THE SON

[jo]

Florian Zeller shares clips from the Paris premiere of THE SON at Champs Elysees. Florian, Hugh & Laura bask in the warm welcome from the Parisian movie crowd.

http://instagram.com/p/CpVbxD7pFv-

[jo]

From Spanish media -- combining a narrative of Hugh Jackman's journey as an actor and what THE SON is all about and what it means to Hugh Jackman!

OPINION | The Great Sewer. By Rosa María Artal
FILM PREMIERE

Hugh Jackman tackles 'teen anxiety' and mental health in 'The Son'
The actor stars in the new film by Florian Zeller after the success of 'The Father', a drama about a father who does not know how to deal with his son's mental problems



Hugh Jackman, un padre sin saber cómo actuar en 'El hijo'
Hugh Jackman, a father not knowing how to act in 'The Son' Rekha Garton / Diamond Films
Javier Zurro

March 2, 2023 22:49h

Updated on 03/03/2023 05:30h
2

Hugh Jackman has always looked for a way to escape the label of 'action hero'. To show that behind the clutches of Wolverine there was an actor who wanted challenges and teach other facets. He did it through the musical, his favorite genre and where he has received the best reviews of his career for roles such as Les Misérables and even a Tony in 2004 for The boy from Oz. Perhaps that is why he fought against all odds to obtain the leading role of The Son, the adaptation of the play by Florian Zeller that he directs and that, in some way, is an apocryphal sequel to his previous work, The Father, for which he won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay and Anthony Hopkins for Best Actor.


Jackman was about to star in a stage version of one of Zeller's plays, but ultimately the project did not go ahead. After seeing The Father, he read the libretto for The Son and felt "the need to play that role compulsively." Without thinking twice, he sent a letter to the director, who was just looking for a cast for the film adaptation of his work. "I know you're working on adapting that play. If you are already dancing with another actor forgive my letter. But if not, I would love to have a conversation with you," his message read. "I felt it was a very honest message, with a lot of truth, I was very surprised and moved by his humility," Florian Zeller recalled from the Venice Film Festival, where the film competed for the Golden Lion.


They met on Zoom (the pandemic was still present), and eight minutes later Zeller stopped the conversation and told Hugh Jackman he wanted it to be him. "I didn't plan to make any decisions that day, but something invisible happened. I felt it. It was a script that dealt with something deep and I cared and I didn't want someone to fake emotions. I had that intuition and it was the best decision I could make, because the process has been very intense but full of truth and joy. I feel very grateful that he wanted to do it and follow me. He works like a dancer, in a very technical way, controlling everything and this story was that of a man losing control and that's why we made the decision not to rehearse and jump directly into the unknown and into emotions that could overwhelm us on set, but that we had to grab and hug to share them with people. Zeller explained in front of Hugh Jackman.


In The Son he gives life to a man with a perfect life, lawyer, high class, with a teenage son with his ex-partner and a new sentimental partner. Everything falls apart when your child's mental health begins to crack. There will come all the tics of a man who thinks he has everything under control. A masculinity focused on not showing feelings, a castrating father – a wonderful Anthony Hopkins – who has transferred to his entire family his frustration and pain, and the inability to understand what is happening. A father who, in his ways of helping, ends up dragging the teenager into an abyss.

Jackman confessed in front of Zeller that he would have been angry if he hadn't gotten the role. A character that touched him inside because of "his fear and impotence". "I gave myself honestly to the character and discovered things about myself through this process," he added. Jackman is a father of two, and teen mental health is a topic that touches him closely and has been growing in him, especially since the pandemic. "It's very easy to think that when you were young you didn't do those things, but you have to understand what this generation of teenagers is going through. There are many different things, from a pandemic to the climate crisis. There's a lot of anxiety in teenagers," he says.

It's very easy to think that when you were young you didn't do those things, but you have to understand what this generation of teenagers is going through, from a pandemic to the climate crisis.

Hugh Jackman — Actor
The actor was touched after reading an article in an Australian newspaper that said that "one in four Australian teenagers had contemplated ending their life in the last year." "A lot of things are happening in that generation that may be difficult for ours to understand and to that is added the helplessness of the parents, that tension of not knowing if you have to continue holding them or let them go. That essential tension is always with your children until adolescence, but right there it becomes more complicated when we talk about mental health issues."


I want it!!


Although this role is a dramatic turn and one of the most adult roles in his filmography, Jackman has never felt "typecast". "There was a season, I think 2003 or 2004 in which they only gave me action movies, but for me it was always a surprise to make action films, because I had always done theater. It was also a surprise to start making musicals. I had never sung before my first musical. I've never deliberately chosen this kind of thing nor did I do it to send a message to people and tell them that I wasn't an 'action actor' or 'a musical actor.' I've always liked variety and I love doing different things, that's something I enjoy, and now I'm more instinctive with my choices and the best example has been this role," he said from Venice.

Now he looks at everything from a privileged position in a profession he considers "very insecure". "You never know where things are headed. In other jobs you sign and you know you have a job for five years, but here you take on different projects all the time and you have to trust, and finding there the balance between work and family life is really important. I see my journey as an actor as something personal, as a journey of growth. That's why I got into acting, because I wanted to find answers to the most important questions in life, not for the idea of being famous or for being successful, that never interested me, "he emphasizes about a profession that has made him a star, and even a superhero – a role that he will resume in the new installment of Deadpool. but that has not always valued him so much as an actor.

[jo]

What an interesting interview!

Hugh reiterates most of what has been said about his feelings/outlook about THE SON.

But the interviewer inserts some interesting personal questions, too.

The Oui/Non series in the last part is quite revealing.

Btw, IIRC, did he call the amiable interviewer also by his name of "Hugo"? What a coincidence.

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Many kudos for the interview with Hugo Travers --

Pierre A. 🇺🇦
@pierrebigel
J’aimerais consacrer mon tweet annuel à l’interview ci-dessous, aussi juste que touchante. Très heureux de voir Hugh Jackman s’emparer, à travers son film, de ce sujet absolument fondamental qu’est la santé mentale. À voir, et bravo à
@hugotravers
!
Translated from French by Google:

I would like to dedicate my annual tweet to the interview below, as accurate as it is touching. Very happy to see Hugh Jackman take hold, through his film, of this absolutely fundamental subject of mental health. To see, and congratulations to
@hugotravers
!

[jo]

Hugo Travers (HugoDecrypte or HugoDecripted is the title of his show) has a very interesting journalist background.

youtube.fandom.com/wiki/HugoD%C3%A9crypte

[jo]

Hugo himself is very impressed!

Hugo Décrypte
@hugodecrypte
HUGH JACKMAN : L'INTERVIEW FACE CACHÉE

Rarement été aussi touché et marqué par une interview. ❤️

Dispo sur YouTube 👇
youtu.be/hCWvO2Zucto

@realhughjackman




Translated from French by Google:

HUGH JACKMAN: THE HIDDEN FACE INTERVIEW

Rarely been so touched and marked by an interview. ❤️

Available on YouTube 👇
youtu.be/hCWvO2Zucto

He has interviewed many others - Bill Gates, French politicians, F-1 Champion Max Verstappen, etc.

[jo]

The Q&A in 60 seconds!

http://instagram.com/p/CpfZhePjnZM

[jo]

[jo]

Ishez
@sanchezisaac131
Florian Zeller à propos de Hugh Jackman : "c'est un être qui m'a vraiment, vraiment bouleversé".

Retrouvez l'Entretien complet dans notre podcast, dispo sur Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer et Apple Podcasts !

"The Son" avec Hugh Jackman et Laura Dern, actuellement au cinéma.



Translated from French by Google:

Florian Zeller on Hugh Jackman: "He's a person who really, really moved me".

Find the full interview in our podcast, available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer and Apple Podcasts!

"The Son" with Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern, currently in theaters.

Hopefully, they can get to work together again.

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

Mar 9, 2023 11:02:02 GMT -5 jo said:

I replied -- and the tweeter ( UK filmsite) replied back.

[jo]

Loky - Suga suga day
@0613honeyfm
L’interview de Hugo avec Hugh Jackman m’a touché. Le partage, l’écoute, la bienveillance. Une discussion profonde, pleine de sens, et d’une telle qualité qui se fait rare. J’espère sincèrement que dans 10 ans, on pourra assister aux retrouvailles de ces deux là.

Translated from French by Google:

Hugo's interview with Hugh Jackman touched me. Sharing, listening, caring. A deep discussion, full of meaning, and of such quality that is rare. I sincerely hope that in 10 years, we will be able to witness the reunion of these two.

[jo]

Mar 9, 2023 10:16:56 GMT -5 jo said:

Re above which Florian Zeller posted on his Instagram account --

I posted this message... and he LIKED it.

bajph1
Congratulations!Hope you get to work with this acting team again in the future, especially Hugh Jackman, Mr, Zeller!
12h 1 likeReply

So, he has noted the request to work with Hugh Jackman again

Jo

[jo]

Hugo Travers continues to thank Hugh Jackman! Hugo has gotten so many compliments for the interview.

Decrypting ( deciphering) the decryptor - LOL!

[jo]

This is how a movie that addresses a societal concern should be met by the community! Not to provide a medical procedural but a lead to examining the issue of mental health.

mp.weixin.qq.com/s/LOA7hJ5r8eAZ7LvDF5_J1A

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Home video ( BluRay & DVD) will be released soon (March 28) --

in this interview with Florian Zeller for the Japanese market ( which has had its share of mental health issues with the young) --

In the interview with French media (HugoDecrypte program) -- Hugh did mention that this movie is probably closest to his heart. Zeller said he was convinced that role was for Hugh, after he has had some 20-minute zoom conversation with him. I suspect that Hugh had talked to him about what the young of his generation had experienced under similar circumstances ( partly, the separation of parents) and how they could bring more attention to this societal issue. If Zeller were to write a story on how this project came into being, Hugh's letter trying to persuade Zeller that he can deliver the role would be an interesting memento of the art of filmmaking.

Zeller was very pleased to have assembled a first rate acting crew for this storyline! Among his decisions, he decided not to do much rehearsals because he wanted a more spontaneous reactions to the story that was unfolding and how each character would be responding to the circumstances.

Zeller has great intuition about how first-rate dramatic actors can produce fresh and sincere emotions to what his original-play-turned-filmstory called for. He is such a strong creative spirit.

Jo

[jo]

Interesting interview with Readers Digest UK -- with someone who met him in 1999 re Paperback Hero ( if I am not mistaken, Hugh and the film group brought the movie to a film festival in Deauville, France). So, the assessment of Hugh Jackman as an actor must have started since then?

›CULTURE›CELEBRITIES›INTERVIEW: HUGH JACKMAN
Interview: Hugh Jackman

James Mottram 7 March 2023


Affable Australian film star Hugh Jackman explains how his new film, The Son, changed him, as well as talking about the musicals and Marvel character that are key to his career

The pink-walled Excelsior Hotel, on Venice’s Lido, is more than used to famous film stars mingling on its terraces. Since the Italian city’s celebrated film festival began, it’s played host to everyone from Greta Garbo to Clark Gable. Today it’s the turn of Hugh Jackman. The genial Australian star is, depending on your tastes, famed for the razor-clawed superhero Wolverine in the X-Men films or barnstorming Broadway-sized performances in musical movies like The Greatest Showman.

We’re seated in the downstairs restaurant, overlooking the sun-dappled waters of the Adriatic Sea. Jackman, 54, sporting a navy suit and white shirt, is trim and toned. We’ve met sporadically over the years, right back to 1999 when he starred in a little-seen film, Paperback Hero—playing a truck driver who writes romance novels. He’d just come off a breakout turn as Curly in an Olivier-winning revival of Oklahoma! “Hollywood to me is not a Holy Grail,” he told me, earnestly. But Wolverine was waiting in the wings, the role that would turn him into a star.


Between showtunes and superheroes, Jackman has never quite managed a role like his new film, The Son. It comes adapted from the 2018 play by Florian Zeller, who previously exploded onto the movie scene with another take on one of his own stage dramas, The Father. While that dealt with Alzheimer’s—something Jackman’s own father lived with for years—this looks at another mental health issue. Jackman plays Peter, a workaholic divorcee whose world implodes when his adolescent son begins to suffer from debilitating bouts of depression.

He gives a gun-wrenching performance, one that more than merits a second Oscar nomination of his career (following his bread-stealing revolutionary in 2012’s Les Misérables). “I think what was most interesting to me about Peter was [that] it was important to him to feel that he is a strong and capable man,” says Jackman. “And that made it harder for him to admit that maybe he’s not equipped, maybe he didn’t know what to do. Some guilt about leaving the family home, that is unresolved, makes him even more determined to be the one who can fix things, save his son—be the father that his father was not.”

To say the film got under Jackman’s skin would be an understatement. “I think it’s still working its way through me, as we talk about it and relive it and understand it,” he admits. “And when I watched it, I found myself very emotional. I’m not just talking about just the story. I think it was a process that required a lot of, I guess, trust and revealing.” At the Venice world premiere, where the audience gave the film a ten-minute standing ovation, Jackman was visibly moved by the thunderous reception.


He admits the film changed his attitude to mental health. “It gave me a lot of empathy,” he says. “It made me understand.” He started therapy during the filming – an interior clean-out that most in their middle-age years could probably do with. It also reframed his own relationships with his children. Married since 1996 to actress Deborra-Lee Furness, Jackman and his wife later adopted a son, Oscar (now 22) and daughter, Ava (17). “I’m different since doing this film,” he says. “I’m more open about my vulnerability with them, with my kids.”


"I’m different since doing this film, 'The Son'—I’m more open about my vulnerability with my kids"

While Jackman has worked for some of the world’s biggest directors, including Christopher Nolan (The Prestige) and Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain), he’s not always been recognised for his dramatic chops, and had to campaign his director for the role. “I had to call him and say, ‘Please have me!’ and email him and put my hand up for the part.” Zeller remembers their communication, as the actor quietly requested ten minutes of his time to explain just why he felt he was right to play the part. “I was really moved, I have to say, by his humility, his honesty, and his capacity to express his desire.”

During the shoot in London, Jackman’s raw emotions even took Zeller by surprise. “He was not trying to hide himself behind the character. He was open to explore his own emotions, in order to be as truthful as possible, which is very courageous for an actor.” It was a tremendously difficult time for Jackman; his father Chris, a former accountant whose health had been deteriorating for some time, died during production. The actor, who’d visited his father shortly before filming began, stayed on to complete the film, partly to help him through the grieving process.

Today, he speaks fondly of his father’s quirks. Like how he’d tell him off as a youngster. “[He’d say] ‘I’m very disappointed in you, young man!’ I remember getting that one. But my dad was very English. He had a bunch of others like, ‘Buck your ideas up!’ Things like that. Just really English.” Jackman’s parents were both British and had come to Australia in 1967 as part of an immigration scheme. The youngest of five, Jackman was eight when his parents split; after that, his mother returned to England with his two sisters.



Growing up
Jackman half-jokes that he “wanted to be a rock star” growing up, but the real seed for his career was planted elsewhere. A born-again Christian, Jackman’s devout father had been converted by Billy Graham, the famous American Evangelist, and he used to take his son to Christian Revivals. It may not have entirely influenced his religious beliefs, but the young Jackman was entranced by the showmanship. “I remember when I was 14, 15, going to one of those and having a very strong feeling that I was going to be up on that stage at some point. Calm but very certain.

"I remember when I was young, having a very strong feeling that I was going to be up on that stage at some point. Calm but very certain"

While he starred in a production of My Fair Lady at school, it wasn’t until Jackman took a drama class at university that he began to feel like he’d found his people. Further theatre studies followed, then came a role as Gaston in a stage production of Beauty and the Beast. “It was a bit of a joke. They told me ‘You’re not the best singer around’ but the guy had to be over six foot, and look a bit like me. In my contract, I had to have singing lessons every week. You do that, and you can be tone deaf and you’ll end up alright.”


He ended up more than alright. He’s twice been nominated for a Tony award, winning for The Boy from Oz. He hosted the Oscars in 2009 and has toured multiple one-man shows, singing Broadway hits to audiences. With all that razzamatazz, is it any wonder he was drawn to a film called The Greatest Showman?

He helped turn it into a $434 million-grossing phenomenon, one that saw thousands flock to repeat "singalong" viewings. “I’m thrilled,” he admits, “and I know how much it touches people and it really, really does mean a lot to them.”



Not taking compliments well

As an actor, he pushes himself every inch of the way. “When a director compliments me, I want to say, ‘Don’t do that, man.’ The next take’s not going to be as good. I react more to giving myself a hard time—it’s exhausting.” Every production, he’s always full of angst before he begins.

"When a director compliments me, I want to say, ‘Don’t do that, man.’ I react more to giving myself a hard time—it’s exhausting"

He remembers meeting tennis legend Roger Federer’s wife once. “She said [that] even after he would lose, he would come home and play table tennis with the kids. He was very philosophical about it all. I’m not quite at that Roger Federer level.”

Wolverine

If there’s been a constant in his career, then it’s been Wolverine. A role he’s played across nine X-Men movies, Jackman’s soulful turn helped turn comic book movies into the blockbusting behemoths they’ve become. He said goodbye to the character—brilliantly—in 2017’s Logan. “It was a discussion I had with [comedian] Jerry Seinfeld which really sparked off the ending to me. He gave me a surprising answer to why he finished his show; he just said ‘I’m a firm believer that creatively if you leave at the right time you’re propelled into whatever’s next with energy and excitement. But if you stay a little too long, it can be Herculean to give it up.’ And that really rang true to me.”


Herculean indeed. Shortly after we meet, it’s announced that Jackman will return as the character in 2024 in Deadpool 3, seven years on from his last appearance. The temptation of teaming up with Marvel’s most snarky superhero, played by Ryan Reynolds, was clearly too much. As he told The Guardian recently, “I just wanted to do it and I felt it in my gut [and] I get to punch the shit out of Ryan Reynolds every day.” The consummate professional, he clearly remembered that old showbiz adage: always give the audience what they want.

The Son is in cinemas now

[jo]

As preview come-on for the release of the home video and streaming facility --

a 10-minute preview of THE SON.

hollywoodbox.co.uk/the-son-first-10-minutes

PLease scroll down.


Jo

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/Cqefkp5IZKh

It looks like later audiences are showing the opposite reactions to the film critics and the initial audience feedback from the USA & Canada(TIFF)? The Chinese (as with other Asian countries), if I may so, have very strong family orientations. Maybe that was why the appreciation of the family drama had a strong impact on them.

Jo

[jo]

This is very interesting and heartwarming because it ended well --

In the film credits, you will notice that there is one which dedicates the film to "GABRIEL"!

Gabriel is the son of Florian's wife by her first relationship.



www.gala.fr/l_actu/news_de_stars/marine-delterme-son-fils-gabriel-dans-la-tourmente-je-nai-pas-vu-venir-les-choses_484275

Check the link directly for links to Marine's Instagram account ( some very interesting posts).

Marine Delterme, her son Gabriel in turmoil: "I didn't see things coming"
Orlane Déniel | Thu. 06 January 2022 at 18h04 - Updated on Fri, January 07, 2022 at 18:50 pm


@jacovides-MOREAU / BESTIMAGE

Marine Delterme is in the "News" page of Paris Match, this Thursday, January 6. The luminous actress and mother confided in her complicated period with her 23-year-old son, Gabriel Écoffey.

In the columns of Paris Match, on newsstands this Thursday, January 6, Marine Delterme puts aside her radiant smile to make serious confidences. Just after sharing about her former romantic relationship with a narcissistic pervert, the 51-year-old actress reflected on a complicated period with her eldest son, Gabriel Écoffey. During his teenage years, the boy reportedly went through severe depression. The young man of today 23 years old, is the one who inspired the play "The Son", written by Florian Zeller, Marine Delterme's companion. His story focuses on a father trying to restore the taste of life to his depressed teenager. Son of Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Gabriel was raised by his mother and Florian Zeller. "With my two sons, I am at the front line on adolescent fragilities," begins Marine Delterme. "With my first, I didn't see things coming. He ate well, slept well, I didn't understand..." says the native of Toulouse.

With Florian Zeller, the actress then had a second son, Roman, 13. The story unfolded differently with this one. "With the second, I was very vigilant: learning to recognize minute signals, a veil of sadness, a good mood of facade ... What a responsibility to constantly observe! It's a priesthood!" she shares in the columns of the magazine. The heroine of the series "Alice Nevers, the judge is a woman" concludes that on depression, "You have to tell parents, love is not enough".



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The actress posted some photos with her sons on Instagram

Marine Delterme is now happy with her two sons, and in her relationship with Florian Zeller. They married 11 years ago. Attached to the Paris Match article, a moment between her and her husband of 42 years (Jo's Note : Florian Zeller is 42 yrs old) , immortalized at the Oscars. On him, Marine Delterme confides "He took us head on, my son and I ... It's unbelievable! This 'young man' almost saved us, he is the noblest soul I have ever met. He brought us back to life. With immense patience...".


On rare occasions, such as Mother's Day, Marine Delterme publishes photos of her sons on social networks. In June 2020, the happy actress posted on Instagram a photo surrounded by her son Gabriel and wrote: "Being a mother has been my greatest adventure. Thank you Gabriel and Roman. Our struggles, our dreams, everything belongs to us." A fight won.

Article written with the collaboration of 6Medias.

Marine Delterme was "under the influence" of a man: her shocking revelations - Gala

[jo]

Re above --

On the article itself as posted ( see link : www.gala.fr/l_actu/news_de_stars/marine-delterme-son-fils-gabriel-dans-la-tourmente-je-nai-pas-vu-venir-les-choses_484275 ),

there is a link to Marine's Instagram account ( see the instagram photo with one of her sons). If you click on it - there are some interesting photos and messages.

*Photos with Florian whom she credits for what he has done for her life ( including a photo with young Florian when they first met 20 years ago).

marinedelterme's profile picture
Verified
I especially care about this anniversary because 20 years ago today I met my husband.
Thank you my miracle I am so blessed!

*Photos on THE SON

The messages are almost impassioned and very sweet.

I wonder how much of what happened became THE SON?

Jo