Happy Sad Confused - Kristen Stewart, Luc Besson

Episode Date: October 19, 2016

The operative word is “enthusiasm” to sum up this week’s guests on “Happy Sad Confused” with Josh Horowitz. This episode welcomes two filmmakers—one just launching a career as a director, the other a legend returning to sci-fi with his biggest film yet. First up, Josh catches up with Kristen Stewart, fresh off launching three films at the New York Film Festival. Stewart is once again grabbing great reviews thanks to her performances in “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (out November 11th), “Certain Women” (now in theaters), and “Personal Shopper” (out next Spring). But it’s directing that’s on Kristen’s mind today. With her first short now under her belt, she tells Josh “I fucking found the next level. I’m so excited.” Luc Besson has a big reason to be excited as well. That reason would be “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”, an epic sci-fi spectacular he’s currently in the edit room with. Luc stops by the podcast studio to give Josh a preview of the Dane DeHaan/Cara Delevingne film and regale Josh with amazing anecdotes from a storied career that’s included classics like “The Professional” and “The Fifth Element.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Jeep is a registered trademark of FCA, U.S. LLC. Hey guys, and welcome to Happy Sad Confused. I'm Josh Harwoods. Welcome to the only official show of Happy Said Confused. confused enthusiasts. As always this week, joining me on the podcast is Sammy. Hi, Sammy. Hi. I'm happy. I'm sad. I'm confused. Don't be sad. This is a good show. This is a great show.

Okay. There's a lot coming up. So, to tease, what's to come on this jam-packed edition of Happy Sack Confused? A little bit later on, we have the great filmmaker, the French maniac mastermind that is, Mr. Luke Bassan. A huge privilege to have him here in the podcast booth to talk about. his new film, Valerian, and a storied career that includes, you know, everything from Lafam, Nikita to the professional and Fifth Element, and we get into a lot of that. First up on the podcast will be a returning guest, one of our favorites, the lovely and talented, the indie queen that is, Ms. Kristen Stewart. She has a ton of stuff going on, Sammy. And you guys have a ton of history.

I always say, I think I have for, I think I've interviewed her more than any other human being on the planet. I'm her unofficial biographer. Like, how was the reunion when you guys first saw each other? Well, first, I will say that it was very sweet of her to do this conversation because she, it was promoting, honestly, wasn't really promoting anything specifically. She was in town for the New York Film Festival, which just concluded, and she had three films at the New York Film Festival. And she, I actually, I was at the, I was at the party for one of the films.

Oh. I have to say it like that. A film called Certain Women that we talk about That's directed by Kelly Reichert And it's a small film It's definitely for like an indie crowd You know she doesn't need to or have to Or you know whatever

It's not the kind of film that demands a ton of press Because it just has its built-in audience So it was very sweet of her to agree to sit down For this conversation which was done Actually I met up with her At just at the lobby of her hotel Super casual, you know no publicist No hangers-ons

And it was just very Like as I said super chill Different than the Twilight interviews, huh? We've conversed in every manner of strange format, and this was maybe one of the more relaxed settings. And we talk about certain women, as I said. We talk a little bit about a film called Personal Shopper that doesn't open until next spring,

but you should keep your eye out for that one because it's her re-teaming with the filmmaker Olivier Assayas. Aceas? Oh. He's French. That was nice. Big French show today. Big Francophile.

But they did that film, Clouds of Sales Maria, that she was excellent in, and they routine for this one. We talk a little bit about that. And it's, you know, it's a very frank conversation. We even talk about sort of how she's been much more open about her personal life lately in other interviews. And I ask her sort of what's the reasoning behind that. Talk a little bit about the election. Just to note for, you know, context, we taped this a couple weeks ago. So it was, I think it was after the first debate, but before the shitstorm that happened.

second debate, et cetera. So just FYI, that's when this took place. So a really fun conversation with Kristen. And as I said, you guys should check out certain women. It's playing in limited release. I'm sure it's going to be on demand, if not now, very soon. And yeah, what else? Anything else do we should talk about? I mean, this is very exciting, Kristen Stewart. It's always exciting to have her on. She's a pleasure. It's been great to see her. She always has good energy around you. You bring out the best in her, I think. Thank you for saying that. I think so.

I think this one will satisfy the Kristen Stewart fans. And if you stay tuned after Kristen. Oh, baby. Oh, man. If you're a film geek like myself, it was a huge honor to have Mr. Luke Vassan in the building. So that's coming up a little later. But first up, this conversation with Kristen Stewart.

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comfy totally seat yeah like you should describe what i order as if it's the most defining thing that's always what they start with like she started with you know it's like in order to say that someone's like really down to earth and cool it's like she ordered a big huge huge meal and just ate the whole thing unabashedly. She had every French fry I wouldn't apologize for. Yeah, exactly. For the record, Kristen has French fries all over her face. It's disgusting, frankly.

It's always good to see you. Thank you for making the time to chat. We were just talking. We're kind of, as we taped us, we're in the middle of New York Film Festival where you're like, I feel like whenever I talk to you at a film festival, it's like all or nothing for you. You have either like six films or you're not there. Yeah, it seems like I haven't worked on a movie as an actor in a year.

And I do notice usually, like, it's, things always come out at the same time. I did them, you know, I don't know. It was a kind of condensed period, but usually it's kind of sporadic. And then, you know, all good things sometimes happen at once, which is rad. And then, like, sometimes all bad things happen at once. And you're like, why does it happen? So as you know, I'm the unofficial, official, Christian Stewart biographer at this point in my life.

Seriously. So, as you said, you've had some downtime. You haven't worked for a bit. Yeah. So what have you been filling your headspace with your life, with, are you in a good place as you sit here right now? I expect you to say no. Oh, I'm just, honestly, I'm really

down in the dumps lately, man. I haven't worked in a year. She sat back into her chair and cried softly. Yeah. Let's see. Let me see, let me see. I was talking about directing the short that I wrote ages and ages ago. Yeah, I finished it. Yeah. It's not

fully finished. I'm working on sound right now. But like, you know, all the pictures are put together. and um it's a it's uh i i i love it and that is honestly it's a huge pleasure um i don't think that necessarily always happens and i got you know it's uh it i just honestly was so obsessively doing that i think that's kind of exactly what i've been doing for i can't wait to fucking finish it because i'm just like you need to leave me alone i want to do something else now but i'm it's you know it's uh it takes greater sort of patience or something or focus uh

to be a director rather than actor well is anything surprising about that process now having gone through it. I mean, you've basically been prepping for that kind of thing in your entire life. You were born to do this kind of thing, I would think. I mean, you literally raised in the business. So once you got into it, were you, I don't know, did anything catch you off guard? Or were you kind of?

I kept, honestly, I kept expecting, I kept expecting to run into some walls. And I knew that I was, like, had surrounded myself with people that would totally bail me out. And, like, I just didn't, I just kept swimming. and literally like every single day was like such a like revealed itself in this way

that was like so like I we all felt so lucky if anything was about to go wrong or we weren't going to have time for like a tiny thing like we just were given a gift every time and yeah no I got really lucky and it's funny I don't draw a huge distinction

between being an actor on a set and making a movie like sort of from the ground up as a director I it's to me it's like I don't know it's strange acting is like there's this thing you do in bursts and you can like harness something and then completely forget about it and like it's a much more sort of like

it kind of passes you by and you're like cool man I can be a little more flippant about or something you know and and on this like it still feels like I'm doing the same job it's just that I get to hold it so close like seeing other people's enthusiasm because I'm asking them to be excited and they like me turn into

a genuine, personal, selfish desire. I was like, that, I just like that, I see people who at first were like, yeah, dude, I'll do anything for you. I'll, like, do your favor. I'll work on anything. Right. And then, like, halfway through the thing,

they were all like, no, this is what we have to do. This is, you know, like, everyone was sort of owning it. And I was like, that, I've seen other, that's how I feel in movies. Right. When I love a director or somebody's really put something together that's really whole and it was so rad. I fucking found, like, the next level.

I'm so excited. So you're ready to dive back in, it sounds like. I mean, you're finishing this, but you, this is not going to be a one-shot deal. No. No, no.

I already have my two things kind of set up. My next two things, yeah. I'm not going to make a feature for a little bit. I really, and it's not for any reason. Like, I don't want to make a big movie. I want to make little movies just to try it. That's so not it. The form is really cool.

I'm really having fun thinking about like basically doing whatever the fuck I want because you can't do that in movies. You know what I mean? Like you really can't. I mean, I'm going to try and kind of take that and apply it to the first feature that I do. but the form is just so fluid.

You can do anything, pretty much. Well, talking about people that can do whatever the fuck they want are kind of like counter through the system. In its own way, that's Kelly Riker's films. Totally. Right? Totally.

I mean, and that's the one that we should talk about a little bit because that's the one that's about to come out as we talk. And it doesn't surprise me that you hooked up with her because she is like a unique filmmaker. Like, I can't think of another person like her. Her stuff flies in the face of like everything that is, is,

maybe sadly kind of like propped up in Hollywood which is like her stuff is quiet it's deliberate it's behavior uh it sinks in with you um give me a sense of like is it apples and oranges being in her world versus other stuff is it what's exciting about that um i feel like most like uh like american indie movies they look and i love this style because i'm like i mean i like grew up with it like you know you like get it off sticks and throw it on his shoulder and you like dance around and find it everything's like you find it and you and Everything looks the same. Right.

Like, her movies are, like, I always am impressed when somebody can, like, do something so composed yet have it feel so, like, unplanned. Yep. And her stuff is so deliberate. And working with her was, like, she's, like, a steel train. She doesn't stop. Like, she's very methodical. Yeah. And it forces me to be kind of, like, harness a different energy, like, stillness.

and I don't know She's great She's like she's She notices things about people that You know things like almost like people I find most of her movies are about people That really wouldn't want to be Not want to be noticed like an attention thing

But just sort of that people wouldn't notice Right And most movies are about things that are like Oh that's a great idea for a story You know what I mean It sounds kind of obvious If you can like describe it in a slug line It's probably like engaging in a good idea for a movie

Sure Her stuff is so hard to describe because It's all the shit between the lines like she puts in movies what people don't focus on. I love that. Does it bum you out in some way that like, her stuff isn't for everybody, for whatever reason? Totally.

And that's fine, like, who really cares? But at the same time, it would be nice if more people were open to different kinds of films. Yeah. Because 95% of the country is going to see the same two movies this weekend. Yeah. I don't know. I mean, what would you try to convince somebody that maybe,

that maybe certain women wouldn't necessarily be their cup of tea, like what would you say to them to open up their worldview or pop culture view a little bit to this kind of thing? It's funny, like, yeah, I think we've just, like, grown accustomed to kind of, like, knowing what we want, and not to group my, not to let myself into that at all. Oh, yeah, totally. Not to let myself into that, like, in any way, because I feel like I'm totally different. but um

uh honestly like it's strange to be a part of an entertainment industry too because the whole thing is like that we're like not necessarily doing stuff to like have a great riproar in time but it's just to like consider something worth considering you know it's like why you read a newspaper like why do you do stuff like that like there are some movies that you're not going to go have like a splendid lovely time but it might make you think and if that's something you're into then great and if it's not

then fucking go to them all right and that's cool you know what I mean like we were talking about her kind of process I would think that you're very aware just being a fan of film and hearing about different directors about how they work and do you kind of like take note of that like I was talking to another actor the other day about like Derek C in France for instance who would seem to be like that kind of interesting process that he does

would I guess that would be the kind of thing that would appeal to you I mean do you kind of take note of like when you hear like about interesting approaches to how movies are made you say, hmm, like, let's set up a meeting, quote, unquote, to go Hollywood on you for a second. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been told by, like, some of my, like, Julia Pinoche was like, if you like someone,

you have to make sure that you, like, let them know. And you have to connect with the people that you want to work with because that's just, like, not always going to come to you and better. And I haven't totally engaged on that level, but save for, like, a few times. Yeah, like, okay, so, oh, no, I hope he doesn't, listen to this because he's truly like one of my favorite fucking directors ever but he directed my two favorite movies like

recently like honestly I would and I asked for a meeting with him and I'm like kicking myself in the ass right now but the lobster was my favorite movie last year like really this year and so I haven't seen like what dog tooth was the other one I've heard it's amazing I haven't seen it

but yeah it's so weird it's so whole it's so entirely whole it's so fucking good and he like does this weird thing honestly in both movies there's like a language that is entirely its own. It's like it's not a world that we live in at all. Right. And everything's metaphor

yet somehow it still makes you feel and it's, I would really trip out trying to act in one of his movies because like I'm so like in the moment of visceral and right here, right now and they're so like everything's a representation yet it's still emotional. I was just like

he's a brilliant man honestly and he's so smart it's crazy. So I made sure I met him because I worked with an AD that was working with him and he was like one of my favorite people and I was like hey you have to hook me up and when he was in L.A. I sat down with him for a while. I mean his name's York because I just don't remember his last name. It's probably also really hard to pronounce because he's Greek and like Lothomos or something right? I mean that sounds easy so I feel like maybe it's more

difficult. It's probably missing a few consonants to be honest. Like 10. No probably not. I'm just joking but like but yeah no process is like one of my favorite things like the reason I wanted to work with Drake. Yeah. It was totally because I knew how he set people up to really knock him down. Right. Because, like, you know, he was, like, laying foundation that you couldn't fall through. Yeah.

Like, there's just no one could fall through that foundation. Not to say that we're anything, but whatever in the movie, say anything you want about the movie, the experience was like so I never felt like I was slipping through anything. I loved it so much. And by the way, apropos nothing except that I want to, I feel like the rest of the world needs to know, because I've gotten to know. Nick over the years too. He's such an awesome guy and so funny and like needs, he's the driest weirdest sense of humor and I love that man and he came up by for the podcast recently and it was

like 45 minutes of like absurdity. Yeah. He's, I love to make him. He's utilized in that way, I feel like. I mean, he's a great actor in many respects, but I feel like he's he's too good looking for his own good or something. They're casting as up the leading guy. Yeah, that totally happens. Um, I know, you know, he just played J.D. Salinger. Yeah, and I heard they showed some footage of Toronto that went over really well actually. Cool. I can't wait to see that. They made it for nothing like it was like a really running gun he like worked really really really hard on it and really really really really fast you know what i mean so i'm i'm curious i love when good things happen fast totally you know what i mean like that to me is yeah yeah i really want to see that

so did um and just thinking about like the recent work like um you know between something like certain women and then i'm i saw you i haven't think i've seen you since the woody allen film which i really liked and i really like your performance in and but that's like a very like verbal character as most of his characters are i mean do you have like in a way do you have a preference between, because I've seen like a bunch of your stuff in quick succession, I saw personal shopper as well, which is a lot of just like behavior. It's like kind of following you around. And that is, and certain women is a little bit more in that vein too. It's a pretty taciturn. Everybody in her world is pretty much. Would you rather have like more dialogue?

Do you ever ask to pare down dialogue? Do you, do you know what I mean? Do you like, would you rather kind of like see chunky like speeches for you or would you rather spend a day just sort of like walking around an apartment? Right. literally on an entire day walking around an apartment or a house just walking around. Right, but hey. No, no, it's so true that when I did

Personal Shopper, I was like, I mean, first of all, that movie, like, and I'll totally answer your question one second, but like, that movie almost killed me in the best way. Like, I know I always say, like, I want to get to the most extreme feeling as well as when you feel like the most alive, but that really was like kind of the harshest

example of that. Save for a few moments where I was like, dude, are we making a movie about me walking around? no no honestly because like I start to lose it like I like because the movie is so fucking hard to grasp especially considering like especially the person playing her do you know what I mean like the whole

thing is that I'm supposed to be like what the fuck's going on do you know what I mean so like sometimes I genuinely was like I'm either driving around or I'm scooting around right or walking around or running around like literally the entire time yeah testing out different modes of transport yeah yeah okay or yeah or yeah training around okay so like

I really like both I don't know I think I haven't been given as much opportunity to have a whole lot of dialogue compared to not. And like, it's certain women and Kathy Society were both like I was the one talking a lot instead of listening. And it's fun. It's such a different, it's so like, I, okay, I'm, you know, I had two really different experiences. Because Woody was like, and you would think they were, if I were to guess, I would think it was totally opposite. Woody allows you to say anything you want. You say his words once, he comes and he says, I'm falling asleep.

Just start talking. And you're like, okay. And then, and his stuff is so particular, you know, like the vocab, everything about it, the rhythm. And, like, it all, you know what I mean? I just don't know how he gets, I don't know how it's so particular. Not that it's the same, but it's so particular every time because he doesn't force. Like, it's so not forced. Right.

I guess that's the point. It's like there's this casual nature to it. Like, once you've said it and he likes two or two takes, if that, he's like, okay, you're done, let's go. That's why you don't shoot for long. It's like, everything kind of feels like, whoo. Like, you've just gotten it out. And I feel like that has a lot to do with why his movies are so natural. And, like, I don't know.

Yeah, anyway. So, and then Kelly wants you to say her words pretty much exactly the way they are in the scripts. Because she's a much more surgical. She's just so much more precise. And surprised by that. In that vein, would you want to go back to, like, you'll obviously. had an experience with Fincher really early on. Would you be curious that, like, at this point in your career,

kind of tried that again? Yeah. Honestly, like, I have no problem doing, like, things a million times. I'm a very obsessive person. Really? Yeah. Huh.

Yeah. Yeah, oddly. Which is cool. Although it's weird, the thing is sometimes, like, it depends on what it is. I guess I would like to do it because it would push me in a way that was, like, because once I do, I feel like once I really have, like, a lovely experience

doing something where I feel like oh god that was just that was like I can't I could never do that again like because it was I didn't have any control over it I have these like walls that I've probably built up that are stupid and crutchy that I'm like no no once you do it it's fucking lightning in a bottle you can't do it again it's like shut up

shut up do it there's no rule books it's like you don't have to do it again you can just do anything just keep going you know what I mean just who knows what's going to happen so just keep going I think that's why people like Kubrick have always like been like classically like like actors like oh it's crazy and ready takes it's like it's but it's a method it's like military method

I'm gonna break you down and then so yeah so in terms of it's curious because like I'm not gonna change my tactic in the way I've talked to you over the years but we've never talked about personal life stuff I'm not gonna start now so don't worry but I'm just curious like it seems like you've been more like open in talking

about personal relationships and stuff lately is that did that kind of come out organically or was that something like that you and team Stewart sat down and talked about I'm guessing not because that's not you in my experience but I'm just curious like where that came from that conversation I'd probably end up like

not to say not to reveal any strange not to insinuate anything that isn't because that would be weird but I literally at the end of a conversation like that might not have a team anymore right everyone out yeah but I totally just sort of

I've always said the same thing like when us about like, you know, even when I was like kind of becoming just more comfortable doing interviews in general, not even regarding my personal life, people be like, you seem so much more casual now. Like, you're really getting like so much more comfortable. And I'd be like, yeah, you know, it's kind of important to like let you guys in a little bit because I want to be a part of something. I don't want to exclude myself or alienate myself because that was what, because in doing so, like it's only a reaction of feeling alienated and then you just do it more. And that's, you know, I put these walls up and then you can't see over. I always was like,

I just don't want to do that. And so, um, I just feel like super entitled, which is into, like, life, like, in a way that's, like, I think it's really important, I think it's really important, like, right now to sort of, like, help each other not feel bad about themselves, about ourselves. Yes, not be defensive about kinds of relationships or anything. Yeah, exactly. It's like, whoa, let's, like, take it easy and, like, represent something really positive. You know what I mean? And, like, I've had it so easy. And so, like, I just feel like there's only, it would be weird. It would be so weird to be like, oh, I might not be getting, like, the same role.

I'm going to protect myself. I might not. I'm selfishly, I'm going to protect myself because who the fuck knows? Like, if I want to do a Marvel movie and, you know, America, all of America is not cool with, like, the gay thing, then, like, or the fact that I'm, like, dating a girl. Yeah. Or that I've dated a girl. Like, who's to say? Things are going to change so quickly.

honestly right now it's like this weird little like transitional period totally yeah it feels like if we're talking in like five years it's we're gonna look back at this like what the fuck yeah honestly why are they dancing around this like just like what the fuck is the big deal yeah i know it's like yeah so basically like like i am totally would have never talked about anything because i hate the idea of becoming a part of like media like contributing to like people's um gain you know whether it's like fucking financial or anything you don't deserve these people like who like run this like weird media thing i just hate it and you were at the horrible end of the spectrum where like you made millions for disgusting people horrible people for the worst people man and like so yeah i just didn't want to be a part of that

but then i noticed that like it would be totally something different if i was like still trying to hide my personal life because it would say that i was ashamed which i'm not sure and uh yeah man like nobody knows anything everyone needs to stop labeling shit. Everyone needs to stop labeling shit. Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. So how could you put a fucking, I would never put a label on myself ever. Totally. Like, yeah, so. Except a disgusting French fry

eater that can't control her herself. So, you mentioned Marvel. Have you ever met with Marvel? Have you ever talked to them about something? There was like rumor years ago of like Lois Lane for the DC, like Superman stuff. Was that any truth to that? Is that anything that's ever been? I have no idea.

I think they've probably like heard. I think they've probably like considered, I've probably been on lists. You're on lists. Yeah, I've known that I've been on lists. But yeah, I don't know. Literally that, that is as far as it's gone. Yeah.

Yeah. Are there certain kind of like universes that you can't imagine yourself in? Like, I, like, I just, myself, won't buy myself in a Star Wars movie, for instance. You know what I mean? Like, I'm, you know what I mean? Yeah, I guess it's kind of hard to, I don't know. You have to get into the specifics. Like, it's like, yeah, I don't know.

I don't have one, like, popping it. Yeah, yeah, if I had an answer, I would definitely answer it. But, um, oh, and just to, just, to say about the Marvel? I'm definitely not implying that the only reason. Let me just make that really clear. That was just a random. I just thought of the

most sort of popular commercial thing. Marvel only wants straight white people. No, I wasn't saying that at all. Like, at all. In fact, I probably just haven't gotten one because I'm not cool. Like that's, yeah, so that's, yeah. So, okay, so after you're through this publicity gauntlet, so you're in the edit room on the, on like, the short, basically? You're kind of like figuring it out.

I totally locked a picture. I'm done editing. I'm going to, um, I got a, uh, absolutely incredible editor. Um, I, I, I really, I really swung for the fences on a few positions and then I stayed really young and hungry and ambitious and really innovative on others. And, um, I got Lars von Schreer's editor, Jacob. Wow. Uh, his name's really hard to pronounce too. Schultzinger. Like, he says it different too. Um, he's from Copenhagen. He is honestly like, it feels like when you're, when I was making this thing, like I was carrying like 8,000 pounds and then with every person that like hopped on they were like dude give me some of that and I was like oh my god thank you he must have taken like honestly yeah he took so many

thousands of those pounds honestly like he's he's brilliant he's such an artist it's a language he like knows this language that I will never know you know what I mean it's like this he's fluent in it he's so cool are these and I don't let you go in a second but just like are these the kind of conversations that you have with like friends and family like do you most enjoy talking film and geeking out and that stuff? Or most of the people in your life, do they speak that language? Or do you need, kind of, like, some people that don't give a shit about any movies

and just want to talk about other stuff? I have both. And sometimes I totally make the mistake of, like, talking at someone for ages about something they do not care about at all. And I'm like, oh my God, I'm so self-absorbed right now. Jesus Christ, I'm so sorry, I've been talking about my short for an hour. I just was at work all day, and they're like, it's all good. But then, like, I have friends that are

literally, like, we need each other. So we can be like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, like we need to, yeah, I have a few of those. Are you at all absorbing? I'm like, I have a love-hate thing with the political season we're in right now. I'm watching everything and I'm also hating the world we're living in. What were you at in terms of just absorbing all of this? Are you engaged, do you feel?

Totally. I feel this, I feel the same way. Right. Yeah. I mean, it's, I hate to say this. I'm not saying this just to be funny or whatever, but it's terrible. is like the darkest joke ever. If it's funny, no one's going to think this is funny.

Oh, my God. You could self-censor. Yeah, but it's just, um, unfortunately it's the most engaging thing. Do you know what I mean? It's like, it's so much easy. I feel sort of bad about myself because I'm like, oh, I'm really into it this year. I mean, it's good. I don't feel bad about that at all.

I think everyone should feel great about that. And I don't know too many people that aren't that way right now, people that have never been interested in it ever. It's true. Which is, which is fucking rad. And, but I feel that way, too. because it's not that I wasn't interested. I've just sort of been not as totally... Yeah.

You know what I mean? Absorbed. And so now it's so absorbing. I'm like, oh, God. Like, it's like really great TV. It's really great. You know what I mean? Yeah, the first presidential debate was like riveting.

Oh, my God. Honestly, some of those interesting... Like, the character study, the entire... Everything that goes into it, you're just like, oh, I... It's a... Yeah, it's riveting. And then you realize, wait, there's a 41% chance that... I just...

Yeah. Yeah. Let's not end on that sad note. a brighter note. What's making you happy now? Oh, um, that little pooch over there is very cute. Oh, my God, I didn't even notice. He's been sitting there the whole time. I've been so locked in with you. I didn't see that adorable dog. So cute. He's very, um, gosh, just... Very, well...

Very docile and, like, super, um, statu-esque, man. He could be in a, uh, Kelly Rikert film, maybe. Yeah, don't mess with him, though. Um, it's good to see you, buddy. Thank you for making the time. Of course, yeah, of course. And we'll talk soon on a personal shopper, which we teased a little bit, but it's another great piece of work. And I think, hopefully you and Olivia are going to continue working for a while to come. Yeah, I hope so. God, I can't wait for him to, like, who knows if this would happen, but I would, yeah. I cannot wait for the idea of him being like, so I wrote another script. I'm going to send it to you. Right. Oh, my God.

He's just going to keep, like, scripting roles for you in the periphery of celebrity. Yeah, weird. Every different person around celebrity. I wonder, honestly, that would be fucking cool. I really wonder. It's kind of an interesting experiment. Oh, might be, yeah, honestly. All right. Okay, cool.

Stay tuned. Thanks, first. Bye, guys. That was Kristen Stewart. Make sure to check out her new film, Certain Women in Limited Release and On Demand and support Kristen Stewart, guys. She's more the best out there.

Always. A lot of film critics lately have been saying with her recent films, like the best actress of her generation. So it's been really kind of cool to see her, you know, she's had her ups and downs with the press and all that kind of stuff. But, like, she's in a great place

and is really being celebrated for the quality actress that she is and the great choices that she's made. So, moving on, this next conversation, I'm so excited to bring you. This is one of my favorites. This is Luke Bissan, who is the filmmaker, of course, behind the professional in the fifth element

and Lof and Nikita and so many other films. And his new film, he's actually returning to science fiction with a film called Valerian in the city of a thousand planets. This is a film that I probably talked about on the podcast before, because I was privileged enough to visit the set. We did a big

set visit in Paris, met up with Cara Delavine and Dayton DeHan, who are starring in this one. We did a lot of stuff around the movie awards for this. We've been really following this one throughout. And then I got a chance to moderate the panel at Comic-Con in San Diego, which was such a treat because they debuted footage for the first time and the crowd literally gave it a standing ovation. So there's a lot of buzz building about this one. The first trailer hits in early November, so keep an eye out for that. Rihanna's in it.

Rihanna's in it. Ethan Hawks in it, Clive Owens in it. Oh, my God. There's a lot going on, man. You didn't know Clive Owen was in it. Sold. That was the deal breaker? That was the one that really sold the ticket?

Clive? Really? Yeah, I don't know why. Good to know. Okay. So this conversation is a true film geek's dream. We talk about all his influences growing up and, you know, what role? Comic books played in his life in that this is actually based on a comic.

and a bunch about some of my favorite films of his and why some of them haven't had sequels. People have been clamoring for sequels to, you know, the professional over the years, why that hasn't happened. So there's a lot to chew on in this conversation with a true master of the craft. So I hope you guys enjoy this conversation with Luke Misson. He was here in town for New York Comic-Con, rather, so taped a couple weeks ago, but still super relevant for any fans. of film out there. So, hope you guys enjoy this one.

Here goes Luke. What was that, Luke? That for the uninitiated... Your father. That is, Darth Vader, aka the great filmmaker that is Mr. Luke Musson.

And I'm your mother. Get out of here. He's a little punch trunk, which is great for me. I'm really excited that you're in a good mood. It's good. to see you, sir. I'm always in a good mood. I've seen you in Paris a couple of months. You have the same shirt. Did you change since then? No, here's the secret. I have like 40 different plaid

shirts. This is my, this is my quote-unquote look. We don't have like Jean-Paul Gautier like outfitting our films and stuff like that, man. You always have this kind of shirt. Anyway, is that right? It's right off the collection, the 2016 collection. Yes, you mentioned Paris. We've talked, I've had the privilege of seeing you in Paris in San Diego. for Comic-Con. This might be the least glamorous of places we're talking, but I'm thrilled you're here in our podcast studio, New York. You're really welcome. I'm very happy to be here. So tell me how you're doing. I mean, this is a long in the making project. We've been talking about this a while and we have not quite a year, but a bunch of months still to go before Valeran

hits the big screen. Is this a stage in the process where you're content, happy, pulling your hair out? How are you feeling? No, it's the difficult part because, you know, On the set, we were like 600 people, and it's like a family, and then we're shouting, and we're crying, and then later you're in a 12-meter-square room with your editor, and that's it. Yeah. What was all the fun joking with Kara? What happened? Remember that? So it's kind of like a, it's a different, you know, part of the job, and talking with, you know, all these guys from Special Effect, they're, like, super good, but they're all nerds.

You know, they, I don't understand what they say. Because they talk like this, we should do, we should do this. Like this. So you say, what? What? What? What? But at least they do an amazing, amazing job. So as you know, we have 2,700 shots of special effect. And I have 200 already. It's wonderful. Just a drop it. You're practically there. You're almost ready. Just throw it up on the screen. We still have five months to go. But I would imagine that is a challenge for someone like your yourself that, you know, you're clearly a director to use the cliché, but it's true that has a vision that has a very specific vision for you know how you want your film to look from the smallest detail to the biggest stuff. And you can't just like, you don't want to just leave it to 500 animators to do their stuff. You want to have your vision translated. You want them to translate what's in your brain onto the big screen. When we start to work with Weta and ILM, both of them, I give a couple of indications, but I want the brain of these people because they're artists. They're very good. So the result is really the mix of my imagination and their imaginations. And that's why they work so much on the film because usually on the, let's say, the Avengers or, you know, like big Marvel film, it's much more, you know, they direct them. and they say, okay, I need this on Friday,

I need this on Monday. But you're giving some freedom to them, yeah. I let them much more freedom, and I think that's why they're so excited, and the job they go so far is just like the best I've seen, you know, since Avatar. It's just amazing.

Well, I mean, when we were in San Diego and I hadn't seen that footage, I'd seen like an early cut. You guys show me sort of what you were working on because you were working on that reel for Comic-Con. It's an important moment to be in San Diego and show that first footage. And it was a great moment.

It really was. I've moderated a few panels in San Diego over the years. But to see them respond like that and to do a spontaneous standing ovation for material that frankly most in the audience aren't familiar with, in the States, we're not really necessarily

that familiar with this material. Was it a huge relief at the time? It was a huge, huge relief because we were a little scared. No one has seen the footage. We finished the day before. And we were very honest and humble. We called.

We said, hey, guys, it's not finished. Here's what we have. And the reaction was insane. I mean, it gives me a strength for the next 12 months. Yeah. Just to have this heat. I mean, they just, you know, like just to see everybody standing and, like, clapping. And it was just like, yeah.

I mean, Kara was an intense. tears and I was in tears and how many years will it have been from beginning to end from starting this process to next July when you release it what's the how long we put the rights 10 years ago right and then I work for it two years then

Avatar came out and then I throw my script in the garbage because that was bad compared to Avatar and then I work again and and so since Avatar we're

working on it. We prep for a year. We shoot for almost six months. Then we have a year and half of post-production. So it's a work of an aunt, you know. Every day we're working just a little bit. The funny thing is twice a week, I see the upgrade, you know, of the VFX. So every three days, it's just a little better. And that's the fun of it because you say, oh my God, yeah, yeah, this one is way much better. Sure. later you say oh my god this is even better than so we keep going like this in fact because i can't imagine i mean when you're working on something for years at a time frankly the amount of concentration that that demands from you and your entire team um and look we all go through our ups and downs in

terms of like you know i know when i work on my own stuff that for a week or two i get frustrated with something i've oh i've seen this too much i'm not i'm not happy with it anymore you probably need those kind of moments whether it's a comic con or seeing an upgrade in special effect or something to kind of give you these constant kind of boosts because it probably can be tough to maintain. You know, for me, the closest that I can compare

is the guy who take the boat and go around the world for a race. Right. And you can't say, oh, I'm going to go to the pub for a day or two. You know, like you're on the sea all day long for six months. You can't stop. And once

in a while, you have a phone call from the family. And when I go to Comic Con New York or San Diego, it's like, I have the family on the phone. Oh my God, how are you? So happy to see you. Right. And it's basically that. You're popping your head out of the edit room to see the world at large.

Oh, hey, everybody. Yeah, so every month we meet, you know, the fans and the movie goers. So today and tomorrow, it's still Comic-Con. So we're in. And on the 10th of November, so in the month, it will be the first. teaser? Ooh. So that's going to be another

important, you know. So we're working on it now. Are you the kind of filmmaker that, you talk about James Cameron, and we've talked about that how kind of like you guys raising each other's bar, which is great. I think that's kind of the best way, like a fraternity of filmmakers can work.

But are you the kind of filmmaker that would ever show footage or a script or something to another filmmaker, or do you have enough kind of like, do you ever need those outside perspectives on something? Have you ever gone to somebody with a film. It's not a question of perspective. What I learn, and I think they teach me that, the first few times I met Spielberg, for example, or James Cameron, they were so sweet with me. I've seen Jim Cameron before, Valerian, like a year before. He gave me

advice, he gave me a couple of names. He'd give me the trap, you know, be careful when you do this and this. Stephen Spielberg, the same, the guy is, generous he show you the stuff and I was a raise with these guys because they were so same for Lucas same you know these guys are amazing and they show you the the way and so I try to be exactly the same with all my friends directors so every time I invite a lot of directors on the set of Valerian and they come and you know they're happy to watch and Chun Pan came on the set and Lots of guys are coming and no, the more you share, the more you, you know, you have feedback from them and it's important. So don't hide or don't hold, just share.

Well, and that spirit you're talking about was something that really, frankly, struck me on the set when I got to visit this amazing facility outside or right, or in Paris or right outside Paris, I guess. Because there's a real spirit of apprenticeship, I know, that goes through. throughout all of your films, you've groomed some great filmmakers that you now produce their films or they've gotten off and done their own things. And I know even on the film itself, you had people, well, talk to me a little bit about, like, what are you trying to foster in terms of, like, what's the environment you want on a set, what's the rationale behind kind of bringing people up and empowering them? You need, for this kind of film, you need a constant energy on the set.

So you have to open everything, the students. We have basically 30, 40 students from the school who were there permanently on the set and they change every week. It was pretty open to directors, friends, actors. They always welcome. And it was pretty open. And I was not like this at the beginning.

When I started filming the first few films, I don't want to see anyone, even my mother, you know. But I change. And you know what's interesting? thing is when I start, I try to go to the French cinema school and I have this interview and after three minutes the guys say, okay, goodbye, you have nothing to do here. And they fire me after three minutes. And that's what, that's my reference. I say, oh my God, I can't feet, you know, in this thing. Yeah. And then a couple of years later, I went to Australia for promoting and they

invite me to in a university and then I realized that the university was next to sound stages studios TV cinema and then there's a big interconnection between the one who learn and the one who did the job and that's why I really try to do at La Cite de Cinema in Paris so there's nine sound stages there's three four schools in it makeup school acting school directing writing technicians and it's very alive and if you go there

you will see a bunch of kids shooting a short film and they scream at you you are in my field get out of here say okay okay sorry sorry you know they're shooting all the time and I love that

it gives me a I try to give them the tools and I take their energy and their youth because honestly just to see their they don't give a shit about me when they see me, say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. I'm sorry, I'm busy.

They're making their own art. Yeah, yeah, they totally, you know, focus in their own thing. And I love that. It makes me laugh, you know. It's great. And it must be a great source of satisfaction when you see people like Oterrier, et cetera, that have created their own amazing careers. Yeah, but in the same time, my only talent was probably to see that they have talent.

That's all. But, you know, I didn't invent the talent of these people. They have talent. Sure, but you can help give them the tools and gave them the opportunity, which is part of the battle. It's because, I don't know, I see it. I see they're good. And, you know, when I start my first few films, people don't want to give me any money. And I don't know, when I see someone good, I try to help a little bit.

Some people, you just give some materials, some lights, a camera, or traveling, you know, nothing big. nothing big. Yeah. And they, they don't need more. They just need a little help. And that's it. So just trust them.

Sometimes you're wrong. You know, the guy was just a good talker. Right. Give me back my lights now, please, because you don't know how to use them. Most of the time,

they, you know, like the school, for example, last year, we have 27 awards for short film in the school. Wow.

And there's 30 students. So almost everyone. Everybody gets in a war. Nice. So, and that I'm proud of them. Yeah. Really proud of them. And in speaking of Valerian specifically.

By the way, just for notice, the school, you don't need a diploma and the school is free. So we get people from everywhere in France, you know, like the worst neighborhood, but they're just talented. That's all we ask. I mean, that's wonderful to hear because this is such a topic, obviously throughout the film community nowadays in terms of democratizing the kinds of. the kinds of opportunities that we need to give to people so that we see our society reflected on the big screen. So it's not the same, you know, 5% people that are doing it.

The roots of talent are in the street, not in the school. Yeah. Talk to me a little bit about, okay, so this film in particular, so you have, you have Dane Dahan and Karadelevin. You have a, you know, a pretty sizable budget, I would imagine. I mean, are you essentially self-financing this? I mean, you have Europa. This is your company. It seems like you have autonomy.

This is a great situation to be in where you don't really have to necessarily report to other people on big decisions. I mean, do you feel like that is the optimal kind of situation for you to create art? And that's a necessary kind of situation for you? No, I think it's not so much about the control. It's you share anyway all this. time. You share with the actors, technicians, financing people. What's important is at the end, you can take the decision and then you will try to take the best decision for the film. Sometimes a studio can take a decision against the film or against you because they have

other interests that you don't even imagine. And that's what I want to avoid. I want to avoid and say, no, no, no, you have to take a girl with a miniskirt on this part because, you know, it's better. Right. It's better for Aesia. Right. Exactly. Market research tells us. Yeah.

That's the death of art and death of creativity. And, you know, or they say, okay, put a black guy in this part, but you cannot put a black guy in this part. Sure. He said, why are you talking? I mean, why about we take the best actor for the part? Yeah. That's it. I don't care about his color or just, just let's see.

test the guys and let's take the best one. So it's to avoid this kind of situation that I try to organize myself. So at the end, the one can tell me, you do this or that. But believe me, I'm listening a lot. I'm not like taking any decision like this. I consult a lot of the people who works with me. I share a lot. You cannot play soccer by yourself. You're 11 people. You have to pass the ball. And, you know, you call. work by yourself. It's impossible. Well, the fear, on the other hand, right, is, yeah, the other, and... It's like what M will do without T and V, you know?

Right, right, exactly. We need each other, music, television. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, like, you know, someone like, for instance, George Lucas, when he was making the prequel, got a lot of flack. It felt like a lot of people felt like he's kind of insulated himself so much that maybe this is true to him in a way, but sometimes it's good to have perspective and to bring in other artists and perspectives. I am sure that in the middle of the heart of the thing, he's not alone. Maybe it's people we don't know. We don't know exactly who he share.

But I'm sure I know him a little bit. He's not the type of guy of like, this is what I want and that's it. I mean, I'm sure there's a hardcore of people that he trust and then he share. And for example, I've read a lot of story. I mean, Spilberg, for example, I'm sure if Stephen come and say, you know, George, I think here it's too long and think, he's going to, you know, he's going to hear it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course it's maybe not simple people. Maybe it's just like Spilberg and Coca-Cola.

Not a bad, a few people to, you know, consult friends. Yeah, exactly. But, no, everyone is, no, you can't do it by yourself. It's impossible. You have to be open. You refer to the situation you're trying to avoid in terms of kind of like those horrible conversations with studios, et cetera, of like, you know, putting this kind of person in this kind of role for whatever reason.

Have you ever felt like you were? in that position? Like, is there a situation that you look back on and say, I need to avoid what I went through

on that film? It happens to me on Subway. Subway was my second film. I was like 23 years old. And yeah, they try at this time. They want to change the title. They propose another cast.

And I was 23 years old. And the cast was for 65. You know, it was like old. And they propose actors that I don't even know. They were too old for me. Right. I was a baby.

I was 23. I wanted to take Christoph Lambert or a Johnny or, you know, I want to take young people. And so I almost, the film almost collapse because of that. But I resist and I say, no. Well, and correct me if I'm wrong, but, like, you didn't necessarily grow up like a cinephile. You weren't, like, consuming a ton of movies growing up. You clearly were reading comics as evidenced by something like Valerian and Fifth Element, like these. have influences and direct influences, et cetera.

Until nine years old, I was on Greece, in Greece, on an island with no shoes, until nine years old. So then after that, I went in town. My first TV at home, I was 15. The first theater is at 12 kilometers from where I live. So I go once a week. So, no, I'm really fresh of everything. And I became a little centiphyl.

I'm not like a big one. But when I did my first film, I have my first article in the newspaper and the guy talk about three references that, you know, I was inspired by. And then none of the three films I've seen. So I went to the video club and I ran the films that, who inspired me. Oh, these are the ones. And I watched the film. They were great, by the way. But I don't see any link with my film at all.

So I didn't know. Were they kind of obscure things or were they mainstream kind of things? Do you remember? No, no, one was Torkovsky. Sure. And I don't remember the two others. But, no, they were great films, but I can't do the link between the article and my film at all. Yeah.

I didn't understand it. So. So how did you, how and when did you, I mean, were you falling in love with the medium as you started to make product? It's kind of an interesting, strange, confluence. I went on the set one day because I want to, I was writing, doing pictures. since I'm 13 years old, and I was writing stories, stories all the time. And I say, yeah, maybe I should go on the set just to see how it looks like. Maybe it's interesting.

And I went on the set of a short film, and I literally fall in love instantly with the set. I was like, I want to belong here. And that was a Friday. I stay over there on a Saturday. Went back home on Sunday and tell my mom, I know what I'm going to do. I was 17. I'm going to make movies and I'm living tomorrow. He said, no, tomorrow you go to school and then we will see later.

He said, no, tomorrow I'm going to Paris and I'm going to make film. So I prep my suitcase on the Monday morning at 7 a.m. And then I left. Did you find that, how did you find your first opportunities then? Where did you even get the equipment and the... It took like five months. It was like, I knew. no one at all, no one.

So I went to the studios or lab or people who rent the cameras. I was, you know, like jumping around the wall, trying to get in. And, you know, I was pushing, pushing, pushing. And after five months, I find a job not paid as a third assistant. Because I was pretty big, you know, so I can take cases, you know, like very easily. So I was just, I was a fenwick, you know, basically. They took me as a fenwick. And it's all, it's so funny because it's like all based on like just like blind instinct.

Like you get on a film set and there's some kind of energy there where you're like, this feels right to me. It's not really based on anything other than a gut feeling, it seems like. No, no, I just want to be there. No, but what I understand very early is like whatever you do on the set, you just have to do it the best you're. can. So, for a couple of weeks, I was doing sandwiches. I was the best guy for sandwiches, believe me. I knew the test of every technician, the grip, the electrician, the cameraman, and I do the best sandwiches for all of them. These guys loves me. That's the key to success in life. Whatever you're doing, just be the best at it. The next film, they give you a name,

say, oh, there's this kid. What is his name? Luke? Yeah, yeah, you, man, the guy is good. The sandwiches is great. The Xerox is wonderful. And the guy is just like a camel. He can bring cases like forever. And what was the first film that got the attention of whether it was critics just in France or here in the States? Was Big Blue? Was it Subway?

What really kind of felt like a big transition for you at looking back where there was new opportunity and you saw a clear path? You know, if you talk about mathematics, there's more difference between zero and one than between one and 1,000. Sure. So it's just getting that first one on the street. Yeah, the big, big gap was between zero and the last combat, my first film. I was 19. And that was the big, big jump, that's for sure. Yeah.

And there's a jump at every film after that. I mean, Subway was in color with stars at the time. And the big blue was just insane to shoot. We spent 24 weeks underwater, 21 weeks on land. We went to 17 countries. There's no special effect at the time. So the film took forever. And it was the biggest hit in the history in France at the time.

And the film started very badly. The critics were like killing the film. So you have this experience also. It's good to go through it all. You went through, like, 200 critics, like, killing the entire film, like, on the garbage. And then the people take the film, and the film stays 62 weeks on theaters. Wow. That doesn't happen nowadays.

Yeah. Did that get the attention of studio folks here in the States? Did you come out here to meet with studios, or was it a little later? Yeah, I started to come to L.A. after Subway, so it was, like, 23. 34 and I was amazed to see how polite and they say oh my god you're amazing it's great let's do films together and I was not I was not prepped for that I mean in France they just hate you since day one right you know well you do shit so here they kill you with kindness that's your face they're they're wonderful yeah so I didn't get it at the beginning I thought they were

joking so but they they were constantly and no I have a great relationship with the studio they were always always very nice with me and but I just tried to protect myself a little bit and I love to work with them yeah you know I work with universal or Fox I love to work with them I don't like so much to work for them right but I love I love to work with them what was the collaboration, I can't remember which studio it was that put out, put out Leon or the professional here in the States. What was that collaboration like? And were you upset that it became the professional here? It's known as Leon, I believe, outside of the States. No, I think it was Sony at the time. And when they say, look, Leon doesn't mean anything here. We have to call it the

professional. That was the only country in the world. I mean, it's Leon everywhere. But I mean, that's Sony. These guys are big. And if they tell you that, you have to trust them i mean if they say look you know trust us it's it's a mistake we have to change the title and say okay i trust you yeah they were wrong no i feel like as i remember i mean i was like a it's funny with the time now in l a in uh in u s it became leon the professional exactly yeah so those in the know here it's like it's like the way uh what's the p t anderson movie it's like hard eight but it was called like sydney like like you know those in the no called sydney i call it leon um and i was obsessed with that

film and I still am. It was probably the first of yours that I saw and I probably went back and saw Nikita, et cetera. And there's so much I love about that film. I would be remiss to not ask you about Gary Oldman in that because there's so much mesmerizing about that performance. And I've heard different stories about this, but can you tell me a little bit about, for instance, there's the infamous scene of just screaming at the top of his lungs, of course, for everyone to bring in everyone. Where did that come from? How did that happen? I think that's an idea of mine that we find on the set

when we were shooting and there is so many things that he find out by himself. What was funny with him is we were doing rehearsal on the restaurant. We were at dinner and then we were playing the scenes together and he finds so many things on the restaurant. He basically stand in the restaurant and play the part.

You know? He's a genius. He's really, he can do anything. And I'm going to tell you a sweet story, but we were waiting for the camera. We were in the corridor of the hotel shooting Leon. There's dead body everywhere and bloods everywhere. And then I don't know how the conversation starts, but then we end up to Shakespeare. And he said, yeah, you know, before I was in London and I did a lot of play of Shakespeare.

And I said, you know what really amazed me is. how can you remember the entire text of, you know, Roman Juliet, Kingley or Hamlet? I said, no, no, it's not so complicated. And I said, how long after the show you forgot the thing? Yeah. And he said, you never forget it. I say, come on.

Hamlet, you play Hamlet? Yeah. So if I say, for example, scene number two, act three, and he start in the corridor, with the reverb of the corridor and he started playing Hamlet in the corridor and the entire crew was like That's a superpower. That's better than any superpower.

And he was dressed as Stansfield and everybody was like in shock. Amazing. And that's just tell you the level of the guy. Yeah. Stansfield does Hamlet. I would watch that on Broadway or off Broadway any day of the week. You've been asked for years about

talks of doing anything more with the Matilda character. There was also talk that that turned into Columbiana. Is that true? Did that idea turn into that film? Was there ever like a true script or treatment for a continuation of the Leon's story?

No, we wish. I mean, Zoe is, I love Zoe. She's super sweet, but she gets trapped between Star Trek and Guardian of Galaxy. So we never can find a spot now where she can make the film because she's so busy now but what about talking to natalie about her character i was saying for a professional do you ever consider the grown-up matilda

in terms of a yeah the thing is i i wish i could find the thing with me is if i don't find the right idea i can't make the film just for bad reason you know like for money or things so i wish i could find a good story for leon or matilda yeah so you know now Natalie can play it when she's 18 or 19 or 20, but I never find a good idea, good enough, worth it enough to make a sequel of Leon. So I find the idea, but way too much, way too late. Now she's 35, she has kids. Right.

That's a different idea. That's a different story. Yeah, I mean, it doesn't work. Matilda is interesting when she's 18 or 20 years old, you know, because she was 11. in Lyon. So what happened to her at 18 or 19? This I want to see, but, you know. And it must be another film among many that I love so much is, of course, the fifth element. And that's one I know that goes back to childhood. Like many of your films actually do. It seems like they connect to a lot of things in your childhood, whether it's specifically Valerian and

reading that or, I mean, subject matter in the big blue. That connects to your parents, et cetera, I would think. The sense of satisfaction of of like going back to something you started at what, like 16, fifth element, I believe, right? And to realize that on the big screen in the way that you did. It must be kind of mind-blowing to kind of be able to do that, to realize that vision of a teenager as an adult. It's funny because I think my brain works like a redfish. My memory is like five seconds.

And I think I don't live in the past at all. I'm living in present and future. Yeah. And I think I forgot little by little. And the guy who met Fifth Element at 30 years old is not 16 anymore. So, yeah, I still have the writing when I was 16 about the Fifth Element. But the story changed a lot. So the energy stays.

Yeah. You know, I want to do it. But you're not the same anyway. You know, like 15 years later, you're not the same. You don't have the same experience. And by the way, when I started to write it, it was a book. It was not a film. Really?

Yeah, I wrote 200 pages, throw them on the garbage because it was bad. Then I wrote 200 more. It was bad, so I threw it two. And then I wrote 400 pages. And that was okay. So I keep that. But when I start the script, I forgot the 400 pages and started something else. So I knew that there's something I want to.

What you have to understand is at the time, when I'm 16, I'm living in the countryside. And when I opened my window, I have cows. That's all I have. Believe me, you're 16 years old. You want to escape. You don't want to have the cows in front of your house. So that's where I start to imagine this world with flying cabs and, you know, creatures. And that's kind of what the film is about those characters are kind of escaping into worlds they couldn't even have imagined in a way when you think about it.

Do you go back and look? I mean, did you look at, have you looked at Fifth Element in recent years? Is it tough for you to look at your own work? Do you feel satisfaction, or do you see the things that you would do differently? No, I have no, I don't know. I just watch them and happy. I'm happy. But it's like watching an old picture of yourself.

Right. When you were young and then you look at your pants and you say, oh, fuck. Oh, my God. And your hair cut? And you're like, whoa, I was weird at the time. Well, that's what we loved. I think, I mean, speaking of like, among my friends and here in the States, I think, about something like the Fifth Element was,

we didn't know what was off about it, but it was different. We knew it was different. It had a different sensibility, whether you want to characterize that as a quote-unquote European sensibility or whatever. It didn't feel like Star Wars. It didn't feel like Star Trek. It felt like someone that was a little off in a great way was making it. And I think that's why people are attracted to your work, frankly, is that it's... No, totally...

No one else could do what you do. But it was interesting as in France, they were... They were saying, oh, yeah, he's not French anymore. You know, he betrayed his country. He's American. But when I suddenly released the Fifth Element in U.S., I realized how European I was, you know. Which is okay.

It doesn't matter, but yeah, I can feel that I don't have the codes. You know, I don't follow the codes of the films. I'm more like a painter, I do, you know. And it's funny, like you take Modigli. Danny, for example. The guy arrived and made girls with long neck and black eyes. And the first critics were say, that's not painting. And then a couple of years later, the guy is in Le Louvre for the museum.

And same for Picasso, same for almost all of them. Sure. And it must be a great satisfaction to see. I mean, well, tell me, where do you get satisfaction from in terms of the legacy of your films? Is it like seeing someone walk up to you with a tattoo of Lelu on their arm or seeing someone cosplay or see a critic reevaluate it? Is it all the above? You know, you make a present at the birthday 10 years ago and then you go back to see your

friends and you realize that the present still there, that's what makes you happy. Yeah. You know, and they still talking a little bit about it and say, hey, I was there and, you know, I have the poster. That's what makes me happy is to, after a couple of years to realize, that, you know, he's still in their memory and the same than me. I mean, I have a lot of memories from other films,

other directors, and, you know, I've seen, flew over the cuckoo's nest when I was 16, and I'm still talking about it. Sure. You know, because it was just part of my initiation in life, not in movies, in life. Suddenly on screen, the guy who are crazy are not so crazy,

and the people who are supposed to be not crazy are crazy. He tells you something about the society when you're 16 years old. Truly, yeah. And then you scratch your head and say, oh, all right, okay. So things are not the way it looks. And then you learn, you know. And I'm curious what you make of this bizarre landscape of filmmaking that we live in today, wherein, I mean, I certainly couldn't have imagined it, you know, growing up that, like, genre films,

superhero films, all of this, they are it. It feels like 75, 90% of what's out there in the marketplace now. Is it too much of a good thing? Do you worry? Are you pleased? Is the inner childhood geek in you thrilled beyond belief? What's your take on sort of where we're at in terms of just the proliferation of these kinds of films? You know, I'm older now, so it's not my generation.

It looks like it makes the people happy, and this film are very successful. That's great. I mean, it's wonderful. I mean, when you see the technicality of the films, the special effect of all these films, Captain America and all this film, is just like amazing. So it's a good stuff, it's a good job.

Then the content inside, yeah, if you're 50 years old, you're less inspired. Right. Then when you're 12. But I think at 12, you know, it's just amazing. Yeah. And so I think it's great. But when I was 12, there's only two channels on TV, there's no internet, there's nothing.

And I just have this comic book every Wednesday, and that's it. And the big guy at the time was, they were not Marvel in France or Europe. It was Mezier, which Valerian, or Moebuse. Sure. Moebuse was just like an emperor, Drouye, you know, big guys like this. They were the kings in Europe, and I was raised more with them, and they were nuts. They were like, they go wild. I don't know what they were smoking, but God, they were really wild.

And is that a reason, like, why, I mean, do you have even the faintest interest of even taking a meeting with the marvels and D.C.s of the universe, or is that almost too down the middle for your sensibilities? Have you ever talked to them about seriously about anything, or is it just not for you? No, I mean, they don't need anyone. I mean, the guy who run the thing is a great guy. I never met him, but I know he was coming from Marvel at the beginning. So he knows his family, he knows his kids, he knows his characters, and he's protecting his family, and he's doing a great job. I mean, honestly, I'm sure the guy is, you know, a real father for this entire thing.

So I'm just in admiration. with that yeah um and just in speaking of just as a movie enthusiast can you cite any i mean i know you've been kind of locked away in an edit room have you seen anything that's inspired you lately a filmmaker an actor performance a franchise or whatever that that's that's inspiring lately uh wow or not i or film of xavier dolan yeah i haven't seen um his latest yeah that's very good very deep it's very good and he's like 27 years old or something something. It's something very annoying. Yeah, he's old now, yeah.

He's, that has been. He can't go to the university, the Cite University, right? He's not, he's too old for you. No, yeah, he's a great, he's a great, but his film is really, uh, is really, really amazing. Yeah. Um, and then returning to Valerian, so you, is, is this the kind of thing where you, I mean, I hesitate to even bring up like sequels, but I've already done it for other,

some of your other things. But is this the kind of thing that you could imagine returning to? Or is that absurd to even think of telling more stories in this universe at this point? Please, please make a success of Valerian because I want to do the second one. Do you really? Yeah. Do you know what story you want to tell on the second one already? Yeah.

I have it. I just have to be patient and humble because you can't start before to know if the first one works or not. So I'm just like eating my nails and waiting. But I have the second one. The second one is great. Guys, it's ready for us. Just go see it. Go see the first one so I can do the second one, please.

He's literally jumping up and down in his seat. I want you to know. And something exciting to see what Kara and Dane did both on set and now see it in the edit room. I mean, I love both of those guys so much, both as professional actors and also off the set, they're just, they're awesome people. So talk to me a little bit about what you saw out of them that excited you once you hired them after the fact. Like, what's going to be better? It can't be better. The entire process couldn't be better.

Yeah. I mean, Kara have a little less of experience, but she saw Dane and she took the track, you know, she goes on her back and follow the track. Yeah. On term of, like, being responsible, taking the lessons, the stunt, the thing, you know, and she was, like, perfect. And Dane is just probably, for me, the best actor since Leonardo, he's really, really. amazing and I couldn't be more happy when I see the result of the two. You're falling in love after two seconds when the film starts. Yeah. And they're young. They're 25 years old. And then you see this couple and it's like, oh my God, you know, it's just fresh. And I can't wait to do

the second one because now they know their characters very well. So we can push. Right. You know, we can have even more freedom, you know, with the two. Yeah. And I mean, I mean, every time I got Kara on the phone, she's crying. She's emotional. She's very emotional. She's still like, oh, my God, I miss you. I want to be on the set. Is there any actor that ever got away from you that you were desperate to work with, someone that was high on your list?

No, there's honestly, there's almost no one that I don't like because they, when you take anyone, they're, you know, if you take all the big name, the big star, they're all good. but for me it's really what kind of character like De Niro for example which is a genius and he made so many films with Scorsese that you can't even propose something to him

you look like a nerd if you propose something to him and then one day I have this film you know called Malavita the family and that was good for him and so I'm you just have to wait for the right fit the right

You can't just take an actor and, you know, I love Margo Robbie, for example. We'd love to do something with her, but what to do with her? I mean, you know. It's a big universe of Valerian. I'm sure you can find something for her in the next one. No pressure. Okay, no pressure. Okay, we just did it.

Luke, it's truly been a pleasure, and hopefully these conversations continue to manifest because teenage Josh Harrow is thrilled that he's gone. to know Luke Besson as an adult. And I'm such a fan of yours, and I'm so thrilled that, you know, people are digging the early stuff on Valerian. You're saying we're going to see the public at large will be able to see a teaser pretty soon, right, a month you said? It's on the 10th of November, I think.

Okay, stay tuned, guys. Your brains are going to melt and go out and see Vlarian when it hits theaters next July. Luke, it's always good to see, man. Thank you. Thank you. hope you guys enjoyed that conversation with luke basan you have to wait until next july sadly for balleran in the city of a thousand planets it will be worth the wait guys we'll be back next week with a fresh new episode remember to rate review and subscribe on iTunes and see you guys soon this episode of happy sad confused was produced by michael catano moh de mohan and kasha mahalovitch for the mtivie

Podcast Network. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook at MTV Podcasts. Subscribe to HappySide Confuse and other MTV shows on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. The Jeep Wrangler 4xE. It's Electrify. So you can boogie, wugi, wugi up a mountain over creeks or boogie, boogie, boogie through a desert where you get bit by a pit viper. So you boogie, wuggy. boogie-woogie back to camp and ask your friends if they'll suck the snake venom out when they say no you boogie-wogie-woogie to the nearest hospital for a dose of anti-venom and boogie-woogie your way to a full recovery they electrify jeep wrangler four by e learn more at jeep dot com jeep is a registered trademark of f c a u.s l-lcccccc goodbye summer movies hello fall i'm anthony devaney and i'm his twin brother james we host raiders of the lost podcast the ultimate movie podcast and we are ecstatic to break down late summer, and early fall releases.

We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Salome playing power ping pong in Mari Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lanthamos' Bougonia. Dwayne Johnson, he's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about, too. Tron Aries looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat 2, and Edgar writes,

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