Laurent Guyon Interview

How did you first get involved with NM?

Paul is a friend, and when he first asked me to play in his movie, I thought he was joking. But one day, as he was coming back from Burma and was stopping in Samui for a few days before leaving for another Asian country, he told us that the script was nearly finished, and that he had made the first contacts with the sound crew, the DOP and a whole technical crew… It was no joke! Then when I read the script, I liked it a lot, I really loved the atmosphere.

How easy was it to act in English?

Acting in English was not too hard, and the lines were easy enough … the most difficult was that Paul took a perverse pleasure in changing the lines the night before the actual shooting…I already had trouble committing to learning my lines (what a bad student I am), and when I was learning them, they'd systematically be changed or their order re-arranged! It was most difficult for the crew who had to keep going until we got the right delivery… They were very patient!

Is your character, Lec, like you in any way?

Oh yes, he's covered in tattoos and has my face!

What's your best memory of the filming?

My best memory? Food time! The (Thai) food was really excellent and it was a good time to recharge the batteries…. Seriously, I specifically enjoyed shooting at the Mangrove, and all the drug-party scenes. The place was gorgeous. And most importantly we had such a laugh getting covered in coffee-mate … so sticky!

What did you find the most difficult?

The waiting, because we (actors) used to join the crew for food, mostly at the end of the afternoon as we used to shoot a lot at night. After dinner we'd review a few things with Paul for the scenes we were going to shoot, and then we'd have to wait for the lights, props, etc.. to be in place. So, while waiting, I would drink a lot of beer and French wine - Paul, thank you for the Bordeaux - which did not help for my lines… but maybe it gave that special touch to my performance...