He surprised us this January 18 afternoon.
Jean-Pierre Bacri, who died of cancer at the age of 69, leaves an immense void.
In the world of cinema, that's for sure, but also in hearts.
And, in particular, in that of his friend and collaborator, Cédric Klapisch.
In a long message posted Monday, January 25 on Facebook, the director pays him a last tribute, but also protests against
"this somewhat garish media outburst"
around his death.
Read also: Jean-Pierre Bacri: we will no longer moan together
"You probably rolled your eyes to find all this praise completely off the mark.
"
Cédric Klapisch, in a Facebook post
What does Klapisch criticize commentators for?
To sum up the actor
"to ready-made phrases, established roles or social archetypes"
.
And to forget the man behind the screenwriter, or to confine him to the grumpy and brilliant character who was portrayed.
"You would probably have rolled your eyes to find all this praise completely off the mark
,
" he
imagines.
The criticism targets journalists in particular and highlights the complexity of Jean-Pierre Bacri's personality.
A famous man who didn't like that part of him.
A frank being, with nuanced and contradictory opinions.
"You weren't a fan of interviews, journalists and the media
, writes Klapisch,"
you had strong opinions on most social issues but you refused to 'break open doors' by playing the platform game like the make those who proclaim themselves "polemicists" (and who are often media darlings) ... "
A character also painted by Valentin Morel, his driver, in a moving farewell letter.
If the actor kept himself, throughout his life, away from the media whirlwind, consenting to the promotional exercise but rarely spanning himself or on the news, he did not feel less concerned, if not revolted.
As Cédric Klapisch writes, there is no doubt that Bacri would not have liked the light that his death casts on his life.
Perhaps he would have been uncomfortable, upset, or simply indifferent.
But his work and his talent impose this noisy general farewell.
And, if the director of
L'Auberge Espagnol
castigates sentimentalist reactions and unwelcome interventions, he himself forgets that his message could fall into this kind of category.