“Pierre Niney Transforms into the Count of Monte Cristo: A Journey Through Complex Characters and Cinematic Challenges”[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_500yyojxlY[/embed]

We met him during the Cannes Festival last May. He was waiting for us on the terrace of a central hotel on the Croisette – smiling, warm, and direct. And why not? The now 35-year-old Pierre Niney (“Yves Saint Laurent,” “Frantz,” “The Lives of Others,” “Camouflage”) is experiencing the best decade of his career, choosing projects that dance flexibly – from heavy French dramas to surreal comedies, and from small, festival indie films to expensive, epic blockbusters.

At the Cannes Festival, he had come to present, outside of the competition, “The Count of Monte Cristo,” the new cinematic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, as envisioned by creators Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière – ambitious, spectacular, shining in production values, but dark and melancholic in its portrayal of the hero-revenant. As he confessed to us, this was also the great challenge of the role – its contrasts.

Joined by Pierrefrançois Favière (“The Traitor”), Anaïs Demoustier (“The Snows of Kilimanjaro”), Patrick Mille (“The Three Musketeers”), Laurent Lafitte (“Elle”), and Anna Maria Barthélémy (“The Event”), Niney transforms from the innocent, dream-filled sailor Edmond Dantès into the mysterious “Count of Monte Cristo” to take revenge on those who unjustly imprisoned him and deprived him of marrying the love of his life.

Read what he revealed to Flix about whether he felt anxious about comparisons with previous cinematic adaptations of the emblematic hero’s adventure, who was the collaborator he loved and hated simultaneously, and how strategically (or not) he plans every step of his career.

When one confronts such a famous story, such an iconic hero, who has been portrayed several times on the big screen, and through such a blockbuster, what are the emotions? Challenge? A little fear? Or pure excitement?

Only excitement. Because I had in my hands a truly dream role. It took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to showcase the entire spectrum of my acting range. Because the character has many and contradictory moments – innocence, rage, madness, obsession, jealousy, revenge. You feel like you will play an wronged hero, but you are also playing the devil – an obsessed avenger who loses control. It is such a rich work – it shows pure love and raw hatred, drawing you into the brightest and darkest sides of human nature. It resembles ancient Greek tragedy a bit: how can one transform into something evil while starting out to do good? So such a role, such an opportunity was a real gift.

Dumas’ book is a classic – a piece of French tradition. Were you one of those kids who grew up with this story? Did you ever imagine growing up and playing the “Count of Monte Cristo”?

Yes, of course, I grew up with the myth of the Count; we all consider it part of our popular tradition in France. I was about 16 when I read Dumas’ book, and the truth is I fell in love with it – I couldn’t put it down, I spent many nights staying up late to finish it. It’s a treasure, and as you read it over the years, you discover even more mature aspects. Dumas’ language successfully dissects human nature capable of the greatest good and the greatest evil. The fact that 20 years later, I am given the opportunity to play this hero is crazy and unexpected. I wish I could return to my teenage self and whisper it in his ear (laughs).

The directing duo confessed that you were their number one and only choice for the leading role. They wanted someone “beautiful and mysterious, charming and melancholic.” When an actor hears such a statement, do they feel flattered, or does it put extra pressure on them to meet expectations?

(laughs) No pressure – they chose me, I wanted that, I got the role, perfect! If they were mistaken, that’s their problem (laughs). Look, no, I don’t feel pressure anymore with the challenges of the job. Maybe because I’ve grown up now. I am 35 years old, I have two kids, and I see things a bit differently now. My job is joy and creativity. I’ve learned over the years to relax and not worry about others’ expectations. I took on a role in a wonderful, huge production. We propose a reading of Dumas’ book, we all worked hard, and we hope it will be liked.

The preparation for the film must have been a serious commitment. What troubled you the most? The training for the action scenes or the hours you spent in makeup every day to transform into the Count?

The sword fighting scenes, riding, the action scenes in general were worked on with quite a bit of training and choreography, and they went great, having a capable team of trainers and stunt performers next to me. However, the person I ended up knowing better than my own father, the one I loved, hated at times, and loved again was the film’s makeup artist, Pierre Olivier Persin. I spent a total of 155 hours in his chair over the 80 days of shooting. We were the first to arrive on set, in the deep darkness before dawn, in some freezing, huge towers in the wilderness, and the process began with dozens of chemicals on my face to adhere the prosthetic makeup and transform me. And at the end of the day, we were the last to leave because all of this had to be removed from my face. But I was in the hands of a true artist, and I am very proud of the result. I believe that in our version, you can believe that the Count of Monte Cristo transformed so much that he was unrecognizable. He doesn’t wear a mask; he is truly someone else. We do it, and it looks realistic – something that has not been the case in any past version.

What is particularly interesting about this modern adaptation of the story is how much the hero resembles Batman. Both are avengers, they have the secret lair with their gadgets, and they wear masks. Do you agree?

Absolutely! I indeed felt like Bruce Wayne! However, the mythology of Batman also stems from Dumas’ book. He has borrowed many ideas from the Count of Monte Cristo; Bruce Wayne – a wealthy person who has the power to create whatever gadget he wants and execute his revenge. So, no, we didn’t copy Batman, but we went to the source of inspiration for all of us – the book.

We have watched you for over 15 years move flexibly between comedy, drama, indie festival films, and blockbusters. How do you choose what you want to play? What criteria do you use?

What I want is not to do the same things over and over. I want to make a different film each time. Something that will challenge me to step out of my comfort zone and test my limits. I think I agree to a project when I read an intelligent script and when I am approached for collaboration with artists who give me the guarantee that we will create something interesting, that will offer an argument justifying why we ask viewers to pay for a ticket and come to see it. Other than that, I don’t have strategies for directing my career. I am open, or at least I try to be. My only wish, but also demand, is that we have in our hands a good story to tell. People might read us and think, “Oh dear, there are always good stories out there.” It’s not true. Very few scripts have real interest. These are what I look for.

“The Count of Monte Cristo” hits theaters on Thursday, September 5th, from Spentzos Film