“Usually there’s one film left to make and that’s the end of Camelot”: We meet Jean-Robert Lombard, the unforgettable Father Blaise and Alexandre Astier’s scribe.

Since 2003, he has been part of the Court of King Arthur and Camelot adventure. In the credits of the short film Dies Irae, which was the pilot of the world imagined by Alexandre Astier, actor Jean-Robert Lombard wore the austere coat of Pere Blaise for six seasons of the series, then in the first part of the cinema. . AlloCiné met him within the framework of the convention Paris Mangawhich took place this weekend in Wilpent.

AlloCiné: In January 2025, we will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the first broadcast of Camelot. How does telling this story inspire you as a writer?

Jean-Robert Lombard: The scribe is not here today. Only Jean-Robert Lombardi is there. how to tell Twenty years for society is not twenty years for me. Camelot is a part of my life, a beautiful part of my life, but it is not my life. But that’s mostly what people know me for. But I see anyway, through conventions and elsewhere, that the community is still there. And that it is transgenerational.

So we now have three generations of Camelot fans. It starts from a small child of 7-8-9 years who loves and has read the series, to a father of a family in his thirties and forties and a young old man in his fifties, sixties and more. We have grandchildren, children and grandparents who come to see us, or who may meet us again on the street and say: “It shook the youth”. It’s still quite mobile. And I’m sure even more, given how timeless the series is, that it can continue ad vitam aeternam. I spoke Latin. (laughs)

In the interview, you drew an interesting parallel between this creative adventure and the adventure the characters experience. These are two parallel Grail quests, ultimately…

Surprisingly – or not – there is a kind of connection between what we’re saying, this adventure, this quest for the Grail, and then the release of the movie episodes that took a long time, that were even delayed. The mystique of this story lies in reality. So we’ll be chasing Kaamelott episodes to find out if we’ll make it to the end. And after twenty years there is a chance to reach the end. In my opinion, in three to four years.

Do you think there will be an end? Wouldn’t it be sad, finally, if this adventure were to end?

No, it’s not sad. Everything has an end. For you, for me, for everyone. You have to accept it. It would be a bit childish to want it to last forever. There is no such thing as “forever”. So at some point, you have to stop and thank what happened so that this production could exist and thank those who were behind it. Alexandre Astier, at least, defined the fall that would come after four films. Because I believe that the second part was shot in two films. Once they are released, usually next year, there will be one movie left to make and that will be the end of it.

You offer a great transition to these two films that were shot in secret this summer. Are you allowed to say something about these episodes 2 and 3?

Herein lies the problem: I was not invited by the production to this opus. This is not a joke. So I have nothing to say. It’s stupid, but it’s not that I don’t want to or I can’t. I really have nothing to say about it.

You know your character got kicked out at the end of the first movie?

Yes, and he went underground with Christian Clavier, Antoine de Caunes, and dear Professor Rollins. I don’t know if we will start from 1 to the end. I know that there are comrades who were filming in spring and summer, but I was not among them. The mystery remains.

You were talking about your comrades: is there a gang spirit around Camelot? I’m naive to ask because it seems like the whole gang hangs out together.

There is a gang that is close to Astier, be it his family or close friends, that I am not a part of. But it is not strictly speaking Splendid, for example. And then, Alexandre Astier said from the beginning: he has no team spirit. And this is his right. We often find that many directors work with a particular actor or actress for X or Y reasons. Because they value them and because they need them on screen. But it would be, I don’t know, asking the artist to paint blue every time because we like that blue so much. No, he can do something else. Blue, maybe we’ll find it in a day if it’s still there. That’s how it happens.

Going back in time, you met Alexandre Astier and this whole band before ‘Dies Irae’ (2003) as part of a production that led you to join this short film / pilot for ‘Kaamelott’. A short film where you get to choose your character?

Yes, by default. I chose the default because everything else was already assigned. As I say every time I’m asked the question: I thought I had a two-handed sword and I was beating up some girl, but I couldn’t get the frustration and annoyance of the poor comedians on their faces. When Alexander called me, he said: “Cureton and the cook are left. What will you get?” Curton. And there you have it.

good choice

It’s a good choice because there is no kitchen anymore. It wasn’t the tavern keeper, it was the prison cook role that eventually disappeared.

What is your view on the “Aster method”? How is the assembly orchestrated between what exists on the page and what you bring in?

We always have freedom of action, even if Alexander knows what he wants. I really like the way he works because he is very concise, pragmatic and fast. As a fairly “mental” person, I don’t have time for “mental” so that’s great. And then we work quickly and well. That’s what’s fun. Unlike, often, theater, where they think too much. There, at least one plus one equals two. Here we go. And then we act. We are actors, so we act. And then if it’s not good, it’s okay, we’ll repeat it again and then we’ll find something better.

Even in the text, very often, I suggest something different to him and he accepts that his text should be changed, if the fun rhythm is preserved and if it also respects what he wanted to bring to the audience. If he refuses, he is always supported. This is not: “Listen, I write, you play, everything in its place”. No, it’s very flexible in that regard, even in staging. You are an actor, you are not an automaton. So it allows me to be quite free in that context. This is also very nice.

From the beginning, being involved in a short film, there’s still this very surprising evolution that we experience as viewers: we start with a short film, then we’re on a short commission, and then we’re on to longer and darker episodes. . Was this something Alexandre Astier forewarned you about or was it a discovery over time?

He told us about this from Book IV. He warned us that he wanted to move to longer formats and later to cinema. And that he wanted to go for something less ridiculous than seasons 1, 2, and 3. He wanted to bring the audience to something deeper, maybe tougher, and made the movies.

But that, I think, was a shock to a lot of fans, people who followed the series. There were those who didn’t like it because it was less funny, confusing, etc… and then, many also said: “Hey, we’re going to discover something else, the other side of the actors and characters.”. Of course, it’s less of a joke, but we’ve had three seasons and now they’re offering us something else. If we look a little, it is also very good, even if it is a different style.

To be honest, my character hasn’t developed much, but it’s interesting that through a TV series or a movie, I could show many aspects, develop a character, whether it’s not one-color or two-tone. . He did so.

There was still an evolution to your character. Maybe not the character himself, since he’s loyal to Camelot in the end, but in the movie he goes over to Lancelot’s side. Which may have surprised fans.

Alexander answered this question (In the film’s audio commentary, editor’s note). Technically, Father Blaise is part of the walls. He is there to tell the Arthurian legend. Whoever the king is, he’s a box office. It is a memory. These are the archives. So it should be there. It’s not because he’s pro or con, it’s because he has to be there. quite easily. Then the costume changed dramatically. I found it very cool. But in terms of character development, it didn’t tell me anything about it. There is always omerta with Alexander. (laughs)

Ultimately, what do you have to do with this adventure? We can imagine that being part of such a “pop” piece must be quite satisfying and at the same time it only gives you back. Like this interview…

Everyone keeps bringing it back to me because unfortunately I haven’t been offered much else in film or television. And that’s a shame. I hope this moment will come and I will be able to show other things and specific roles (she expresses quietly, editor’s note) F… DP.. I didn’t say it!

In fact, I haven’t heard anything.

We agree. I wish you a good evening.

Comments collected on Paris Manga By TGS 2024 October 6, 2024