For Kenneth Branagh, Josh Gad turned into Mulch Diggums, the shaggy, kleptomaniac dwarf from the Artemis Fowl universe. During a videoconference interview, the actor told us more about his participation in the film.

In his adaptation of Artemis Fowl, Kenneth Branagh does not bother with any major problems for the dwarf Mulch Diggums. The kleptomaniac created by author Eoin Colfer here becomes a giant dwarf rather than just a dwarf. To play it, it's Josh Gad (the original voice of Olaf in the Snow Queen, but also Lefou in the remake of Beauty and the Beast) who dressed up as a dwarf hidden behind a huge leather jacket and with a shaggy beard. In an interview for Linternaute.com, Josh Gad talks about what makes Artemis Fowl such a special saga. He also tells us of his happiness at the idea of ​​working again with Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench, whom he had already had the opportunity to rub shoulders with in Crime on the Orient Express. He shares with us all the admiration he has for them.

I never refuse a proposal from Sir Kenneth Branagh! I had just finished Murder on the Orient Express, it was a wonderful experience to work with one of my heroes. A few months later, I received a phone call telling me that Ken wanted to invite me on his new project: Artemis Fowl. Of course, as soon as I get a call from Ken, I'm already in, but I wanted to familiarize myself with the world created by Eoin Colfer. I opened the books and couldn't help but devour them. I was impressed by the idea that the character of Artemis Fowl was almost the antithesis of Harry Potter. He's a 12-year-old crime master, a kid who's smarter than any adult and any creature in this magical universe, fairies, goblins, dwarfs... It just seemed so different, so original. On top of all that, I fell madly in love with the character of Mulch Diggums, this kind of loner who always gets into trouble until he becomes an ally of Artemis Fowl, or at least that's what we say. believes.

Yes, because the most interesting aspect of acting is reacting to other people's acting. That said, all the scenes where I am in some way the narrator are played opposite Ken who plays the role of the investigator who questions me. So I always had this chance to have fun shooting these scenes with someone brilliant. But nothing replaces the joy of shooting a scene with Ferdia [Shaw, Artemis Fowl] or Lara [McDonnel, Holly Short], Nonso [Anozie, Butler] and especially Dame Judi Dench who I am absolutely in love with.

Did you have a chance to improvise on set?

I've had tons of them! It's interesting because it's the exact opposite of my experience on Murder on the Orient Express where we had an amazing script by Michael Green that pushed the story forward and didn't really call for improvisation. . So I didn't need to improvise. On the set of Artemis, I quickly realized that Ken not only welcomed improvisation with open arms but also encouraged it. It's always a joy for me to hear that because it allows me to propose things that are obviously inspired by the screenplay but which take it further. Once you have recorded what is written on the page, it is always interesting to modify it a little.

Did you get to keep a prop from the movie?

Nope ! And besides, it annoys me to think about it. But it's funny you ask me that because I'm so innocent that I'm always afraid to ask. I should have kept that damn jacket. I think I'll ask them to send me the Mulch Diggums jacket.

This film allowed you to work again with Kenneth Branagh and Judi Dench. How is it working with them?

I went to the conservatory where I studied theatre. During my second year, the whole program was about Shakespeare and we started by studying the filmed work of Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench. I'm thinking of Henry V, of Much Ado About Nothing… We had master classes with great British actors like Michael Gambon, Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen and of course Dame Judi Dench. So they literally taught me my craft! To find myself now in a situation where they are my colleagues, my co-stars and my director is utterly surreal to me.