Lakshmi“Godard is so much about the glasses. It’s like a superhero. If you can imagine Spider-Man without his mask, it’s not possible.”
Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague takes audiences back to one of the most transformative moments in cinema history: the emergence of the French New Wave and the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. Rather than portraying these filmmakers solely as the icons they would become, Linklater brings the audience closer to the young artists behind the mythology—ambitious, rebellious, uncertain and determined to reinvent cinema.
At the center of the film is rising actor Guillaume Marbeck, who portrays Godard. A professional photographer who spent a decade working across production, distribution, film markets and film sets, Marbeck had experienced almost every side of filmmaking before turning to acting. His journey to the role even included a very Godard-like twist: arriving late to his audition because he was determined to find the right pair of sunglasses.
For Linklater, Nouvelle Vague was an opportunity to revisit a moment he describes as a uniquely fascinating convergence of artists in Paris. The film also marks his first entirely French-language feature, allowing him to immerse himself in the language, visual style and cinematic spirit of the movement that inspired him.
In this interview with One Lash Shot, Linklater discusses the experience of making a film entirely in French, his fascination with the French New Wave and the films from the era that continue to inspire him. Marbeck discusses his unexpected transition from photographer and film-industry professional to actor, the importance of Godard’s signature glasses and Linklater’s approach to portraying these legendary figures as young artists before they became icons.
You’re a professional photographer rather than an actor. What first inspired you to make the transition into acting?
Guillaume Marbeck: Before acting, I spent 10 years doing every job you can imagine on a set, as well as in production and distribution. I’ve worked as a buying scout in film markets like AFM and the Cannes Film Festival. So, I’ve done it all, apart from makeup. I never did that—that’s the one job I haven’t experienced.
But at the end of all that, I felt I was missing the last piece of the puzzle: acting. So, I started taking acting classes and put some photos and videos online, just in case somebody might be interested in me as an actor.
And it actually happened. I received an email from a casting director who invited me to audition for this part.
Six months later, I got it.
You’ve never made a film entirely in French before. How challenging was that experience for you?
Richard Linklater: It wasn’t difficult. You know, film is a visual medium. That wasn’t on the list of my concerns. It had to look and sound a certain way and the film I was making was in French with English subtitles. That’s the Nouvelle Vague that I knew. I was just trying to replicate that look.
You were late to your audition because you were determined to find sunglasses that matched Godard’s. Why was finding that specific detail so important to you?
Guillaume Marbeck: Because Godard is so much about the glasses. They’re like a superhero’s mask. Can you imagine Spider-Man without his mask? It’s not possible.
So, I had to have those glasses. I arrived late and I just had to act like Godard. And Godard wouldn’t make excuses. He would explain, but he wouldn’t make excuses.
What was it about the French New Wave that made you want to explore this particular movement and period in cinema?
Richard Linklater: It was such a fascinating moment in time. Such a confluence of great artists in one city, at one moment in time. Unique.
And I thought it was worth going back in time to kind of be there.
You’re portraying one of cinema’s most iconic filmmakers. How did you approach the challenge of playing Jean-Luc Godard?
Guillaume Marbeck: Richard gave us a manifesto before the movie. He would say, “You’re not playing Jean-Luc Godard, you’re not playing Jean-Paul Belmondo or Jean Seberg. You’re playing Jean-Luc, Jean-Paul and Jean—the young people who want to make cinema.”
And that’s what happened.
That’s how we ended up playing people who were bigger than ourselves, but with a size of shoe that fits us—our personalities and who we were in our youth.
Because back then, they didn’t know if they were going to explode and become superstars or if they were going to be strangers after making a shitty movie.
With Breathless at the center of the film, would you consider it your favorite movie from the French New Wave?
Richard Linklater: Not necessarily. I mean, I love it, but I love so many others, too, so I wouldn’t know where to begin.
This week, if anyone asked me, I’d probably say Masculin Féminin from ’66.
I mean, that’s in the Nouvelle Vague. But if I had to watch one right tonight, I’d probably pick that.
But there are so many more to choose from.
Lakshmi
