Actor Edouard Philipponnat chatted about starring in the new film “Napoleon” opposite Joaquin Phoenix.
Playing Tsar Alexander
He is playing the role of Tsar Alexander. “I think I was naturally drawn to how young he was at the time he rose to power. Younger than me I think. It’s a fascinating angle to show. Here you have all of these older men, with years if not decades of experience, and then a 20-year-old ruler,” he said.
“The majority of rulers at the time had military or diplomatic backgrounds and far more knowledge of the world than Alexander did. It was great because you essentially have this character, a very historic character, that is very young and naive about the concept of war, practically excited about it. He runs in headfirst, and pays the price,” he said.
“Then, with a loss to the French Emperor and a few years on his belt, he starts learning and studying Napoleon’s ways. I think Alexander regarded him somewhat as a mentor in the beginning of their alliance. He was quickly coerced by the politicians around him, but it’s fascinating to see how he turned his naiveness into boldness, and ultimately changed the course of French History forever,” he elaborated.
Reflecting on his experience filming ‘Napoleon’
On his experience filming “Napoleon,” he said, “It was a once in a lifetime experience really. I mean already just the idea of being invited to step into a period drama film of this scale is mind boggling. The art design, from sets to costume and hair is just extraordinary. And at the same time, there are thousands of people running around, all playing a part to make this grand film.”
“For me it was incredibly nerve-racking at first, but I got to meet Sir Ridley very early on during pre-production for rehearsals and he guided me through it all, whether it be the historical elements, the Russian element and learning the language or the big one, going up against Joaquin Phoenix,” he explained.
“Everyone was very welcoming and supportive which I think really made the difference,” he said. “I definitely had several ‘pinch me’ moments that felt surreal. Standing beside about 100 horses and 300 soldiers is not something you see everyday. And of course, because it’s a Sir Ridley Scott film, you have 11 cameras at a time flying around capturing everything.”
“He makes it a playground. Both a scary one and an epic one. It is truly an incredible sight to see and I am so grateful that I got to be a part of it,” he said.
“Being French, this entire experience has just been a dream,” he said. “My family has a big military background, so I think there’s great pride in being able to be in a film that’s titled ‘Napoleon’. It’s something I’ll never forget and a privilege I’ll always carry with me. But that’s Sir Ridley for you, he makes dreams come true. Both on and off the screen.”
Lessons learned from this role
When asked if this role taught him anything about himself, he said, “I feel like I learn from every project I do and character I play. It’s the nature of it…growing. Particularly when you have the rare opportunity to work alongside talents such as Joaquin, Vanessa and Sir Ridley. They are titans of our industry. If you’re not learning anything when you’re around them, then it must mean you’re doing something wrong.”
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Philipponnat said, “I don’t know, I can’t really compare to anything because it’s the only age I’ve lived in. I do think I have an old soul and if it were up to me I’d go back to the 50s to live in that era.”
“At the same time, I would say that the reason I get to have a career and do this interview in parts is because of the fact that we live in a digital age. I was ‘discovered’ as an actor during the pandemic, when every encounter was practically digital,” he said.
Dream acting choices
He listed Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, and Daniel Day-Lewis as his dream acting partners in the entertainment business.
Success
On his definition of the word success, he responded, “I’m not too sure, I think I’m still figuring that out. Luckily I have a bit of time, but I think just to keep doing what I’m doing as long as it makes me happy. That’s probably the right definition for success I think, happiness.”
Closing thoughts on the ‘Napoleon’ movie
The actor concluded, “Go and see it! It’s hard to put a movie of such scale into words. All I can say is that I watch everything I possibly can, and I have never seen a film like this. I think it’s the definition of epic.”
To learn more about actor Edouard Philipponnat, follow him on Instagram, and check out his IMDb page.
