Berlinale
Lars Eidinger’s worries about the kissing scene with Isabelle Huppert
For Lars Eidinger, Isabelle Huppert is “like the epitome of acting”. Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Lars Eidinger is a huge admirer of Isabelle Huppert. During the shooting he was looking forward to a very special scene with the French star actress.
Actor Lars Eidinger feared for a kiss with his famous French colleague Isabelle Huppert while shooting the film “À propos de Joan”.
On the first day of shooting, he confessed his love to her in his role. “In a way, that was a meta level, because I also took the opportunity as an actor to confess my love to Isabelle Huppert,” said Eidinger in Berlin, where the film was on the program as a special gala at the Berlinale.
“In the end there was this kissing scene, this kiss,” reported Eidinger. He heard Huppert discussing with the camerawoman whether, in view of the corona pandemic, it might not be good if the two of them touched their lips. He then said: “I have the chance once in my life to play a kissing scene with Isabelle Huppert and you think about the fact that our lips don’t touch?” Huppert then looked at him. “Then we played the scene and at the end she kissed me.”
In the film by French director Laurent Larivière, Huppert (68) and Eidinger (46) play a couple with a significant age difference. Eidinger described working with Huppert as an incomprehensible phenomenon. “I grew up with this actress,” he said. Huppert is “like the epitome of acting”. It is something very special for him as an actor to meet someone like that.
During the shooting they got along well, reported Eidinger. “We went swimming together at our hotel at night.” There was a small pool outside. “She swam and I ran because the pool was so shallow.” This hour is “unforgettable” for him.