The disappearance of Nadia Farès leaves Claude Lelouch baffled. The filmmaker reveals that he had dinner with her about ten days before the tragedy, a moment that seemed ordinary. “We had dinner together about ten days ago. She was at the peak of joy and happiness… We don’t understand, we are very unhappy,” he explained to Parisien on Saturday morning, still in shock. Her sudden disappearance is even more brutal as he was planning to work with her again: “I had even written a wonderful role for her in the film I am preparing,” he added, mentioning a project in which he intended to have her play alongside Mel Gibson. The director was familiar with the actress, whom he had directed in “Men, Women: User Guide” and then in “Everyone’s Life,” a collaboration that had turned into a true friendship over the years.
Nadia Farès and Claude Lelouch were neighbors in Montmartre
Living in Paris for several years after leaving the United States, Steve Chasman’s ex-wife resided in Montmartre, in the same building as Claude Lelouch. “She was our neighbor in Montmartre, we lived in the same building. We lived side by side and we always had her generosity and kindness near us,” he recalled. This closeness translated into simple and regular moments: “We often had dinner together. She had a zest for life, like me, which brought us together. Valerie and I are truly very unhappy,” the director mentioned, describing a relationship rooted in everyday life.
Claude Lelouch reveals what “immediately appealed” to him about Nadia Farès
Reflecting on their meeting, Claude Lelouch remembered a certain spontaneity. “It was her spontaneity that immediately appealed to me about her. There is nothing more photogenic than spontaneity, from Belmondo to Farès,” he explained. “She was very young and we never parted ways since.”
The filmmaker also mentions the health challenges she had overcome. “I knew she had heart problems, but she always managed to overcome them by thanking heaven each time,” he said, before mentioning that she still had “many projects,” including directing her first film. “She was at the beginning of her second half… She will be missed by many people.” Nadia Farès was also set to step behind the camera in September to direct her first feature film, which she had written.
