1. – Janie Marèze, La Chienne, France, 1931. There are several stories about the casting of Maurice and his lethal mistress, Lulu – a hooker, unknown to him. The first had Jean Renoir thinking Lulu was perfect for Hessling, his ex-wife, and the Chaplinesque star of four of his 1920s’ silent movies (Nana, etc). and, indeed, model for his painter father Auguste Renoir. This was Jean’s second talkie and he knew she wasn’t producer Roger Richebé’s taisse de the. (Nor Renoir’s anymore; they never divorced, and he never married again). Richebé’s co-producer Pierre Braunberger, said Renoir’s “final” choice was Baur and Florelle. Not quite! But Marèze was under contract to both producers, so she had first refusal.
Birth year: 1900Death year: 1979Other name: Casting Calls: 1