“Kolush left me there”: Jean-Marie Poiret’s bitter confidence about the actor Chao Pantin

After the filming and success of Papy fait de la Resistence, Jean-Marie Poiret is preparing “Le Baroudeur”, a police comedy in which a lone man fights the Bangkok-based mafia and who forges Basque berets! With his friend Josian Balasco, the project is not fully written, as Poirier already wants the actor’s approval before going any further.

Pierre Richard turned down the role, Jugnot, who also came out of Papy fait de la résistance, according to producer Alain Poiret, Jean-Marie’s father, was not well-known enough and the project slipped under his radar. Then the director thought of offering the role of the adventurer to Michel Colucci, known as Colucci, who had just filmed La Femme de mon pote and had worked with Claude Berry on Chao Pantin. An appointment is made.

“The Godfather” atmosphere

The director and the actress were supposed to meet at the Bains Douches nightclub. On the spot, the director found Ludovic Paris and Didier Lavergne, the hairstylist and make-up artist of Koluch, whom Poiret had hired for a comeback in 1980 and Men Prefer Big Girls in 1981. The comedian is also present and, according to Jean. – Marie Poiret in her autobiography Laughter is a party :

Michelle sat slumped in her chair, her hands resting on the back of the chair in front of her, ‘Claude told me you wanted to take a picture with me?’

Poiret responds in the affirmative, complimenting the actress and asking if she would like to film him. Kolush’s answer: “Do you do a lot of work?”

“I must say that I did not like the answer”The director of Visitors today writes. “It was cozy. Like: I don’t want to spoil it either,” he continued, “No, because Zid, for example, doesn’t take the lead… He’s not more than two, three!”

After explaining to Poiret that the number of takes will depend on the quality of the actor’s performance, Kolush invites him to dinner at Bains Douches. Except the director experiences a new disappointment:

“Actually, I dined with Didier and Ludo, because Kolush left me there. He had just noticed a girl he hadn’t left all evening. They danced, flirted, drank, then danced and flirted again. Anyway, he didn’t eat anything and didn’t come back to the table.

(…) Not a single word, not a glance, not a wink or a smile. Simply: “You don’t exist”. I was afraid.

“The other day I told Claude Berry that I really wasn’t going to shoot a jerk like that…unless he called me to apologize! So we’ll be friends again, but I want our accounts to be normal!”

“Ah! I’d be surprised if he did it, and not the type!” The director-producer responded and Poiret gave up. He will try to set up again with Gérard Juniot, who will not be available as he has already gone to Le Garde du corps with Jane Birkin. In the end, Le Baroudeur will never see Bangkok or cinema screens and will forever remain in the drawers.