Jean-Pierre Léaud, The man who didn’t belong to himself

The unforgettable hero of Les 400 coups, Jean-Pierre Léaud made a spectacular entrance into the world of cinema at the age of 14. And to this day, it’s fair to say that he’s never left cinema…
An anti-natural actor par excellence, Jean-Pierre Léaud moves along an unpredictable, whimsical line that interweaves mild madness and depression, sorrow and laughter, with an eternal youthful allure despite the years that have gradually given him the physique of a jet-haired Indian chief. His diction and every burst of voice, every one of his characteristic hand gestures (the raised index finger, the hand in his hair) seem performative, helping to create a kind of “film within the film”. Truffaut, Godard, Rivette, Eustache, Pasolini, Assayas, Kaurismaki… An impressive filmography that has made him a legend. It’s a legend that doesn’t get talked about enough, but one that (as we’ll see in this portrait) has left a lasting legacy among today’s young actors…