Ten actresses describe inappropriate behavior, wandering hands and stolen kisses on the sidelines of the filming of filmmaker Philippe Lioret (I’m fine, don’t worry), in a survey published by France Info this Tuesday. They recount extremely embarrassing situations, very tactile tests, and their discomfort during meetings in hotels to discuss a role.
Among the published testimonies, we find that of the actress Émilie Deville who details the tests for the film All our desires. The filmmaker would have “taken her to a separate room, for a working session for two”, she tells the Radio France investigation unit. “I find myself between four walls, in the arms of the director, embarrassed by the situation. He told me: “You are exceptional, you are wonderful! At the moment, I see all of Paris, and there is not one who does to me what you do to me,” she remembers. Philippe Lioret would have insisted on playing a scene between a mother and her child. “He acts like a six-year-old, gets on his knees and grabs my hips. He puts his face on my penis and says: “Mom!”, she describes.
“ “He acts like a six-year-old, gets on his knees and grabs my hips. He puts his face on my cock and says, “Mommy!” »
Questioned by the radio, the casting director’s assistant confirmed the “sticky” and “unhealthy” atmosphere. She says that the filmmaker “did not hold back from touching the base of the breasts, from putting himself on the necks of the actresses, from kissing them. It was really, really awkward and completely out of character for the scene.” According to her, he made the breasts of actresses a crucial issue. Several actresses say they were surprised by a stolen kiss after a work session or a professional dinner at a restaurant. Two of them at the time of the testing All our desiresa last one for the preparation of one of his first films in the 1990s.
For her part, Marie Gillain, who obtained the main role in All our desires, spoke in a text sent to France Info. She recounted “a feeling of unease” during the tests and “a carnal attitude” from Philippe Lioret. “Not feeling respected in one’s moral and physical integrity during a job interview is no longer acceptable […] It is urgent that all actresses and actors can finally feel completely safe during a casting or in a process of testing or meeting with a director,” writes the actress who wishes to support the words of these women.
Philippe Lioret, who was aware of these testimonies, said he was “stunned”. He spoke through his lawyer, Solange Doumic. “Philippe Lioret has always been very personally involved in castings. It’s really his thing.” France Info has published all of its responses. He denies forcing women to kiss him. “If a woman didn’t want to, she didn’t want to,” says her lawyer.