Le Parisien interview

French interview in promotion of Miracle Workers: Dark Ages (series 2). The series premières on Warner TV in France today.

Translation by Daniel J Radcliffe Holland.

After heaven in season 1, Miracle Workers takes place this time in a medieval village. What makes this season 2?
The jokes are really successful. I'm delighted that a show can exist being silly and ridiculous while being smart with a lot of emotion. It is a real tour de force of the authors. And the sets are crazy. The exterior already existed, but the interiors were created for Miracle Workers. It's crazy to think that this is the setting for a small comic series! It's a bit like having the Game of Thrones sets and the Simpsons jokes. A combination as cool as it is weird.

What was your impression the first time you entered these settings?
This is the biggest film set I have known since Harry Potter. Every time I opened a door, I thought there would be nothing behind it, but what if: another room, a hallway, a courtyard… it never ends!

You play an incredibly stupid prince. What is easier to interpret as an actor: intelligence or stupidity?
Intelligence, I think. Because if it's well written, you just have to say your text correctly and you look smart. I hope I pretend more when I play stupid (laughs). When you think of famous silly characters like Joey in Friends, for example, it's a brilliant, incredibly nuanced performance by Matt LeBlanc. Either way, it's the most fun to play.

As in season 1, Miracle Workers remains a satire of the world today, taking place even in the Middle Ages ...
Yes, the series is a reminder of how much humanity has always faced difficulties. We are not special today.

Yet you are special yourself because of your popularity. Difficult to keep your feet on the ground?
No, I am not special. Believe me, I live with myself every day (laughs)! I grew up on movie sets and that taught me a lot. When I was 10-11 years old, the teams around me talked all the time about two types of actors: those who work normally by treating everyone the same and those who think they are above others. The choice was quickly made on the kind of person I wanted to be. I have always been aware that I was treated differently from the average person, but I try to do the opposite. I am not comfortable with preferential treatment.

What did the series bring you?
The chance to meet high quality comedy writers and see how they work. I got to spend time in the writing room in season 1 and even more time in season 2. They don't just write jokes, they build the whole structure of the narrative, the relationship between the different stories is fascinating. .

Steve Buscemi, your onscreen partner, directs an episode. Are you also planning to go behind the camera?
Yes, this is a direction I would like to take. Without giving up comedy, but I would like to do both in the next few years. I've been talking about it for a long time now, I would have to get started!

What kind of project would you like to do?
Something I would have written. Probably a black comedy. I would take all my friends there, I would use my connections from the last twenty years to convince everyone I have played with in the past (laughs).

Have you been writing for a long time?
For five or six years. It's something that has always attracted me, but I find it difficult to complete a script. I have finished one which does not seem very nice to me. There I am working on another one that could give something better. The more I meet authors, the more I take the opportunity to observe them. I'm still learning on this side.

What other comedy series would you recommend?
Fleabag. The first episode of season 2 is one of the best written things I have seen in my entire life. The entire series is masterful in its combination of sad emotions and laughter.

source: leparisien.fr