Is it due to his tall stature, his deep and at the same time melodious voice that Eriq Ebouaney symbolizes quiet strength?
In any case, on stage as on the big or small screen, the actor often plays men of character, like Patrice Lumumba, the hero of Congolese independence under the direction of Raoul Peck or when he is directed by Thomas Ngigol and Fabrice Éboué.
We also find Eriq Ebouaney in the films of Brian de Palma, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Cédric Klapisch, Claire Denis etc where he opposite Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) or Kevin Costner.
Or on a more militant terrain. At the time of the 45th César ceremony, this Frenchman of Cameroonian origin raised his voice and wrote, with Olivier Marchal, Mathieu Kassovitz, Aïssa Maïga, Sonia Rolland and other professionals of the 7th art, a column in Le Parisien in which they demanded better inclusion in French cinema of people from overseas territories and African and Asian immigration.
What we know less is that the actor who tours a lot, in different countries and different languages (French, English, German, Italian, Arabic and Swahili), is a child of the Marais.
A neighborhood where he landed three decades ago, and where he knows every nook and cranny.
Text: Katia Barillot
Photo and video: ©Anaïs Costet – Instagram
24.06.20
