The ritual of the video club: Benoît Magimel’s childhood cinephile
As a child, Benoît Magimel regularly frequented video clubs with his older brother, equipped with a punch card and leaving with VHS tapes for the weekend. He first discovered westerns and French comedies, spending entire evenings in front of the television. At first, he did not appreciate black and white films, but a true revelation eventually convinced him.
When Benoît meets Melville and the legendary films
Benoît Magimel discovers Jean-Pierre Melville with The Second Breath and The Red Circle, films that impressed him greatly, especially for the stories of friendship, mythical characters, and the codes of honor highlighted in them.
La Haine: the choice of a small role, a memorable phrase
In La Haine, he refused the role of the skinhead for fear of complications in his daily life, eventually obtaining a small role in a scene on the roof. His simple phrase about a lost gun has often earned him recognition from viewers for years.
Hip-hop in Paris, a strong period
Magimel also recalls the emergence of hip-hop in Paris, an underground and still relatively unknown movement when he discovered it, which marked an important period for him.
