About a week ago, France held its annual César Awards ceremony. The 2020 edition of the event was overshadowed by the controversy leading up to the evening, with Roman Polanski’s film “An Officer and a Spy” earning the most César nominations with 12. And though Polanski and the rest of the cast and crew from the film didn’t appear at the ceremony, the night still proved to be controversial, as Polanski secured the win for Best Director, prompting folks like actress Adèle Haenel to walk out of the festivities.
And as you might expect, Haenel’s public protest of the award recognition elicited quite a bit of discussion, both from those supporting the actress and those supporting Polanski. However, in the case of casting director Olivier Carbone, his response to Haenel’s protest (via La Libre) went above and beyond disagreement and hinted that the actress might find herself blacklisted by some folks who support the director, who was convicted of sexual assault decades prior.
The translated post on social media, Carbone wrote, “Given my sources Haenel, you will have a good surprise very soon, with a good omerta, a well-deserved dead career that hangs in his face. Haenel you are minuscule compared to the talent of Roman!”
Social media caught wind of the statements pretty quickly, noticing that Carbone actually attempted to clarify the statement a number of times. At one point, he even used the phrase “grosses putes,” which can mean something along the lines of “huge bitch” or “big whore.” So yeah, apparently there’s no denying the tone of the statement.
Now, it’s important to understand that Carbone isn’t just some random casting director. He has decades of experience and prestige, including work on films such as “Inglourious Basterds” and “La Vie En Rose.” So, it stands to reason that, while disgusting and inappropriate, his comments likely aren’t without some credibility, as we’ve seen many French cinema figures defend Polanski during his most recent controversies.
Haenel, of course, isn’t a no-name actress herself. She was nominated for a César Award this year for “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” And in addition, she’s one of the biggest names in French cinema, with performances in films such as “Deerskin,” “BPM,” and “Water Lilies.” She previously won Césars for her roles in “Suzanne” and “Love at First Fight.”
You can see screenshots of the now-deleted messages below: