You come from different artistic generations. How did this contrast enrich your collaboration on “L’Expérience Théâtrale” and your approach to Laurent Ruquier’s text?
M.B. : The whole point was actually to play on that generational contrast. We even asked Laurent to add playful exchanges around this theme.
So he adapted the text to both of us.
F.B. : I don’t think it’s a question of generation, but rather a question of theatre. I am, first and foremost, a stage actor I’ve done a great deal of it whereas Max comes from stand-up. As a result, the rehearsals and the first five to ten performances were a bit unusual for me, because he didn’t always stick strictly to the text. I’m usually very precise, but this collaboration ultimately allowed me not to do stand-up but to feel completely at ease improvising in front of an audience. Two years ago, I performed sketches by Poiret & Serrault on stage, which already involved a certain level of audience interaction. However, L’Expérience Théâtrale really allowed me to let go, both in my relationship to theatre itself and to the idea of “theatricality.” It did me a world of good.
After each performance, Max and I also take the time to debrief: I can tell him, “you should have done this or that,” and he gives me feedback as well. That’s very enriching too.
François, after a rich career on stage and on screen, and Max, with your background spanning comedy, film, and one-man shows, what made you want to return to the stage together for this play?
M.B. : When Laurent told me about the play, we immediately agreed that François would be the perfect actor for the other role. At first, Laurent didn’t dare ask him, so it was actually me who encouraged him to send François a message.
F.B. : The fact that we are both members of Les Grosses Têtes and had already worked together played a part. We then met around a sketch he had written for Canal+, which I found very funny, as his comedic universe is close to mine, without being exactly the same. I particularly enjoy his offbeat humour and humour in general, for that matter: I love to laugh. Even though I don’t know the stand-up scene very well, as it’s not entirely my world, I’m always curious when I discover a new comedian.
The play plays a lot with theatrical codes and audience interaction. What have you learned from each other through this immersive and sometimes unexpected staging?
M.B. : I learned so many new things about theatre for example, the meanings of “Jardin” and “Cour”, which I had never really understood before, or the origin of “to bomb on stage”, and even the famous “break a leg” that actors say to each other before going on stage.
F.B. : I truly learned to let go thanks to Max. I didn’t know him very well at first, but with experience, an elegant way of saying that I’ve got the hang of it and especially a certain age, there’s also a form of respect due to elders that Max naturally has. I sometimes play with that, I must admit. I use that kind of natural authority and my age to tease him. (laughs) He believes it completely, even though it’s obviously a joke… but he doesn’t realise it.
The Théâtre de la Michodière is celebrating its centenary with this production. In your view, what makes theatre still such an essential space today, despite the evolution of live performance?
M.B. : With the rise of AI and everything streaming platforms offer, people are looking more than ever for the “live” experience. Concerts and theatre have never drawn so many people.
F.B. : Theatre, opera, dance… it’s not the same as watching a show in a cinema or on television. For me, nothing can replace live performance.
I’m an actor: I could go my whole life without doing cinema, it wouldn’t bother me at all. But a whole life without theatre is inconceivable. At one point, when I was very busy with film in the 2000s after winning a César for Best Supporting Actor I didn’t do theatre for four years. I didn’t burn out, but I wasn’t far from it almost depressed. I eventually realised it was because I wasn’t doing theatre anymore. As soon as I went back on stage, it was a real revelation: “Wow.” I need the audience.
Does cinema remain a space of freedom for you, despite the changes in the industry and audiences?
M.B. : What’s wonderful about cinema is that, despite all the constraints, there’s always a handcrafted aspect. You can dream up a story and bring it to life on the big screen something that’s less possible on TV or streaming platforms, which always have to give audiences exactly what they expect.
F.B. : Cinema can be a space of political freedom, as we see for instance with Iranian cinema, which is particularly interesting. However, I don’t think it’s truly a space of freedom for actors it’s a very constrained environment.
First of all, you are literally “framed” you can’t step out of the shot, or you disappear from the image. Then you depend heavily on editing: even if you deliver an extraordinary performance, if it’s not selected, it simply doesn’t exist. There are also those “stolen shots” specific to cinema, which sometimes escape the actors. Back in the days of film, it could happen that a scene was cut without stopping the camera, leaving it rolling to capture something else and sometimes those images ended up in the final edit.
If you had to define in one sentence what you hope the audience takes away after seeing “L’Expérience Théâtrale”, what would you say?
M.B. : People often tell François Berléand that they find him handsome… but you really have to see the play to understand why.
F.B. : I don’t think people necessarily retain much when they leave the show. (laughs) Many professionals say it’s reminiscent of Molière’s Impromptus: there isn’t really a plot, but rather a series of funny sketches with no direct link between them. There’s no real narrative thread. What the audience does take away are elements about theatre itself the “Cour” and “Jardin”, the tradition of the three knocks, or why actors say “break a leg” rather than “good luck.” Many anecdotes about theatre are explained. What’s also wonderful is the interactive aspect. During improvisations, Max often asks two people sitting next to each other if they’re together, while I do the same with two people seated at opposite ends of a row. Obviously, in my case, the answer is usually no… but yesterday, when I asked, “are you married?”, they said yes! The two people were actually together despite sitting far apart. It leads to some wonderful improvisations, and that’s exactly what this show allows.
What would you like to wish the readers of LiFE Magazine?
M.B. : A beautiful year, and a world without drama that would be nice.
F.B. : Some peace with a capital P.
