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Gaspard Ulliel

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Gaspard Ulliel in 2018

Gaspard Ulliel (November 25, 1984 – January 19, 2022) was a French actor. He was known for his portrayal of the young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising (2007), fashion mogul Yves Saint Laurent in the biopic Saint Laurent (2014), and for being the face of the Chanel men's fragrance Bleu de Chanel. He played Anton Mogart / Midnight Man in the Disney+ series Moon Knight (2022).

Ulliel was nominated for a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, he won that award for his role in A Very Long Engagement. In 2017, he won the César Award for Best Actor for his performance in in It's Only the End of the World. He was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2015.

Quotes

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  • I’m not really a model. When I’m doing a photo shoot, I’m not playing a part. I’m just trying to be myself.
  • Current obsession: Finding some used pack of 665 Polaroid film. It’s a black and white film with a positive and negative at the same time!! I’ve been an amateur photographer since my teens. Before digital killed it all, I loved using this great film in my rare Konica Instant Press camera.
  • I love music. My secret dream has always been to be a jazz musician. I tried the saxophone for a year or two when I was younger, but unfortunately I had to face the fact that I was not really talented !
  • Biggest regret: Being compelled to stop my cinema studies to work as an actor. Even though I’m so passionate about acting today, after high school I was so eager to become a filmmaker. Still in my mind today...
  • Paris or New York? Both. Being raised in Paris, I dream of New York, but if I had been raised in New York, I would dream of Paris.
  • Best part of autumn: Snow and ski time approaching. … Half of my family comes from the French Alps. As a child, I almost skied before I walked!
  • I wasn’t directly connected to Marty. It’s the Chanel people who phoned me saying they were interested in working with me on a campaign. We had a lot of discussions about it. At the time, they hadn’t chosen a director. One day, they came to me with the idea of asking Martin Scorsese and of course I said, ‘That’s a great idea. I would be the happiest man in the world to work with him.” So that’s how we ended up working together. I pinched myself on the set every day—“Yup. I’m not dreaming.” [Laughs] It was really great because Chanel gave Marty and me total freedom. He works so precisely and you can see that his team loves him so much that they work really hard. Marty knows exactly what he wants, how he’s going to get what he wants, and knows when he has it. This shoot only lasted 4 to 5 days.
  • I think one really memorable experience for me was on a film called Strayed by André Téchiné, a great filmmaker in France. That was an experience where I learned the most because he wouldn’t leave me alone, even for a second, between takes. [Laughs] He was really focused on his actors and that was really wonderful. I was really young at the time and that was a really important film for me.
  • It was terrifying. When they asked me if I wanted to do this project, I refused many times before finally agreeing to it. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to pick up this role after Anthony Hopkins because he did the most amazing job in creating this character. Also, working on this role with a French accent was a bit awkward. It was meeting with the director, Peter Webber, that really influenced my decision because he was really witty and had interesting thoughts on how he would make it. I really liked his first film, Girl with the Pearl Earring. Also, being able to work abroad with an American and British crew, shoot it in English, and work on such an amazing and mythical character was what convinced me to give it a try. It wasn’t easy.
  • I think I was around 17 years old when I had my first parts in feature films and that’s when I really started to get interested in all of cinema, not just acting. After high school, I went to film school for 2 years. That was a great moment for me because I discovered a lot of directors from around the world and a lot of different types of genre. It would’ve taken me a long time to make these kinds of discoveries on my own without school, so I’m really thankful. At the time, I wanted to express myself with my own films as a director, but as I was getting more and more offers as an actor, I had to stop those studies to focus on acting. I feel trapped now because I really enjoy acting. But it’s true, I wake up every morning with this idea stuck in my mind that I want to write and direct my own film one day. As I work more and more on different sets, I see how hard it is to be a director. It’s insane the amount of work and confidence that goes into it. I’m so respectful of filmmakers and I admire what they do. I hope that one day I’ll find the right subject and the confidence to try it. I’m still young.
  • Chanel is the greatest fashion house in France, but I was hesitant when they first asked me. I thought it could be risky for me to do a fashion campaign. I'm not like Brad Pitt or Gerard Depardieu, who already have established themselves as actors - I'm just starting. I didn't want to be known as a Chanel model, over an actor, but I told myself it was the perfect project. Chanel is classy and highly respected. I like being associated with a fragrance more than I think I would with clothes, it's more abstract you know?
  • I don't often use the word pride. Even if sometimes the feeling is there, I can't quite admit it to myself, I try to keep humility. But looking back, I think I'm pretty proud to be where I am today. Especially when I think back to the shy and withdrawn child that I could have been. I suffered, like surely many children, from a lack of confidence. This is also why my journey began by chance, and why it was arranged in a somewhat winding way.

You know, some actors knew from childhood that they wanted to do this job and they put everything in place for it. But with me, everything was more risky and unexpected, to the point that I often felt almost illegitimate. For some time now, fortunately, I have felt more settled, more collected, more in control of my destiny and the trajectories that I take... And that is very appreciable! It's like a tipping point in life, and being a dad probably played a part in all of that, too. You want to pass something on to your child... You are part of another personal dynamic, so you strive to set an example. The sense of responsibility and the organization of a life with a child oblige us to frame things.

  • Maybe I'm lying to myself, but jealousy is a feeling that I think is totally foreign to me. In this environment, however, the competition is strong — seeing a role pass is sometimes a disappointment — but I would never draw jealousy from it directed towards another actor. On the other hand, I would have liked to have other talents. Like becoming a musician. Pianist, to be precise: I would have loved to know how to play the piano, although I have no gift for it, I have already tried, it's a waste of time (laughs). But all artistic gifts make me dream, like painting...
  • Moreover, like everyone, I think, injustices make me angry, even if I am not attached to a particular cause, that I am not campaigning for an association. Sometimes I blame myself, because in my position, I should probably be able to speak for something. But marking my choice is difficult for me. From global warming to child abuse to poverty, my head is spinning. You know, I'm a bit of a nihilist, or at least I define myself as an entropy: for me, the mess in our world is only getting worse. Yes, I know, I say this when I had a child, which is still a huge message of hope. It's a paradox, I know.
  • I am one of the actors who think that inactivity can be beneficial, it allows you to allow yourself to let go, to go deeper into yourself, to question yourself and to refocus.

The frenzy of our lives, this excess of activity, can lead us to escape from what we really are, it is a blindness. So I need these moments of calm and slowness. I arrange them. Because in fact, I am slow (laughs). I was blamed for it when I was little. I am an only child, so one of those kids who take refuge more willingly in their imagination. I had my own rhythm. Even today, I keep this feeling of sometimes being out of time with things and people. It must be like a valve.

On his scar

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  • Many people talk about this scar, and a few directors before [Peter Webber] were seduced, if I can say so, by this scar. I'm going to phone the surgeon and thank him for it. [laughs] I was six years old and a dog was sleeping in a garden, and I just jumped on his back like I would have done on a horse. And so he just hit me with his claws, and that made a nice little scar. But it looks like a dimple. It's nice, and it might help, sometimes, to express feelings in my acting. I'm not really conscious about this because I can't really see my face when I'm acting.
  • I have to thank my surgeon who did a great job. It [his scar] almost looks like a dimple. When I was maybe 6 years old, I stayed at my parents’ friend’s country house in France and they had this huge dog. The dog was sleeping on a tree and I jumped on his back like I was riding a horse or something. The dog wasn’t aggressive or mean, but it was just totally surprised when I did that and he tore up my cheek with his big paw. But it’s true, maybe the scar helped me in some way because it adds something to my face. It’s very interesting because it’s asymmetrical. It’s like a dimple that I only have on one side of my face. Many directors have used it for scenes in their films. The most memorable one was in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s A Very Long Engagement where I’m kissing Audrey Tautou and she runs her finger across the scar. [Laughs]

On fatherhood

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  • It's a huge upheaval. What was of extreme importance yesterday seems trivial today. Fatherhood brings you back to something very concrete, fills a void you weren't necessarily aware of, gives you a reason to live.
  • I love living intense situations, which leave their mark and enrich existence. The birth of a child totally changes the perception of the future. With my son Orso, a Corsican name, like his mother Gaëlle Pietri, I filled a void I didn't know existed.
  • Since I became a dad, my life has been turned out completely differently. From then on, I try to devote time and energy to my son. On set, I am far from him physically but also in my head. Between these periods, I therefore devote all the time he needs to him.

Quotes about Gaspard Ulliel

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  • I'd never met him before the film. I thought he was extremely cooperative, very sweet, unbelievably professional and he has a great face for the camera. He is cinegenic and very magnetic. He reminds me of a young Alain Delon.
  • I'm in a state of shock today over the loss of Gaspard Ulliel. I had the chance to work with him once briefly, and I was so impressed by his dedication and his intelligence. He loved the cinema, and I know that he would have been an interesting filmmaker if he'd lived to realize his dream. It's just heartbreaking.
  • It is impossible, insane, and so painful to even think of writing these words. Your discreet laughter, your watchful eye. Your scar. Your talent. Your listening. Your whispers, your kindness. All the features of your person were in fact born of a sparkling sweetness. It is your whole being that has transformed my life, a being that I loved deeply, and that I will always love. I can’t say anything else, I’m exhausted, stunned by your departure.
  • Gaspard, so much light and so much love emanated from you. How I loved knowing you. And I vibrated so much by your side. You were and you will remain, by what you leave us which is so immense and so deep, a marvel of a man. It’s such a great pain to know you’re gone. I’m thinking of all those you loved and who will always love you. Travel in peace.
  • We grew up side by side. I admired you. You have been a wonderful partner. It’s very hard out here, Gaspard. For many people. We find it difficult to realize.
  • Shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Gaspard Ulliel at such a young age in a skiing accident. I have such fond memories of working with him all those years ago on Hannibal Rising. Rest in peace, dear friend.
  • Gaspard belonged to this new generation of actors who were making tomorrow’s French cinema. He knew how to select his roles and shaped his career which filled every promise. Each appearance on the red carpet, from ‘La Princesse de Montpensier’ to ‘It’s Only The End of the World’ illustrated his presence, both discreet and full of kindness. He was equally brilliant and talented. He gave a lot and we’ll always remember him.
  • Nathalie Lévy: You directed Gaspard Ulliel in It's Only the End of the World, and you wrote an intense message after the news of his death...

Xavier Dolan: It was really his light... the allure he had... He was someone who... I still can't talk about him... And I still can't accept... I dream of him at night... very often. Sometimes those dreams look cruel... or... hyper realistic. Some look so real... and when I wake up it's so painful.

Nathalie Lévy: What was so singular about Gaspard?

Xavier Dolan: I saw lots of interviews with Gaspard when he died. And he was someone who loved words... and loved to think. Sometimes he looked up at the sky, before speaking. And yet all of his words were relevant, measured, cultivated... He was a literate man, and curious. He spoke well. And he spoke when he had to speak.

  • Xavier Dolan: I think of him all the time, actually... I think... It's hard to conceive it.. It takes a long time to accept this situation... to accept his departure... It's inconceivable... I often dream of him... I think of his family... his son... I think of his talent, his beauty... And I will talk about him tonight.

Host: That's why you're here, actually. Beyond your César nomination...

Xavier Dolan: Yes... honestly. This nomination is a recognition that I really appreciate, obviously, but it's not the first reason I'm here. I really wanted to say some things about Gaspard... Not because I have the right to do it, but because I feel the need to do it. I knew him professionally and intimately, as well. [Holding back tears] I hope tonight I'll be able to control myself better than now. But... I really feel the need to say personally how much I loved him and why.

  • Even if the script has changed a lot, we knew that if the character of Anton Mogart had to be played by a Frenchman, our choice would be Gaspard. He had the physique, but also certain skills like knowing how to ride a horse. [The two men met in 2011 during the Mediterranean Film Festival in Montpellier. The Egyptian filmmaker presented his film Cairo 678 there] He loved it. We spoke at that time and I knew I wanted to work with him.

I always thought he had everything Hollywood needed. Charisma but also talent. He had such an approach that it felt like it was his first time filming. It was an honor to have him on set. I was one of the only people to know how well known he was in France.

I told him at the time of filming that I was convinced that the public would like to see him again in other projects. You never know what Marvel wants to do. But if I was allowed to do other things on this universe, Gaspard would certainly have been part of it. I even already had things in mind.

  • We met in 2011 at the Montpellier festival. It was the very first screening in France of my film Cairo 678. The screening ended with a standing ovation. Gaspard was in the room, he loved it and we talked. When I saw Mogart's character, I reached out to him and offered him the part. I always felt he had everything Hollywood needed. He had the physique, he had the talent, he was fit, he rode horses and he did extreme stuff. He was perfect for Moon Knight. I was one of the only ones to know how much he meant in French cinema. I was stunned by his humility and down-to-earth side. It looked like his very first day on a set. I said to him: 'I am sure that the fans and the studio will want to see you again'.
  • It's still such a shock. It's the true definition of a tragedy when I think of Gaspard. He was so friendly and warm. We had a week together where we filmed this one scene, and he had a really quiet demeanor to him. But when you'd talk to him, he was really funny, and he was really committed to every moment that he was in. It was fun to work off of him because he gave so much. He spoke about his family a lot, especially his son. So my love goes out to them.
  • I met Gaspard 10 years ago. We talked, and I always felt like he was Hollywood material. He had everything — he had the looks and talent. When I got this job and we had his character, Anton Mogart, I contacted him and at once he wanted to be in it. Although he is a legend in France, on the Moon Knight set he was so humble that it felt like he was acting for the first time. He did such a great job that I felt like he was going to get called back one day by Marvel… it's such a loss. I can't even believe that we're talking about him in past tense because he was full of life. He was beautiful as a person and the only positive thing from everything that happened is that he’s going to live through his films as a legend forever.
  • Gaspard was amazing. I didn't know him well, worked with him for four weeks, give or take, but he was a wonderful human being, an amazing actor, and it’s a massive loss. It was a pleasure and an honor to work with him and absolutely sad to lose him.
  • His death was so violent… An earthquake for his family, for the profession. It's special to take on a role in these conditions. He's an actor I loved. I knew him a little bit. It is an honor to continue what he started. I don't think I would have done it if director Xavier Giannoli, Vincent Lindon and the whole team hadn't welcomed me with open arms. They welcomed me. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Gaspard. Intelligent, precise, very cinephile, cultured, I continue to talk about him in the present. I can't realize.

Xavier Dolan's tribute to Gaspard Ulliel at the 47th César Awards

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  • Tonight I wanted to pay a tribute to my friend, to our friend, Gaspard. I have chosen to do so in the form of a letter, which is as follows:

Madame, I am addressing this letter to you without even knowing you, without knowing you well. Outside, behind my bedroom window in the woods where I have taken refuge, the snow twirls in the air. It is transfigured by the light of the sun and the wind persists in beating it into loose snow. Big conifers rise in front of me, covered with a very heavy white deposit. Winter is calm, all of a sudden, after a brutal start.

I knew that in coming here to seek out isolation, I was going to start thinking and writing about Gaspard, I had already written for Gaspard before, I had written to Gaspard, but I had not written about Gaspard. And other than for an article, an interview or a prize, believe me that I had no intention to do so.

The day he died, I watched again, obviously looking for his company, several of his films, including 'A Very Long Engagement'. Mathilde's hope of finding Manech under this [Angelo] Badalamenti music... Opposed to my grief... She was going to find him. Perhaps I had intentionally decided that this film would confirm the things that we refuse to see, that I still refuse to this day, this evening. For example, to see, to believe.

But I didn’t come here to speak about the career of Gaspard Ulliel — I could recount the list of brilliant exploits and feats, of starry passages among the stars of the Riviera, of the industry. But what effect could these things have on the gaping wound of his departure?

I couldn't help but think he would have hated this kind of elegy. He would have perceived a lack of elegance in this glorification. And he was very elegant. Because his career speaks for itself. Through the articles that praise him and all the roles that survive him. His talent, we still have it. And no one can take that away from us. It's the privilege of being famous and an actor of his light to be able to count on art to fade us into eternity while other important bereavements for some remain unknown to all or become so quickly evanescent. It's a whole world that cried for Gaspard... it's a whole world that still mourns him.

Tonight I wanted to share two things with you. At 16 or 17, I had written my first screenplay. (...) In this film which was called "Les Ailes Roses", there was a central figure of a lost teenager who was looking for himself and felt very alone who hid his preferences from the world. At the end of the first act, an angel appeared to this young man and guided him towards the light... (...) I had written an email to give it to Gaspard. It never got to him, at least I don't think so. I had also written another role for him later on, and it didn't work out either. Another luminous figure, more angelic in benevolence who saves a character who is once again lost. Years later, I asked him to be Louis in the adaptation of "It's Only the End of the World" by Jean-Luc Lagarce. The fallen angel whose wings life had cut off, sacrificing himself to protect his family. During our first reading, the conflicting schedules of everyone lead to an impasse that he had to sort out by telling me this, "Do it without me, Xavier. In the reading, after all, I'm the one who does not speak, I'm the who listens. I will have the opportunity to catch up". And he did.

Gaspard was often the one who listens and does not speak. We have often talked about his discretion or his gentleness, of the mystery that he did not intentionally cultivate. But little has been said about his eloquence. I've heard him talk so much about his love for his profession. About life, the beautiful things, in a neat language that celebrates the musicality, the scarcity of words while many were making a point to speak first, Gaspard was distilling from a thought, a more accomplished, more chiseled look. A bit like the one he poses at the end of 'Saint Laurent' from his friend Bertrand Bonello, in this moment when he's eyeing the camera and lays his eyes precisely on the situation that is life and our souls as well. He seems to have understood something that has possibly escaped us all.

I chose to address this letter to you, Madame, because I did not know other than by telling you how much I admired and loved him. I didn't know how to pay him a real tribute. I think he would have liked to know that I wrote this letter while listening to a piece by Olafur Arnalds entitled "Tree"... "L'arbre". He would have listened to it. Even better. We would have listened to it together, without excluding all those who loved him. His family, it seemed natural to me to write to you this evening. To you, whom I immediately thought of that morning. Because a mother's love is stronger than anything. I believe it. Stronger than life. Stronger than art itself. And certainly stronger than death.

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