- Jacques Spissier, La gifle, France, 1974.Realisateur Claude Pinoteau had a surprise hit with the dom-com (domestic comedy) – and made up for his Giraudeau error by hiring him as Brigitte Fossey’s lover in the sorta-sequel, La boum, 1980-Sophie Marceau taking over from Isabelle Adjani.
- Gérard Lanvin, Tir groupé, France, 1982. First film from ex-publicist Jean-Claude Missiaen “who fought like the very devil for me,” says Lanvin, “when the distributors,the Siritzky brothers [of Emmanuelle fame] wanted the better known Giraudeau.” Lanvin repaid Missiaen with a secondfilm, Ronde de nuit, 1984 – and, ironically, confirmed his star status when co-starring with Giraudeau as Patrice Leconte’s Specialistes, 1985.
- Gérard Klein, Les Cavaliers de l’orage, France-Yugoslavia, 1983. For Jean Giono’s grand romance of the Grande Guerre, 1914-18, realisateur Gérard Verges first aimed too high. He wanted Gérard Depardieu and Hanna Shygulla as the peasant smuggler involved with an officer’s widow turned military medico. When they passed, their usual rivals were seen: Giraudeau, Daniel Auteuil, Nathalie Baye, Gérard Lanvin – before Klein and Marlene Jobert nailed it.
- Francis Huster, Parking, France, 1985. Although needing a rock singer, Jacques Demy talked to Giradeau when the scriptwas still called Monsieur Orphée.
- Michel Blanc, Tenue de soirée, France, 1986.
Drole de histoire… as they say in France.Odd story… Tenue was always planned for the Valseuses trio. Following Patrick Dewaere’s suicide, auteur Bertrand Blier said he would never make it… until seeing Giraudeau in L’année des meduses, 1984. Parfait! But Giraudeau backed off.“I didn’t want to confront Gérard Depardieu in a film where he’s the bulldozer and I’m the little flower…” Depardieu just laughed at this: “He didn’t want to be screwed by me! He’s a remakable actor but a prisoner of the masculine image system.” Realisateur Patrice Leconte, who made seven films with Blanc, had to rub his eyes when reading that Blanc was replacing Giraudeau – “c’est absurde!” Until seeing the film… Blanc won the Cannes best actor prize. Giraudeau learned his lesson and grabbed the next gay roles offered in Le fils préferé, 1994, Ridicule, 1995, and Gouttes d’eau sur pierres brûlantes, 2000. “And I thought Bertrand didn’t like me,” commented Blanc. “He didn’t choose me for a beer commericial I’d tested for. Nor for his next film, Les valseueses.” - Gérard Depardieu, La lune dans le caniveau, France, 1986.Realisateur Jean-Jacques Beineix would never have known where to aimhis camera with the young Giraudeau being as beautiful as co-star Nastassja Kinski.
- Christophe Malavoy, Le Femme de ma vie, France, 1986. Not his best year…For his directing debut, Régis Wargnier’s wantedGiraudeau as the drunken violinist married to Catherine Deneuve.He got Jane Birkin wed to Malavoy
- Thierry Lhermitte, Fucking Fernand, France, 1987. When film-maker Paul Vecchiali failed to win his dream duo(Giradeau, Philippe Noiret) he passed the whole deal on to Gérard Mordillat.
- Jean-Pierre Mocky, Le mari de Léon (Léon’s Husband), France, 1992. Eternal rivals Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon refused. Likewise stand-up Giraudeau, Guy Bedos, Richard Bohringer and acteur-realisateur Robert Hossein. In fact, John Malkovich was the only star to agree to film Frederic Dard’s best-seller, although he did not (then) speak French well enough. “Unthinkable with his accent,” said Mocky, who then played the role, himself. And not for the first time among his 82 directing credits.
- Gérard Lanvin, Le fils préferé, France, 1994.Bernard was happy with his support role of Francis whenhis Specilaists co-stardithered about playing Jean- Paul. OK, swop roles? “ Sure, if it helps the film.But it would bebetterI stayed as Francis.” When Lanvin made up his mind, Giraudeau remained Francis, another of his five gay roles. He always denied any gay experiences, simply “un flirt.”This from a sailor who went around the world twice aboard the French Navy’s helicopter cruiser, Jeanne d’Arc as a(very pretty) teenager.
- Georges Corraface, La Bicyclette bleue, TV, France, 2000.Giraudeau’s La boum champion, Claude Pinoteau,was only scripting this one but still pushed hard for Bernard to play Rhett Butler…er… François Tavernier.The book’s writer, Regine Deforges, freely acknowledged she replanted the basic Gone With The Wind plot in WWII France.
- Alain Delon, Le lion, France, TV, 2003.Hollywood had filmed the Joseph Kessel book first in 1961. Now it was France’s turn.Belmondo backed out after astroke left him with a paralysed arm. Giraudeau was asked to take over. However, it was the old andnot the new Delon who made it. Co-starring with his 12-year-old daughter, Anouchka Delon.
- Richard Berry, Tais-toi, France, 2003. Avoiding Depardieu again.
- Fabrice Luchini, Potiche, France, 2009.Francis Ozon, director of their Gouttes d’eau sur pierres brûlante in 2000, asked him to be Catherine Deneuve’s husband. Bernard was too ill.And his cancer killed him within a year.
Birth year: 1947Death year: 2010Other name: Casting Calls: 14