2023-12-24 10:17:04
by Stefania Ulivi, sent to Malta
On the set of the Rai series «The Count of Monte Cristo» directed by Bille August. The leading Oscar-winning actor is Faria, Edmond Dantès is played by Sam Claflin
“I always feel like a beginner.” Jeremy Irons has just got rid of the make-up and stage clothes of Abbot Faria, one of the most iconic characters in The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. An author experiencing a new wave of popularity: we are on the set of the Palomar and Demd series with Rai fiction and France television, an international production with Sam Claflin in the role of Edmond Dantès, directed by Oscar winner Bille August. We will see her in 2024, the release of the film directed by French directors Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte with Pierre Niney is scheduled for December, while the saga of the three musketeers continues with the chapter Milady, arriving here in February. «So much interest doesn’t surprise me. Dumas’ universe is an inexhaustible treasure – comments August -. The Count of Monte Cristo, in particular, is a great classic that still has a lot to say even to younger people.” The ingredients are known, brought to the cinema and on TV several times (the first time in 1922, the count over the years played by Jean Marais, Andrea Giordana, Depardieu, Jim Caviezel). Adventure, injustice, mysteries, betrayals. And an inexhaustible thirst for revenge. «This seems to me above all to be Dumas’ moral: the idea that revenge can poison a person – reflects Irons -. It’s very current. We live in a poisoned climate, people think that lashing out at each other is good for them. On the other hand, Dumas wrote it in an equally complex historical moment, in the 19th century. Today, like yesterday, it is essential to find a way to save yourself. It is Faria himself who offers his hand to Edmond. He acts as a mentor to him.” What Iron is for young Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean, Hunger Games, Peaky Blinders). «Jeremy is a myth, it doesn’t seem true to me that he was chosen. Edmond Dantès is like four characters in one, he changes so much, not just in terms of identity. I understand that for the French he is a kind of superhero, and that every era wants something of him.”
Fifteen weeks of filming, first in Paris, Turin, Rome, where the most complex ones were a Carnival in Campo de’ Fiori and an execution in Piazza Farnese. Various locations in Malta, including Fort Manoel, prison fortress. The abbot is now near his end, Edmond understands that this will be his chance to escape. With the treasure map that he gave him. «Faria has many layers, he is a complex character. He is a man of the church, he lived years in prison, he exercised patience. He dug a tunnel but in the wrong direction, to Edmond’s cell. He found tricks to survive, books and knowledge also helped him. He is an incredibly motivated man, he has charisma. And the meeting with Edmond makes him stand up again.” Irons enjoyed wearing the tunic and beard. «I trusted Bille, we made three films together. At work I am instinctive, never too sure of myself. Every time is a new beginning. There is nothing mechanical in our profession. The script is similar to a wine, it is living, evolving matter. We need to create the right conditions.” For August, one of the conditions was the presence of Irons. «The abbot is the key to the novel. At the center is a man who is completely obsessed with revenge, which eats away at him from the inside, no longer allowing him to love. In the series we tell the whole story, faithful to the novel. Claflin has the right sensitivity and Jeremy makes the difference. I knew he would give a wonderful portrait. The scenes between him and Sam are very touching, he is the person he is closest to, he reveals to him where the treasure is and that when the young man wants to commit suicide he trusts him. He’s almost like a father.” It wasn’t difficult, Irons admits. «I teach him how to live the new life of a rich man, mixing with different people: intellectuals, aristocrats, businessmen. He has a lot to learn. I believe that anyone who has lived is happy to pass on what they know. Me too, of course. Sam reminds me of my oldest son. His name is Sam too.”
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December 24, 2023 (modified December 24, 2023 | 09:16)
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