- Charles Berling, Ridicule, France, 1995. Realisateur Patrice Leconte hooked up with actor Jean Rochefort for the fifth of their seven films. In the first, Rochefort tried to take over the directing. On this one, casting was his aim – as he tried to persuade Leconte to sign the junior Depardieu for the lead: Le Marquis Grégoire Ponceludon de Malavoy. Berling, said Rochefort, was a grave error… Not at all.
- Richard Anconina, La Verité si je mens! France, 1997. Replete with tele-smallfry, the comedy needed some kind of name. Depardieu fitted the bill – until a motor-bike accidcnt (like father, like son) had Anconina promoted from the guest-star ranks. With an almost William Holden/River Kwai structured pay deal.
- Christophe(r) Lambert, Vercingetorix, France, 1999. A Jacques Dorfman producer-directed farce. Again like father, like son, Guillaume (and Vincent Perez, wed to the mother of one of Gérard’s children) had studied the scenario. And flung it aside.
- Benoit Magimel, La pianiste, 2001. He tested with title star Isabelle Huppert for director Michael Haneke and recalled doing 13 takes of “something I just could not do” – playing the piano.
- Bruno Solo, Rien que du bonheur (Don’t Worry, Be Happy), France, 2002. Had to quit being the actor-director in the helming debut of movie journalist Dennis Parent – while recovering from the amputation of a leg after complications following that motor- cycle crash – the cause of his eventual trafic death in 2008.
Birth year: 1971Death year: 2008Other name: Casting Calls: 5