Not retained to play Lucien Cheval, the tax audit which will be interpreted on screen by Daniel Prévost, when he had played it many times on the boards, Gérard Hernandez does not mince his words against the director … And the actor.
Second biggest success of the French box office of the year 1998 behind Titanic, Le Dîner de cons by Francis Veber had attracted 9 million spectators. A triumph for the filmmaker, who adapted his own play to the cinema.
On screen, Jacques Villeret takes over the role of the naïve François Pignon, which he has been playing on stage since 1993. He is surrounded by equally solid actors: from Thierry Lhermitte as a petty and selfish bourgeois to Francis Huster, via Daniel Prévost, who shines in the role of Lucien Cheval, a zealous tax auditor. The film will also be rewarded with three Césars: Best Actor for Jacques Villeret, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Daniel Prévost, and Best Screenplay for Francis Veber.
If there is someone who has not quite digested this success, in any case who has a stubborn grudge, it is Gérard Hernandez. Granting a career-sweeping interview in issue 46 of the mook Schnock (always excellent, by the way), the Raymond of Household Scenes tackles the director.
Pattern ? He was very angry with him for not having been chosen to play the character of the tax auditor Lucien Cheval on the screen, whom he nevertheless knew well for having interpreted him many times on the boards. “He’s not a very good person, Mr. Veber, he’s not a nice guy. I almost beat his ass up, because that’s not done. Besides, I learned that from the Press, my agent had not warned or defended me. That’s why I left Artmedia” drop the actor.
Daniel Prévost takes it for his rank. “He’s a jerk, a bad guy. Nice with the big ones, rotten with the little ones. But I told him later. He didn’t understand that I didn’t want to shake his hand” he swings as a courtesy.
Adding: “But why didn’t he call me, just say something like, ‘I don’t understand why you’re not doing the film?’ usually came back to someone else, but I always called to ask, “Why isn’t it you?” We can safely predict that the two actors will not go on vacation together…