- Franck Dubosc, Cinéman, France-Belgium, 2007. The Belgian crew was not happy when their superstar Benoît Poelvoorde quit – and replaced by a Frenchy! If that had been the only problem… The two French leading men wouldn’t talk to each other, Dubosc and his UK co-star, Lucy Gordon, has bad accidents, the cinematographer had a heart-attack, auteur Yann Moix took 18 months to edit the mess – and, worst of all, Lucy Gordon hung herself five months before the 2009 premiere. And yet it had all seemed so simple. A schoolteacher travels (a la Buster Keaton) into different movies to save the love of his life. When Poelvoorde left, Jean Dujardin was called but he was prepping his own movies movie, The Artist (it won all the 2012 awards). Enter: Dubosc, a handsome (tres Alain Delon) stand-up turned screen star. He looked great as Tarzan and Clint, etc. Indeed, the wig and make-up artists were the real stars – all 17 of them! As of 2020, Yann Moix has yet to make a third feature.
- Kad Merad, Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis, France, 2008. The latest French comedy star – from TV to hit movies – turneddown the Southern postal official transferred to the hellish North in comic Dany Boon’s comedy sensation of the year -20million tickets in a matter of months, burying the 20-year-old champ, La Grande Vadrouille as#1 French box-office winner of all time – easily burying the latest Asterix film produced by the son of Boon’s producer.
- Franck Dubosc, Cinèman, France, 2009. After Belgian comic Benoit Poelvoorde quit, it took some time before a suitable replacement was found to actually enter movies… à la Buster Keaton. Durjardin was the hot star of the hour and was determined to stay that way. So he passed (as mentioned in the movie). The film flopped. And Jean made his own movie about (silent) cinema, The Artist, 2010… and won an Oscar!
- Gérard Depardieu, Astérix et Obélix: Au service de Sa Majesté/Astérix and Obélix: God Save Britannia, France-Hungary-Italy-Spain-Italy, 2011. Panic in Paris! The great Depardieu thought three Asterixian outings were enough for him – even if he didn’t need Obélix’s fat suit anymore. Desperate calls were made to Dujardin (en route for his Oscar for The Artist), François-Xavier Demaison (good thinking), Kad Merad, Jean Reno (lousy ideas) – and, playing safe, the box–office king Dany Boon. He stayed aboard as the Viking leader Têtedepiaf. Because no one could substitute Depardieu. Except Gé-Gé, himself.
- Mathieiu Almaric, The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2013. Almaric, Cassel and a rare French Oscar-winner, Jean Dujardin… Director Wes Anderson had to decide between three French actors for Serge X, butler to Tilda Swinton’s dowager, Madame D, dead at 84. PS That was Dujardin cameoing for fun as a German gunman in the shootout.
- François Cluzet, Un moment d’égarement, France, 2014. Well, an Oscar-winner was supposed to try something original (even if Un plus une was by Claude Lelouch) instead of retreading some 1977 Gallic glory.
- Jesse Eisenberg, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2015.
- Ewan McGregor,Beauty and the Beast, 2016. The French (silent) Oscar-winner was the major candidate for the animated French called – bien sur, Lumiere. Except for his English. McGregor’s problem was that his French accent sounded Mexican – and had to post-synched, from start to finir.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 8