Most of the time, they tell their agent to tell my agent that they are eager to work with me. (Laughs) But sometimes I ask to work with an actor without knowing if he knows my films. This is the case with Rob. And it turns out he knew my works very well, indeed it is a guy who has a wonderful cinematographic education. On the set of Cosmopolis, I remember he had long conversations with Juliette Binoche about obscure French short films. He is a true cinephile.

It’s obvious that he’s a big star when you see the crowds he draws in on the croisette. He’s a huge star but he’s incredibly serious, an extraordinary movie fanatic and he’s incredibly intelligent compared to the image the media tried to paint him with for a few yers now. He’s such a wonderful boy, he’s a movie star in the popular cinema for sure but he belongs in the auteur cinema too, in such a natural way. He’s an amazing guy! He has looks that help him become an actor but he uses them, put them on a different level. It’s all about his spirit, his heart and the emotions he has that talk and express themselves in this movie. He doesn’t show off/use his looks. He’s really, really good.