After a first release before confinement, A Mermaid in Paris is back in theaters on June 22. When the film was first released, Nicolas Duvauchelle and Marilyn Lima answered our questions.

[Updated June 22, 2020 9:30 AM] A heartbroken siren and crooner. These are the roles played by Marilyn Lima and Nicolas Duvauchelle, the two stars of A Mermaid in Paris. This realization of Mathias Malzieu had a net start on March 11, four days before the closing of cinemas due to coronavirus. The singer and writer's latest film is among the productions on screen for the reopening of theaters this Monday, June 22, 2020. An impossible fairy-tale romance, A Mermaid in Paris is also an ode to panache and the power of imagination in the face of a cynical and disillusioned world. In the casting, we therefore find Nicolas Duvauchelle, who finds here one of his rare light and luminous roles in his career. Seen in Skam and Bang Gang, Marilyn Lima finds here her first significant role in the cinema. A few weeks after the first release of the film, in March 2020, the two actors confided in an interview about this definitely unique film to play.

Nicolas Duvauchelle: The whole universe of Mathias [Malzieu, the director's note]. I read the script and after the book, it's super surprising. It's very poetic, that's what I really liked. And then the idea of ​​being able to sing too, and there is this twirling side, of not stopping: playing the ukulele, rollerblading…. I felt a bit like Buster Keaton, on my scale. There was this bit of a burlesque side, it was great to play.

Marilyn Lima: What convinced me was Mathias above all. This meeting was captivating. And there is his whole universe: it's not every day that you meet someone who is at the same time author, director, singer... He has lots of caps, berets, hats (laughs). So her universe, this meeting… and then it's not every day that you are offered to play a mermaid in a French film. It's crazy, no one can refuse that.

N.D.: Lots of things... He did everything at the same time, he wrote the book... and at the same time he decided to do Gaspard's songs. To be able to rely on a lot of tools like that, the songs, the book, on the script, it was great! We not only have the whole world of Mathias and above all we had Mathias at our fingertips… and since Gaspard is a lot of Mathias, having him on a daily basis was important. I never saw him in a bad mood, he never sulked, he was always full of positive energy, it's super nice to shoot like that. And above all, it gives momentum: when I composed the character, there was a benevolence thing that was very crazy that came from him.

M.L.: He's a multiple artist, so finding yourself like that with an artist who has a lot of empathy, who understands the artists and who has an incredible sensitivity brings a lot to a set.

N.D.: I'll let you start because we're talking about fins...

M.L.: (Laughs) There are obviously constraints to being stuck in a bathtub, we know it's going to be a little uncomfortable after a while... But I was very well surrounded. There were plenty of people present to check if the water was not too hot, if it was not too cold, etc. There was a lot of kindness. When you are freed from these constraints, you can play and you can immerse yourself in the character. But it was a constraint for both of them: this fin weighs seven kilos, once filled with water it's torture to carry it, you can't move...

N.D.: It was essential to see it in real life, not to have a green thing with special effects that are added afterwards. To be able to see her, to have Marilyn with her fin, we were in it, we never left the film. And all the sets... there was no green screen, we could touch and move everything, it was super exciting, to see this universe under our palpable eyes was great.

N.D.: Completely. That's how we all started working together. A month and a half before shooting, we went to the studio and recorded the first song. Afterwards, there were tones to find, you had to find the harmony between Marilyn and me for the voices,... But it was such a deadly experience...

M.L.: Deadly is really the word.

N.D.: ...and even seeing Mathias working and conducting, it was great.

N.D.: It's an understatement to say. I am quite pessimistic in life, unlike Mathias who is very optimistic. What I also liked was seeing a different universe, Mathias marvels at everything, all the time. He was hospitalized for a long time so I think it changes the vision and the relationship we have with the world... But it's good to see someone like that, it also questions us. The more the fact of passing the tests like that, the less to take oneself seriously... do things seriously but while having fun!

M.L.: I think we constantly show the bad sides of things. They always try to take our brains to tell us that this planet is horrible, that there are so many disasters happening... But they forget to show us the beautiful things and the good things, as if they shouldn't be shown. to see in order to continue to be bad, to keep us in a state of permanent ill-being. That's why this film is good to see and play because it's all about love. And that's life first. If there was one thing to remember from our time on this small earth, it is that we must love each other above all despite everything that is happening, and that love is what saves, no matter what happens on a daily basis. The film is about love and you have to talk about love... and show it... and live it (laughs).

M.L.: (hesitates) Yes, you realize it with the reaction of people after the previews, when they say that they had a sweet and delicate moment after work and that we bring them magic. I think we're a bit surprised by being an actor. In the evening, when you feel down and decide to watch a movie to relax, you say to yourself that it feels good. So obviously it's part of being a Surpriser to be an actor. And even me in everyday life, I like to marvel at everything. Like Matthias, that's why we loved each other from the start. And I try to convey a bit of joy to everyone, smile in the metro, ask someone you don't know if they had a good day, etc. I think it's a philosophy of life to be a Surpriser, and being an actor, you necessarily are.

First published on March 11, 2020 when Une Sirene was first released in Paris, this interview was re-shared when the film returned to theaters on June 22, 2020.

A Mermaid in Paris - in cinema releases June 22, 2020.