At the helm: The French filmmaker Guillaume Canet on making his English-language debut, Blood Ties

The French filmmaker Guillaume Canet talks about making his English-language debut, Blood Ties.

The actor-turned-director Guillaume Canet. Thomas Samson / AFP Photo

What guided your casting choices?

I wanted actors who trusted me and felt confident in me, because this was my first film in English and I was anxious about it. And I wanted them to be demanding in the same way that I was demanding, because that’s the best way to have a real collaboration.

What drew you to Clive Owen?

I never thought about Clive at first. But I was looking for someone charismatic and also with a strength in him – this duality – and I remembered the scene with Julia Roberts in Closer when he gets angry and there was a violence that I had never seen in him. It was quite terrifying.

Did working in English affect your approach?

Sometimes when directing the actors I had to go straight to the point because I didn’t have the vocabulary to explain everything. So I had to focus on one idea to make them understand what I wanted. Also when shooting I went straight to the point and didn’t do any safety shots. It made me better.

Why didn’t you appear in the film?

When I am directing I don’t like acting. I did it in my first movie because the actor left a week before we started shooting, but it’s tiring and I like to focus on what I am doing.