Catherine Deneuve
and
Alain Delon
have decided to mobilize for Ukraine.
In their artistic way of course.
On February 23, the day of the sad first anniversary of the Russian invasion, the two French actors will read on TV5Monde poems by two of the greatest authors and defenders of the Ukrainian soul: Taras Chevchenko and Lessia Oukraïnka.
This exceptional program will be guided by the interview granted by the Ukrainian First Lady,
Olena Zelenska
, to Cyril Viguier.
President Zelensky's wife will speak in particular about the dramatic daily life of Ukrainians, about her role alongside her husband who has become a warlord, but also about her hope of seeing her country win the war.
Finally, she will discuss the fight led by her foundation to rebuild the schools and hospitals affected by the bombs.
Read alsoAlain Delon talks to Volodymyr Zelenski
Cyril Viguier, the project manager for this programme, which will be broadcast on the five continents covered by TV5Monde, explains to Le
Figaro
why, in his opinion, the positions taken by these three personalities can influence international opinions.
What do Catherine Deneuve and Alain Delon represent today in Ukraine?
I'll be honest with you, and I didn't know it before going to Kiev, Alain Delon and Catherine Deneuve are the two biggest stars in Ukraine, far ahead of the Americans Brad Pitt, DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie... They are very loved by Ukrainians.
They know Delon's filmography by heart, They have great admiration for Deneuve.
The actress, for them, embodies style, good taste, the French way of life.
For Zelensky and his people, these are symbols.
Ukrainian television will broadcast this program.
And, it is important for TV5Monde, President Zelensky is used to putting on his Instagram the programs that interest him, that is to say those that support Ukraine.
He has already had this approach during the conversation that
he had on our channel with Alain Delon a few months ago.
You should know that France is a symbol of culture in Ukraine.
Zelensky read Jules Verne and French literature in general.
Going back to Delon and Deneuve, they are popular all over the world.
In Asia, especially in Japan, for Delon.
Both are also on the American continent and even in Russia.
They have, I think, an influence on the opinions of the whole world.
And this, Zelensky, knows very well.
an influence on opinions around the world.
And this, Zelensky, knows very well.
an influence on opinions around the world.
And this, Zelensky, knows very well.
At the end of 2022, Ukrainian President Zelensky and actor Alain Delon had a conversation by videoconference.
TV5 Monde, Bestimages
When Catherine Deneuve believes in an idea, she commits.
To reach her, I went through Christian Vadim, her son, who himself has Ukrainian roots.
Cyril Viguier
Don't Delon and Deneuve have a slightly old-fashioned image?
No, it's even the opposite.
What fascinates me when we look at these two characters, and I see it through the mail we received after the show with Delon in September, is that in people's eyes they haven't aged.
And I have an explanation: every week the cinema chains loop their films on satellite or cable, so the image of these two stars has somehow become immortal.
People forget that Delon is 87 years old.
For the public, there remains the
Samurai
, Romy Schneider's lover in
La Piscine
, the handsome thug of
Mélodie in the basement
who faces Jean Gabin.
Ditto for Catherine Deneuve.
We see her sublime in
Belle de Jour
, sumptuous in
Indochine
or with Françoise Dorléac, her sister, in
Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
.
The seventh art is eternal and so are the sacred monsters.
How did you manage to convince Catherine Deneuve to take part in this reading?
I knew she supported the Ukrainian cause because she had shown her support during the Venice Film Festival by carrying a small yellow and blue flag.
She does not want to enter into controversy but we must recognize her courage.
When she believes in an idea, she commits.
To reach her, I went through Christian Vadim, her son, who himself has Ukrainian roots.
In this way, it was the heart that took precedence over ideology, and that could only comfort her in her approach.
Deneuve and Delon will read Ukrainian poems on February 23 on TV5Monde
