French Cinema: Profile of Actor Pierre Niney

He may only be 30 but actor, director and screenwriter Pierre Niney already has more than 20 films under his belt. He became the youngest ever person to win the César Award for Best Actor and the youngest member of the Comédie-Française at the tender age of 21… Hard work, it seems, is second nature to Niney.

Growing up in southern Paris, Niney, a hyperactive, arty child, dreamed of a future on the silver screen, partly inspired by his upbringing – his dad, François Niney, is a professor of documentary film.

He made his theatrical debut at the age of 11 and went on to do a degree in theatre. His breakthrough came in 2007 when he appeared in the two-part TV miniseries La dame d’Izieu. Other films followed, such as LOL (Laughing Out Loud), Romantics Anonymous and 18 Years Old and Rising. At 25, Niney starred as one of France’s most celebrated fashion icons, Yves Saint Laurent, in director Jalil Lespert’s biopic of the same name, for which he won that César Award for Best Actor.

Dedicated to his art, it took Niney five months to prepare for the role, studying the mental illness which plagued the designer and even learning how to sketch, which, he says, he sucked at. He confesses he knew little about the tragic genius before he took on the role, which he reckons helped him avoid any preconceptions and clichés. And he was nothing if not thorough when it came to research, spending time with those close to Saint Laurent, including his partner Pierre Bergé and muse Betty Catroux, and wading through hefty archives of interviews. For weeks he perfected his voice – cutting himself off from friends and family in case they hampered his efforts – and studied the designer’s hands.