Jean Dujardin: a very good Don Diego
After Guy Williams, Alain Delon and Antonio Banderas, it’s the turn of Jean Dujardin to play the famous Don Diego de la Vega, created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley (1883-1958). A wise choice since the actor seems cut out for this role Zorothe french series from Paramount+, co-produced with (among others) France Télévisions. The idea came from the actor’s brother, Marc Dujardin, who expressed his desire to the creators and screenwriters Benjamin Charbit and Noé Debré, before proposing the project to the actor.
Met during the promotion of ZoroBenjamin Charbit explained to us that this vision of Jean Dujardin as Don Diego was particularly “exciting” for him. But it is also the corner of the series that interested the author. The fact of being able to propose “something quite political”. deconstructing the superhero myth“.
In fact, we discover it for the first time in Zoro a Don Diego who has put aside his costume for years, and who now wants to do good for the city of Los Angeles as mayor. The show therefore does not return to the origins of this cult character, and focuses on a man’s desire to be recognized for what he does openly.
We could have done an origin story. I even wrote it at one point. But that didn’t interest me that much, it slowed down the narrative. However, in episode 6 there is a dialogue with the father that opens up a bit about his past. But it is very elliptical. I wanted to keep Diego’s past vague.
A different comedyOSS117with a more dramatic part
As the episodes progress, the character’s trajectory becomes increasingly complex. Zorro appears less and less heroiccorrupted by success and forgetting his values. And for Don Diego, lies, manipulation and jealousy will make him an unpleasant character. A bold choice by the screenwriters, who wanted to show an unseen side of Zorro.
There are crucial episodes, with this desire to go as far as possible and to experiment. We were trying to show a side of Zorro that we haven’t seen yet. And we asked ourselves: “How does it feel to have an alter ego that you love?” That’s what’s interesting.
Therefore, the tone varies throughout the season and naturally shifts to drama, emotion and melodrama. The authors’ stated goal is to arouse the curiosity of the audience, who at half the season will be difficult to predict what will happen next. However, Zoro remains extremely entertaining. A comedy series that does not veer into pastiche, even if the presence of Jean Dujardin can recall OSS 117, which he had brilliantly embodied in the past. In this regard, Benjamin Charbit sees in Don Diego a sort of “reverse brother of OSS 117” for its more “reflective” nature.
In the writing we did not try to make an OSS 117. It is not a parody at all, we are much more on the side of homage, and the characters feel emotions. Although we can go very far with humor. Diego remains a character who has many ideals.
Zorro Confronts Don Emmanuel
The other common point that we can put in common between OSS 117 and Zorro is the pleasure that Jean Dujardin seems to take in interpreting these characters. Thus, the “solar dimension” of the protagonist comes from the actor himself, who knew how to “guide the writing”. And it is also physically that the actor stands out, thanks to the”billions of artifacts” that he was able to bring.
Honestly, Jean is a very hardworking person. He comes with interpretative proposals on all the stages, it’s a pleasure. Sometimes I was content to underline the details. But he understands it in half a second.
Finally, Zorro would be meaningless without a villain worthy of the name. This is called Don Emmanuel, played by Eric Elmosninobrilliant in his vice, in his lack of humanism and in his ability to always recover. An antagonist inspired by Donald Trump and which, more symbolically, allows creators to criticize capitalism.
We had a lot of inspiration for Don Emmanuel. Sometimes we talked about Donald Trump, his naive childish side. He is always looking for his own pleasure and doesn’t see how he hurts people. We wanted a villain that we would like to see and follow. And then there is a whole secret network in my head, about what the characters also represent as an impulse. Don Emmanuel is an impulse of pleasure. It is capitalism, with all its terrifying aspects. An impulse that absorbs everything, even its own criticisms.
Consisting of eight episodes, Zoro will be available to discover on Paramount+ from September 6. The series will then be broadcast on France Télévision.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
