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Luc Besson is writing another sci-fi story right now.
“It’s going to be crazy, believe me. Maybe you will need a ticket and an aspirin at the same time. I’m older, so I’m trying to explore everything now,” he admitted
during a masterclass at Venice Film Festival.
“It’s funny, because my first film was sci-fi [‘The Last Battle’], then I made ‘The Fifth Element’. There were only 182 special effects in that film — ‘Valerian’ was 4,000! I’m excited [to try something new]. It’s worth it.”
Still, he’s not too worried about ongoing technological changes.
“This whole technical evolution … As a director, you just digest it. It’s always just a tool,” he said.
“I know lots of people are afraid of AI. But it’s a tool! Don’t be afraid. It’s a tiger — but you are a guy with a whip, speaking German to it.”
No stranger to Venice, Besson wrote and produced this year’s “Father Joe,” directed by Barthélémy Grossmann. The film, which premiered out of competition, features Kiefer Sutherland as a priest fighting a crime boss played by Al Pacino.
Pacino missed the press conference for the film, instead sending a video message and praising Besson: “It’s great to say his name,” he said.
During the presser, Besson said: “The good thing is I’m also a director. I don’t want to be bothered when I’m a director so I tried not to bother [Barthélémy]. As long as he doesn’t have a problem, I’m not there.”
Later, he added: “I have to feel that I’m the best director to do it. With ‘The Big Blue,’ half of it is in the water. Forget it — I had to do it. And then there are many that I love, but some of my friends can do it better than me. Take ‘Taken’ or ‘Father Joe.’ I just love cinema and I love to share.”
Recently, Besson directed “Dracula: A Love Tale” with his “Dogman” star Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz.
“I hate horror films. I’m too scared of them. But ‘Dracula’ is a love story — that’s the point. I believe you should do what you feel like, and I’m in love with this actor, Caleb Landry Jones. He’s a genius. For a director, working with a guy like that, it feels like you have a cocktail in your hand when you call ‘action’!”
“He can play anything. I made that movie for him, to be honest.”
Talking about his process, he also opened up about “Léon: The Professional” with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman in her feature film debut.
“I was walking in Paris, it was so hot, and I saw this huge guy walking by. I thought: Why is he wearing this coat in the middle of the summer?’ I turned around and I was following him. I lost him, and then heard two gunshots. “Maybe he was carrying all this acid so that he could dispose of his victims’?”
“This guy is stupid, he’s a killer, doesn’t know how to read and write. I thought about all these things he could react to, from his family to a dog, to a plant. I went one by one, until I got to this little girl. And plant was good, because it can’t talk but it needs him. Suddenly, he’s useful. And the plant will never betray him, and it has no roots, like him.”
He added: “‘Léon’ was easy for me. ‘The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc’ wasn’t. I’m so proud of that movie. It’s a movie where you are talking to God, so you have to be careful of what you say,” he joked.
Besson also recalled the time he made the music video for Madonna’s song “Love Profusion.”
“Madonna called me up. ‘I have to make this video tomorrow and the director sucks’ — that’s how she speaks! I listened to the song for 11 hours on the plane. I think we shot it the moment we landed, because she was in a hurry,” he laughed.
“She’s a phenomenon.”
In recent years, Besson faced controversy because of sexual assault allegations. He was eventually cleared of all charges, and continued working as a filmmaker.
“I’m going to make movies or I’m going to die,” he said.
“The first time I was on set [as a director], I vomited. But then you learn, and you don’t think anymore. It’s this or death,” he admitted. “I didn’t choose it, exactly, but it just makes you strong.”
He said: “If you are not passionate as an artist, if it’s not in your DNA … The success doesn’t matter. It may come or not, or it may come 40 years later. We all see movies and it’s the same shit. Most of them are not interesting. If you are not passionate, just don’t do it.”
“I do it the way I want, or I don’t do it. There were some movies where I was in deep shit because of that, but it’s ok. Today, it’s difficult because there’s so much pressure from everyone and you get lost. You don’t know when to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’,” he told a young director in the audience.
“I can’t guide you, but I can tell you how I am. Some people make compromises and they are rich, and I’m happy for them — they have a great life. But that’s not me.”
