Clovis and Lilou Cornillac: a little, a lot, madly<

Paris Match. Your new film, “A little, a lot, blindly”, is a great first for both of them. A first achievement for Clovis and a first scenario for you, Lilou. However, you were evolving, not so long ago, in a completely different universe...Lilou Fogli-Cornillac. I did long economic studies which allowed me to get a job at LVMH. I had first worked at Dior, then at Moët, in public relations with foreign countries. After my MBA, I was offered the opportunity to become a derivatives trader. My path in finance therefore seemed clear. But I dreamed of something else: I wanted to play comedy. I then tried the Actors Studio competition, aware that out of 3,500 candidates, only 50 would be selected. I waited for the answer for six months and, miraculously, I was taken! I stayed three years in New York. During the day, I was a waitress in a restaurant; in the evening, I played at the theatre. We can say that after LVMH, it was night and day!

You, Clovis, unlike Lilou, are a child of the ball. Your parents, Roger Cornillac and Myriam Boyer, were actors.Clovis Cornillac. My mother is only nineteen years older than me, but it took a long time to reach the fame. It was only in the 1990s that she became famous, when I was already an actor. I have always seen her working, very far from financial wealth and glitter. This is what, today, allows me to keep my head on my shoulders. I never called my parents "dad" and "mom", but Roger and Myriam. I don't believe they ever looked at any of my homework or report cards, but they were always mindful of my well-being. Since childhood, they have treated me as an adult. I had, luckily, a character that adapted to this form of education. When I was very young, I was already very mature for my age. But I never doubted the love of my parents, this feeling that gives a child the greatest strength in the world. As a teenager, I had little interest in what they were doing. I didn't want to become like them. It was only later, when I started acting myself, that I really appreciated my mother's talent.

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How was this early maturity manifested?C.C. From the age of 6, I dreamed of being an adult in order to be independent, and as a teenager I had no want only one thing: to pay my taxes to achieve this independence! In the preparatory course, I went to school by bus and I envied the life of the driver. I saw in him a free man, in real life. His service over, I imagined him joining his friends for a drink… For me, school was not life and I was thirsty for something else. I was only 14 when I left home to move into a maid's room. My parents trusted me, I went to high school part-time and, to contribute to the rent – ​​500 francs a month – I worked as a waiter in the summer. As I did my job well, I was entitled to very generous tips. And then, at 15, I passed the cast of “Hors-la-loi” [by Robin Davis, 1985]. Since then, I have never stopped working.

However, like your parents, you played for many years without gaining notoriety.C.C. I had the chance to work in subsidized theater with many great directors like Peter Brook, Alain Françon or Matthias Langhoff. Everyone talks about their shows without ever knowing the names of the actors! Names still listed at the bottom of the poster. This avoids taking the big head and reinforces humility vis-à-vis the text that we serve. We must never forget that 95% of actors are unknown to the general public. I strongly believe in work, this value never betrays. Missing something is not so bad, the main thing is to keep a strong and human mental structure in existence. Me, I'm not a genius, I'm just a needy.L.F.-C. When I think that the first time he kissed a girl, I wasn't even born ! [Laughs.]

Exactly, how did you two end up meeting?C.C. In the most banal way possible. Recently divorced from the mother of my two daughters [comedienne Caroline Proust], I had gone to pick up a friend at a party and Lilou was there. A real thunderbolt ! Yet, for each of us, the meeting could not have come at a worse time. Separated from our respective spouses for just a few months, we were healing our wounds, and it seemed totally unreasonable to launch ourselves so quickly into a new story. We tried to resist this budding love, but our feelings were stronger than all our resolutions.L.F.-C. Especially since I had always sworn to myself never to fall in love with a famous actor, moreover already a father!C.C. We very quickly saw each other as obvious to each other, and we felt that we should not let this chance pass us by . And then we had a good example: Lilou's parents are very much in love with each other. For my part, I have always seen my mother in love. She had three great stories, and each one meant a lot to her. Seeing your parents in love is reassuring; it gives a lot of hope in existence. But our story would have been sad if my daughters hadn't liked Lilou. They are the ones who asked to meet her. And since then they love each other.

What qualities do you each value most in each other?C.C. Lilou's very positive and energetic nature. He is someone who has no filter. I am patient. Not her. It is manual, not me. When you are in love with someone, you gain a lot. That's huge!L.F.-C. Let's just say that his enthusiasm is channeled and mine is overflowing.

You have a little boy together, Nino, born in 2013.L.F.-C. With the girls as with our baby, Clovis is a very attentive father, very attentive and very fair.C.C. Even if I'm not the type to take my son to the square in a stroller! The square is not the kind of place that relaxes me. As a kid, I already didn't like going there. It's weird for a child to be looked at differently because one of his parents is famous. I would much rather go boating or diving with the girls!

Clovis, you seem more fulfilled and peaceful than you have ever been…C.C. When someone makes you happy, you grow better. If I had the strength to make this film, it is surely also to please Lilou. I wanted to seduce her, to offer her ever more beautiful things. My wife forces me to a permanent excess.

What made you decide to become your own director…C.C. For five years, I had wanted to go to the other side of the camera. was no whim. So I waited for it to become obvious.

Why did you choose Lilou as screenwriter?L.F.-C. When I was younger, I had experienced an adventure somewhat similar to that of heroine of the film: fantasizing about an unknown neighbor from whom I was only separated by a simple partition. I talked about it to Clovis who wanted to make it the plot of his first film. He insisted that I write the screenplay.

Did you achieve your ambitions through this film?C.C. My wish was to make a popular, tender and above all not cynical film. I have a problem with cynicism. Cynical people are often smart, but the constant sneering prevents them from experiencing things fully. We live in a world where you have to smash at all costs, as if the failure of others was reassuring for you.

Makeup-hair: Emilie Peltier. Styling: Stephanie Vaillant. Jean Paul Gaultier, Paule Ka, Hugo Boss, Ermenegildo Zegna, Chanel at DDS Vintage, Hotel Particulier, Azzaro.