{"id":270404,"date":"2026-02-02T16:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T16:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/270404\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T16:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T16:02:09","slug":"quentin-dupieux-on-full-phil-with-kristen-stewart-woody-harrelson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/270404\/","title":{"rendered":"Quentin Dupieux on ‘Full Phil’ With Kristen Stewart, Woody Harrelson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tQuentin Dupieux<\/a>\u2018s \u201cFull Phil\u201d <\/a>has been described as a \u201cWhite Lotus\u201d-esque project based on its high concept pitch, starring Woody Harrelson<\/a> as a wealthy American industrialist attempting to reconnect with his daughter \u2013 played by Kristen Stewart \u2014 during an opulent trip to Paris. Yet, the prolific French director tells Variety that his movie is \u201cmore like \u2018Emily in Paris\u2019 in hell \u2014 a fever dream, a nightmare version of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA highly prolific and iconoclastic filmmaker, Dupieux (who describes himself as a \u201cwashing machine running non-stop\u201d) says \u201cFull Phil<\/a>\u201d was sparked by his desire to make a film in English after making 10 movies in French. At the start of his filmmaking career, he had made a few projects in the U.S. such as \u201cRubber,\u201d which lensed in California with a cast including Stephen Spinella. \u201cWhen you change languages, your brain enters a slightly different zone. It\u2019s very interesting,\u201d Dupieux says in an exclusive interview with Variety on the eve of the EFM.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe surreal black comedy, which Studiocanal will introduce to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin, also stars Charlotte Le Bon (\u201cWhite Lotus\u201d), Emma\u00a0Mackey (\u201cBarbie\u201d), Nassim Lyes (\u201cUnder Paris\u201d), Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. <\/p>\n

\n\tNow in post-production, \u201cFull Phil\u201d shot on location in Paris and marks the first film co-starring Harrelson and Stewart. They turned out to have the perfect chemistry, Dupieux says, adding that \u201cmaking the Kristen\u2013Woody relationship believable\u201d was key for the movie. \u201cEven if my films are often absurd, I always want believable worlds. I wouldn\u2019t have liked it if they didn\u2019t feel like family,\u201d the helmer says. \u201cBut they\u2019re great professionals. We never questioned it. He really is her dad, she really is his daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tYet, \u201cFull Phil\u201d isn\u2019t a deep exploration of a father-daughter relationship, says Dupieux, who is known for his absurdist and quirky sense of humor. The synopsis suggests a surprising subplot, mentioning \u201cFrench cuisine, a 1950s horror film and an invasive hotel employee\u201d disturbing their lavish Paris trip.\u00a0\u201cPure emotion as an objective isn\u2019t my thing,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat I like is fantasy, and above all, making people laugh and be entertained \u2014 but not through traditional comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe film is funny in other ways. I started with this father-daughter story, and then there\u2019s a second film inside the film,\u201d he says. \u201cI see these conceptual films like amusement parks. It takes us on emotional, comical and fantastical rides.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFull Phil\u201d reteams Dupieux with producer Hugo Selignac at Paris-based Chi-Fou-Mi Productions (a Mediawan company). They have made eight films in six years together, including \u201cMandibules,\u201d \u201cSmoking Causes Coughing,\u201d \u201cYannick,\u201d \u201cDaaaaal\u00ed!,\u201d \u201cThe Second Act\u201d, \u201cThe Piano Accident\u201d and \u201cSignaux.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe pair are already working on another project with American actors. \u201cThere are many actors I still haven\u2019t worked with. In France, I\u2019m close to exhausting the possibilities. In the U.S., I\u2019m just getting started,\u201d Dupieux says. <\/p>\n

\t\tWhat\u2019s the origin of \u201cFull Phil\u201d?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m a bit like a washing machine that runs non-stop. Projects are born and feed off each other constantly. I know there are people who work differently, who tackle a project one day and for whom there are reasons and a strong desire. For me, it\u2019s more like a washing machine. Right now, I\u2019m really at the end of \u201cFull Phil,\u201d and I\u2019m already revisiting scripts I had in progress, and we\u2019re already relaunching other projects. So there isn\u2019t this system of a project being born in my mind. It\u2019s not a race \u2014 I do it calmly \u2014 but this project was born in my laboratory, like all my other projects, in perpetual motion. It\u2019s very hard to find what triggered it.<\/p>\n

\t\tWas it perhaps a meeting with Woody or Kristen?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tMore likely a desire to confront the English language again. When I was just starting out, I made a few small films in the U.S., in English, and I had a lot of fun. When you change languages, your brain enters a slightly different zone. It\u2019s very interesting. Then I came back to France and eagerly made 10 French films in quick succession. I met lots of French actors, and there are many films in that group that I\u2019m very proud of. That\u2019s pretty much where it all started \u2014 a desire to change register through language. My films rely heavily on dialogue, and changing languages means confronting a different rhythm, a different music. That was the starting point. After that, Woody and I met because he saw \u201cThe Second Act\u201d and \u201cYannick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tHow did that connection happen?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tHe was very taken with \u201cThe Second Act\u201d and \u201cYannick,\u201d which surprised me because those films are based solely on text. It\u2019s hard to imagine Anglo-Saxons watching something like \u201cYannick,\u201d which is an hour of subtitles and very little action. You\u2019d think those films wouldn\u2019t travel, but they do.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat people don\u2019t necessarily know about Woody is that he has a very intellectual side. A few years ago, he made a single-shot film broadcast live. I didn\u2019t see it, but he immediately told me about it because there are long shots in \u201cThe Second Act.\u201d You wouldn\u2019t think it, but he has that kind of thinking. His film was like live theater, and my films are quite theatrical too \u2014 very focused on actors and dialogue. That spoke to him, and we connected. At that point, I was already writing \u201cFull Phil,\u201d and that meeting boosted my desire to do it. Having direct contact with an American actor like Woody makes development much easier. In France, I can call actors directly, text them, get decisions very quickly. In the U.S., everything takes longer. Decision-making is slower. Given that I like immediacy \u2014 my films are short, I make several a year \u2014 that\u2019s not always easy to combine with the American system. Here, it worked because Woody really wanted it.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat about Kristen Stewart?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWe embarked on the film as soon as Woody came on board. He accepted without reading the script, which is extraordinary for an American actor. He was so enthusiastic about the two films he\u2019d seen. I finished writing, and we had to find the character of his daughter. We always start by checking availability, because I like immediacy. We set dates right away \u2014 we don\u2019t say, \u201cWe\u2019ll see in a year.\u201d That\u2019s the DNA of my projects. They\u2019re very prepared and very written, but we do them quickly. We started looking for a young woman who could play Woody\u2019s daughter and who would be available, and we quickly came across Kristen. It was a great choice. The combination works perfectly. We\u2019d never seen them together, but something was immediately obvious. She took a weekend to consider it and accepted within 48 hours, which is rare. I think there was a challenge in the film that excited her. She joined just like that \u2014 very brave of her.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhy brave? Is she doing stunts?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYou don\u2019t know it yet, but there\u2019s a delicate aspect to what she does in one part of the film. There was a whole thing about cuisine, but I can\u2019t say more. Sometimes the difficulty is physical transformation or stunts or shaving your head. Here, it\u2019s something completely different. I\u2019ll leave the mystery unresolved.<\/p>\n

\t\tIs it a film about cooking?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNot at all. I\u2019m dissecting a father-daughter relationship in a complicated situation. It\u2019s about a widowed father trying to reconnect with his daughter, who\u2019s about 30. There\u2019s a very emotional, grounded part with real characters. And then the film slips \u2014 inevitably \u2014 into something more fantastical.<\/p>\n

\t\tThere are often fantastical elements in your films.\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s because a straight film about a father and daughter isn\u2019t my thing. Many people do that very well \u2014 I\u2019m thinking of \u201cSentimental Value\u201d recently. That\u2019s not my specialty. I dabbled in it, but inevitably I ended up doing something else. Pure emotion as an objective isn\u2019t my thing. What I like is fantasy, and above all, making people laugh and be entertained \u2014 but not through traditional comedy. The film is funny in other ways. I started with this father-daughter story, and then there\u2019s a second film inside the film, which is also a surprise. You can guess it from the synopsis: Kristen and Woody\u2019s film is mixed with a 1950s horror film. It\u2019s done in a very playful way. I see these conceptual films like amusement parks. The film takes us on emotional, comical, and fantastical rides.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat worked in particular? The chemistry between Kristen and Woody?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was the major challenge \u2014 making the Kristen\u2013Woody relationship believable. Even if my films are often absurd, I always want believable worlds. I wouldn\u2019t have liked it if they didn\u2019t feel like family. But they\u2019re great professionals. We never questioned it. He really is her dad, she really is his daughter. That was a great success.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother gamble was integrating a 1950s horror film into a modern story. On paper, it sounds crazy. The synopsis is mysterious. But that ingredient worked too. It makes the film joyful, special, and quite new.
There\u2019s also the theme of Americans in Paris, which can feel artificial. We shot in real locations. The film could have been partly shot in a studio \u2014 it would\u2019ve been easier and cheaper \u2014 but we refused. It really takes place in Paris, in real streets and buildings, and that gives it real charm.<\/p>\n

\t\tSome people compared your film to \u201cWhite Lotus\u201d based on the pitch. Do you see that?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI recently watched a few episodes of the latest season with Charlotte Le Bon, who\u2019s also in my film. I don\u2019t really see the similarity. \u201cWhite Lotus\u201d is quite realistic. Yes, there are two people in a hotel, but there\u2019s much more than that. And we don\u2019t stay in the hotel the whole movie.<\/p>\n

\t\tDid you ever think of setting \u201cFull Phil\u201d in L.A.?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI could have told the story anywhere, but I\u2019d never filmed in Paris before. I usually escape \u2014 deserts, sea, mountains. I live in Paris, so I need dreamlike places. Recently, I made \u201cL\u2019accident de piano\u201d in Haute-Savoie. Here, it was interesting to invite Americans into the clich\u00e9 of Americans in Paris and actually shoot in Paris. It was part of the DNA from the beginning. And the cooking element wouldn\u2019t have worked anywhere else. It\u2019s more like \u201cEmily in Paris\u201d in hell \u2014 a fever dream, a nightmare version of it.<\/p>\n

\t\tDo you let actors improvise?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNo, that\u2019s not my system. The script is a score, and it must be followed. But within that, I\u2019m completely open to real life. I love being surprised by performances. I work by ear. I listen to rehearsals or the first take, and I know what to tell them. Sometimes it works immediately; sometimes there are misinterpretations, and I correct them. When a line sounds wrong, it\u2019s like music \u2014 I ask for another tune. The rhythm is musical work. We explore. Sometimes we get stuck on three lines for no reason. That\u2019s part of the job. It\u2019s not improvisation, but it\u2019s not robotic either.<\/p>\n

\t\tKristen Stewart is also a filmmaker. Did that influence the collaboration?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tShe was very nice and let herself go. She immediately saw that my method was unique and not conventional. Because I write everything myself, I\u2019m behind the camera, I decide when we stop and start \u2014 it\u2019s a little wild. She understood it quickly and trusted it completely. The same with Woody. For the first two or three days, they were spectators of a method they\u2019d never encountered. It was a very serene set. I think it made an impression.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat defines your method?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeed. We shoot very quickly, but without stress. The team is extremely professional. Actors often tell me that on traditional sets they spend their days waiting. On my films, Woody and Kristen were on set all day.<\/p>\n

\t\tYou also edit during filming?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI pre-edit during filming. As soon as I have a doubt, I lock myself in a dressing room and check if the editing works. That way, I avoid shooting unnecessary footage. Many directors would keep shooting \u201cjust in case.\u201d I don\u2019t. I check. It means I don\u2019t exhaust the actors by repeating things endlessly.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat stage is the film in now? \t<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m finishing the editing now, and I\u2019m very happy with it. I\u2019ve never done anything like this before. It\u2019s new, even for me. And I\u2019m delighted it\u2019s in English with Woody, Kristen, Charlotte Le Bon, and Tim and Eric. Cinema is often compared to cooking. There are ingredients. Sometimes recipes don\u2019t work. In this case, I found a recipe that really worked.<\/p>\n

\t\tDid this experience make you want to make more English-language films?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAbsolutely. We have other projects in the works. One was written even before \u201cFull Phil.\u201d It\u2019s like changing music. English has a different rhythm. I saw it during editing \u2014 it\u2019s new music, very enjoyable. I\u2019m not tired of French at all, but this is a musical respite. And the U.S. is a wonderful playground. There are many actors I still haven\u2019t worked with. In France, I\u2019m close to exhausting the possibilities. In the U.S., I\u2019m just getting started. So I\u2019ll absolutely continue developing projects in English.<\/p>\n

\t\tYour producer Hugo Selignac says many American actors want to work with you.\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, we are in demand, which is very pleasant. It reinforces our conviction. But actually making it happen is complicated \u2014 schedules, huge stars, timing. My method is fast-paced, and I can\u2019t project myself two years into the future. I live in the moment. So I\u2019ll end up working with those who accept that speed. Woody and Kristen were the first to try it. They loved it. It went very well. And we hope to convince others to go just as fast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Quentin Dupieux\u2018s \u201cFull Phil\u201d has been described as a \u201cWhite Lotus\u201d-esque project based on its high concept pitch,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[146,140818,85,46,140819,397,140820,70809],"class_list":["post-270404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-full-phil","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-kristin-stewart","tag-movies","tag-quentin-dupieux","tag-woody-harrelson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}