets? “Non, non, non, non, non … no regrets. None. There’s no point. What’s done is done.”
[From The Guardian]
Well I can see why Depardieu is frustrated at how people remind him of the plane incident wherever he travels. To be fair, that was a pretty messed up thing to do. He was reportedly drunk at the time, and he’s always bragged about drinking. Yet Depardieu now claims that he hardly ever drinks. He’s kinda full of it, right? Not too surprising from a guy who complains about only having 15 decent movies out of 181 in his whole career.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
If it makes any difference, I didn’t even know he’s pissed on a plane, and I’d recognize him in the street.
I’ll always think of him as the chef in The Last Holiday, a surprisingly charming Queen Latifah movie. Is that better, Gerard?
Wow! I agree with you. I love that movie and watch it every Christmas. Queen Latifah and Depardieu were magical together.
My childhood favourite from him is My Father the Hero, think its the one with Heigl.
I don’t really remember him being in that, but I do remember it being surprisingly charming. I think Queen Latifah has an amazing and incredibly likable energy on screen.
“Any regrets? “Non, non, non, non, non … no regrets”
Good singing opportunity missed there.
Non, rien de rien. Non, je ne regrette rien.
Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait
Ni le mal; tout ca m’est bien egal!
Sing along with Edith!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFtGfyruroU
I also think of him as My father the hero! But he also blew up like a Virginia ham. I’m all for indulging but geez, boyfriend does not look good 🙁
Like a ham balloon or something. Sheesh. Didn’t he used to be somewhat attractive? He’s wearing a pound of makeup in that first photo, I think.
Well, I like his answer about regrets. Non, non, non, non! What’s done is done.
NON JE NE REGRETTE RIEN!!
funny thing is that i missed the news of the pee story so thanks Gerard now i know.
Well, Gerard, it’s kind of hard to forget….
He is one of the great thespians, eccentric and lately we have seen media making mockery of his bad timing. I like watching his movie , he always knows how to disappear in characters that he portrays. I would disagree with him, he have done more decent movies than he knows. But again, I am fun of French cinema,..
Agreed. I still think of him with respect: he’s a great actor with amazing entertaining abilities and great dramatic flair, AND he unapologetically owns his eccentricities. What’s not to love?
I love quite a few of his movies- Green Card and Jean de Florette come to mind almost immediately. I went through a phase when I couldn’t get enough French movies and Depardieu is quite a good actor.
Yes he is, but as a person he is really messed up.
And I remember the plane incident, and the fact he has changed his citizenship to pay less taxes.
Greencard! Oh that apartment…
God, I loved Green Card!
Yes and yes! He was so weird-hot.
I love “Rrrrrrr!” funniest movie ever!
As a citizen of the U.S. I am officially offended at his comments about overweight Americans being twice the width of our oversized trolleys. But otoh it was really really funny so he gets a pass from moi.
I’ll always remember Cyrano. I love that movie.
Yes! That is always how I will think of him as well.
Gerard my darling, you are indeed obese.
But so am I so it’s all good, let’s go drink wine!
I am inclined to believe him on the no/less drinking because he looks to much better in these photos.
He used to look really, really bad especially around the time he was boasting about his wine consumption.
Lucian Freud’s subjects are sometimes grotesquely realistic, beautiful as paintings without a doubt, but are not Rubenesque in being treated as symbols of desirability.
Also, I can’t help but think of Crank Yankers skit , “I peed in the pool”.
Don’t be silly, Gerard. I associate you much more with comments about rape.
We can agree, however, that few of your movies have been any good.
I was wondering when we were going to get to that! Yes! Me too :(. Pig. Porc.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,156769,00.html
I reserve the possibility he had a problem with a language barrier and didn’t mean what he said… but I will never forget it.
Mich
Came here to post that too. And that he’s the extra large man who surrounds himself with 18 year old extremely thin models. I cocmpletely forgot about the plane incident!
Amy Tennant
Possibly, but in various interviews he’s repeated the same mentality.
Yeah. I don’t like this man.
It’s like the joke about the goat. Plus the film geek in me wants to know what the 15 films are.
Pissing on the airplane is the only notable thing he’s ever done. If he were a better actor, people would talk about his body of work more, not his disgusting behaviors.
He is a good actor. Very very good. Unfortunatly he’s a worse humain being than he is a great actor.
You remember him taking a leak ? I remember him humiliating his dauther on national tv, on a day she should have been allowed to enjoy : her getting the french equivalent of an oscar.
I remember him assaulting journalists, insulting actresses, lying internationnaly about his taxes,….
it’s the most gossipy thing he has ever done, just because he isn’t a celebrity in the modern Hollywood version of it doesn’t mean he hasn’t done notable things.
He really is gross. I remember most of his press and it’s usually a disaster. I think he should try to talk to reporters sober. But obvious between the liquor and his ego it’s all a lost cause.
Anyone remember Camille Claudel?
Didn’t Gerard have a bad relationship with his son who died? One would hope he would regret that.
I think it’s the more zen aspect that you can’t change it so no use harping on it
I read that headline and laughed so hard. Thanks, Gerard. I needed you.
Green card.. loved him in it 🙂
I watched a film he did called Welcome to New
York and the character the man had in the film is who I believe he is like in real life.
I would totally watch a bio-pic about him. He has had such an interesting life. (esp his life as a rent boy)
If he were female he wouldn’t have a career, too fat and too ugly. God, it’s great to be a guy.
Yes it is 😉