When I was first offered to interview folks connected with the film EDEN, I was hesitant to accept only because I know so little about DJs and DJ culture, especially in the period of the 1990s, when the movie is set. Naturally, I’m familiar with Daft Punk, whose rise is also cleverly weaved into the fabric of EDEN, which follows the life of a French DJ named Paul Vallée (played by Félix de Givry, whose only other film was Olivier Assayas’ 2012 SOMETHING IN THE AIR), whose career always seemed to be on the brink of success that was never quite achieved.
Paul forms a DJ collective known as Cheers, and as you might expect from the epic, sprawling chronicle, they dive head first into the sex and drugs that were at the core of this lifestyle with its endless musical soundtrack. The story is based on the life of real-life ’90s DJ Sven Hansen-Løve, who just happens to be the brother of rising French director Mia Hansen-Løve (GOODBYE FIRST LOVE and FATHER OF MY CHILDREN), who was certainly famous locally, but never quite broke through the way Daft Punk did. EDEN tracks his life of popularity with both the crowds and women (including his American muse, played by Greta Gerwig) to the days when the culture faded out, and Paul was forced to kick his cocaine habit and get a real job. The film also features great performance from the great Arsinée Khanjian (best known for her many appearances in her husband Atom Egoyan's films) as Paul’s mother and Pauline Etienne as Paul’s on-again/off-again girlfriend.
EDEN is a tremendous work that legitimizes the artistic endeavors of these artists, who were more concerned with creating great music than fancy, elaborate stage shows. It’s a complete character study and cultural record that is well worth checking out, even if you have no interest or connection to this world (I certainly didn’t). I had a chance not long ago to sit down with writer Sven Hansen-Løve and lead actor Félix de Givry in Chicago, a city where Sven came as a DJ to meet come of his Chicago House Music heroes back in the 1990s. Please enjoy our conversation, featuring many French accents…
Capone: How are you, Sven? Nice to meet you. Great to meet you. I just watched the film last night, so it’s fresh in my head.
Sven Hansen-Love: It’s good in a way, I hope.
Capone: I went to sleep with beats in my head.
Felix de Givry: [laughs] You couldn’t sleep?
Capone: No, no, it was soothing. Sven, at some point in your career as a DJ, did you have a realization, like Paul has, that maybe this wasn’t going to be the thing that you made a living at for the rest of your life? How old were you and how did that shake your life up?
SHL: I was around 37 or so, and to describe it, it’s like waking up and realizing, “What happened?” It’s been 10 years and nothing has happened in my life. I didn’t change. I’m just the same, but people around me have changed. They have children, they have families, they have work. But I just woke up and realized that for almost 10 years, maybe eight years, that time stopped for me completely. And then I thought okay, I have to change really bad. I have to go back to writing because it’s really the thing I want to do, and eventually I realized that music, not exactly being a DJ, but producing music, trying to be a musician wasn’t for me at all. I’m not capable of really producing music. As a musician, I never tried to learn. I never wanted really to learn, because maybe it wasn’t my vocation.
Capone: Did you try to take writing classes like Paul does?
SHL: Yes, yes. I started to go to, not exactly writing class, but workshops. And I started to go first in a French writing workshop, but then I wanted more. I really enjoy it and I also went to writing workshop in English, because there are some writing workshops in English in Paris, and finally I’m getting a Masters in Creative Writing. I’m doing that right now.
Capone: Do you have more stories that you want to tell that maybe aren’t quite as personal?
SHL: Oh, yeah. I’m trying to tell stories that aren’t like my life, because I’ve done that, you know?
Capone: Well they always say in the beginning “Write what you know.” So that’s what you did. When you two first met, were there things about Sven that you wanted to draw from him and use in your performance, or did you not consider this since you’re playing a fictionalized version of Sven?
FdG: It’s funny that you say the first time we met, because actually I never said this in an interview. We met the producer of the film—the first one, because it changed—organized a summer party for the release of one of his films in a place in Paris, and Sven was DJ’ing. And I remember it’s the first time we met, but we didn’t really talk. I said hi, I introduced myself, and I remember seeing Sven not happy about DJ’ing at all. It seemed like a nightmare. He was there I remember reaching behind him for each new record, and just putting on song after song, not garage music at all but very modern music. I saw this image of him, and it’s strange when you’re about to portray a DJ, to see the person at this age doing that. So the first time we met was like the ending point of the film. That’s sort of funny.
Capone: Well, it’s nice to have a goal.
FdG: A goal of not liking something [laughs].
Capone: Exactly.
SHL: Actually, the truth about DJs is many times, even as a big DJ, it’s a nightmare to play certain types of events.
Capone: The last couple of scenes when you’re at those parties, and there’s nobody there, that’s painful to watch.
SHL: Sometimes you just have a bad crowd. It happens very often. But you have to play, you have to do it and enjoy it.
Capone: When you read his script, were there things about his character that you latched on to and said, “I can do something with this. I understand this guy a little bit.”
FdG: Yeah, also personally because I also have a story that I wanted to write when I was younger, and I did some writing classes, too, when I was a bit younger, and then I moved along and started to organize some parties. So in a way, I have a connection with that, even though I feel very different and also I’m living in different generation, so it’s not all the same things. So I relate. My age and my issues somehow relate to the issues of the character, but I guess those are universal issues that young people have. When I read the script, it was much larger, also. It was two films, a four-hour film, and it was a bit like BOYHOOD, with a lot of scenes that are not related to the main story. Now the movie is much more cut. But a lot of scenes that are life related and not music or party related. That’s something that was really interesting.
Capone: So the original script was massive? When did you decide to pair it down, and how painful was it?
SHL: It was crazy, too ambitious for my sister. It was her decision, actually. When we started to work on the film, she started by interviewing me and she took endless notes, and she had too much material. And she’s like that, she wanted to keep everything. It was painful for her to throw away things. So that’s why she ended up with too long a script. So she said, “Okay, we’re going to do it with two films,” which was completely crazy. But we tried for a while. We went to see some producers, some investors, but nobody wanted it. Actually, one producer/investor agreed to do that, but it wasn’t going to work. Anyway, it took us quite a long time, because my sister is persistent—when she has an idea, she want’s to do it, and nobody can change her mind. After awhile, she really realized it wasn’t possible, so we had to cut the script, which was painful in the beginning, but it was good, also, because this way it was more tense in a way.
Capone: I went into it thinking it was going to be a history lesson about this culture in France, but it’s more about how Paul is that guy that’s a near miss. You use Daft Punk as an example of success, and they’re weaved into the story, almost like you’re the Rosencrantz & Gildenstern to their Hamlet. Was that the intention, to show about a guy that doesn’t make it?
SHL: No, it’s very true. It’s something we wanted to show, in every movement, in every artistic endeavor, you have a few people who do it, you have a few people who do it a little bit, and people that don't do it. But in the DJ scene, you have many DJs who just try to do it, and it just doesn’t work, because there are only a few that could get the real success, and that’s the truth about it. We wanted to show that, because basically when you see a film about rock or any kind of music, it’s all about those successful people, and you realize that behind them there are a lot of people that don't get access to success. It’s the same as the film, which was a big inspiration for us, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. It’s the same kind of topic.
Capone: Very much so. Actually, it reminded me a little of ALMOST FAMOUS, which is another work about guys who were skirting fame. I love that the two recurring faces that we see in Paul’s life are Daft Punk and his mother. Anytime that we see one of those two, we know he’s being reminded that he’s not succeeding, because when he sees her, he needs money; when he see Daft Punk, who are sort of rising up, he’s reminded that his career has stalled. I actually love that actress, too, who’s name I will never be able to pronounce.
SHL: Arsinée.
Capone: But I see her in like every Atom Egoyan film, so I know her. I’ve never seen her in a film that wasn’t his, but I was really excited to see her in this. How did you get her in this film?
SHL: Well, Mia wanted her, and she knew her because Mia and Olivier Assayas, they’re friends with Atom and her. They know him quite well. And she was right. Arsinée is an incredible actress, really. She wanted her and it was very important. It was quite expensive because we had to make her come from Canada, flew her in business class and everything. So the producer was like, “Why her?” And my sister was like, “I want her.” I think it was a good choice, because she’s really good.
Capone: She is the quintessential long-suffering mother character. She’s perfect in it. If I’m not mistaken, the garage style of music that Paul is making comes out of Chicago, right? Did you ever come back here and meet some of the guys that started that?
SHL: That’s absolutely right.
Capone: There is one scene when we see Chicago for a second.
SHL: That happened to me. I came here 20 years ago with my girlfriend. When I think about it, I think she must have been crazy, because she followed me. I took a plane with her just to say hi to a guy, basically. Just to meet a guy and shake his hand. I was so much of a fan. So yeah, Chicago was really the city of the birth of that music, as was New York and a bit Detroit. So yeah, it was very intense and moving for me coming back to Chicago now.
Capone: Under very different circumstances. Is this story just your story with the names changed? Where does it vary, and why it’s important to change it a little?
SHL: Of course, it’s not really my story with the name changed, because it would be like a biopic, and it’s not a biopic. And also I don’t think I’m that important to make a biopic about me. We used my life as inspiration, and we tried to create a new character. I wrote it with my sister a long time ago. Sometimes I don't even remember if some things are real; my memory has faded a bit. Some things she invented; some things are the truth. All the events with Daft Punk are really the truth, because the story when they try to get in the club, they told us that story.
Capone: Those two are two great scenes.
SHL: We used this because they suggested it to us. So it’s a mix of real things and things I invented, but in the end, I think it’s not that important for the film. What is important are the feelings we try to express, and the whether something happened or not, I don’t think it matters so much, to my point of view.
Capone: Tell me a bit about the preparation. Did you get time to rehearse? Can you spin pretty well now?
FdG: We had a lot of time, actually, because the film was hard to produce. So we had a year from casting to shooting. And so I took some lessons to spin with Sven, especially because it’s hard to DJ on vinyl. Much harder than with computers.
Capone: I’m still not sure if I understand how that works.
FdG: Playing vinyl, you have to match the same tempo and match the beats together—the kick with the kick and the snare with the snare, and the two pieces of music are going to fit together like a date. That was nice to do, the lessons. Sometimes we had group lessons, sometimes we had private lessons. I also listened to a lot of music and watched a lot of footage, pictures, books. The comic book in the film really exists. It’s a great, great comic book, so I read it. I met some of Sven’s friends. It was a really deep, deep digging into the era and surroundings.
Capone: Did you shoot in a lot of the same places, if they were still around?
SHL: Yeah, a lot of them actually. It was very important for my sister, because she cares a lot about authenticity, and she thinks that helps, and also for the actors to get into the story. Especially the clubs, they are almost all the real ones.
Capone: I recognized the one in New York, actually.
SHL: The small club?
Capone: No, the outdoor party one.
SHL: Ah, [MoMA] PS1 [in Queens]. PS1 was really a challenge. It required a long negotiation.
Capone: Well, it’s part of the museum, right?
SHL: Right, right. But they finally agreed to do it, which was cool. The only important club where we couldn't do it was in Paris at a club called the The Queen. It is on the Champs-Élysées, so it’s a very touristy place. We negotiated for almost one year, and in the end we dropped it because it was to complicated and we decided to shoot in another club that looks quite the same, and it’s very nice because some people didn’t even realize it’s not The Queen because we changed the inside. But we changed the name. We called it The King [laughs].
Capone: One of the things I really appreciated about the film is that it’s not nostalgic. It just presents the events without making them seem…
SHL: Too glamourous.
Capone: Exactly. There’s no glamour, really. It feels like what you’re doing is work. It’s a job. And not one that you make a lot of money when you operate at a certain level. You mentioned your sister wanted to make it feel authentic. Is that something you were really keen on?
SHL: Well, yeah. I guess we wanted to show a different variation of that scene, because people when they think about DJs, they think about superstar DJs drinking champagne in jets with tons of girls around them. So, that definitely wasn’t the first thing we wanted to show, but at the ending, we didn’t just want to show only the dark side either. The ending was more about being truthful and authentic—to see that there are good sides, but there are also bad sides. It’s a mix of that.
Capone: I’ve got to ask about the SHOWGIRLS scene [where a group of DJs and their friends watch the film and debate its merits], because that seems to be just stuck in there for laughs. Which side of that debate do you fall on?
SHL: I fit toward what Felix says about it. I feel like it’s not the best film of Paul Verhoven, it’s a bizarre film, but it’s charming in a weird way. But I don't think it’s a masterpiece. My very good friend, who is a guy in the film, because the character is inspired by a good friend of mine. We had that fight many times, and he thinks it’s a masterpiece, and we don’t agree. But a journalist from Toronto, I think, wrote a book about SHOWGIRLS, and we heard about that, so my sister was in touch with him. It’s a small book about the cult following of SHOWGIRLS. He started the book mentioning EDEN, and he used the dialogue in EDEN to start the book, which is cool.
Capone: I was really surprised to see Greta Gerwig in the film. Did you have an American muse in your life at the time?
FdG: Her [laughs].
SHL: At the time. Yeah, I always had one. I have an example for you…
Capone: More than one.
SHL: Yeah, Mia when she did her second film, FATHER OF MY CHILDREN, she wanted to have a foreign actress, and many times I told her about that actress, Ashley Judd, she was my muse at that time. And then she started to watch her films, and she loved her, also, and she tried to have her in FATHER OF MY CHILDREN but it was too expensive at that time.
Capone: How was it working with Greta?
FdG: She’s very American, but she’s very nice, like Americans. I met her before, much before shooting, I met her in Paris before the premiere of FRANCES HA. And I met her and Noah [Baumbach], and they were both really, really nice. I started to get to know them even better before the film, and then we met again in New York first, and she was pregnant, vaguely. It was really nice to work with her, and also with Brady [Corbet, who plays her husband later in the film]. It was at the end of the New York shooting, and that scene was shot in one of Brady’s friend’s apartment. Brady was a roommate before, and so he knew all the secrets of the apartment, so we were hanging on the terrace. It was nice.
Capone: A lot of people think think that DJ’ing is just putting on one song after another, but talk about the artistry of it, the creativite aspect of it.
SHL: First of all, there is an intense thing happening in a good party with a good crowd. You have to have everything: a good crowd, a good sound system, a good place, and music that is not aggressive. Then you can get a real intense connection with people, but I would say DJ’ing is a lot about creating a vibe, so that’s why the selection is the most important thing. The selection of the songs that you’re going to play. It’s not only about one song or two songs; it’s all the songs and the construction. The way you build something, and you create a vibe, and that’s very special. I used to watch and hear my favorite DJs and try to understand how they do it, and I never did. I never have been able to understand because it’s really personal. It’s something that comes from really deep inside of them. It’s all about the selections.
Capone: As an actor, it it difficult to portray something that is that internal?
FdG: Sven is someone who is not very expressive. So portraying Sven, there is a bit of him in the character. We had some critics saying that you couldn’t see the passion of the character for the music, but in a way if he dedicated his whole life to this music, how can you not be passionate? There is something there. He’s not always the most demonstrative.
SHL: Showing off.
FdG: Showing off. Especially with this music, which is very gospel and very soulful, so there is divine. Not divine. Sacred.
SHL: Spiritual.
FdG: Spiritual. It’s very internal music, with dancers and all of the crowd. Also the part of Sven was spiritually connected to the music.
Capone: When it’s being filmed or when you’re watching it on the screen, was it difficult at first to watch parts of your life be re-created, especially the painful parts?
SHL: It never has been difficult, for the reason that I was so invested into the project, and I worked at every stage of the film. It’s not like I went to the theater and suddenly discovered my life on the screen. That never happens, because I knew every inch of it, every screenshot, everything. I had a distance.
Capone: You said earlier you have more stories in you. Do you know what you’re going to do? Have you written things since this?
SHL: I’ve been writing short stories; I’m writing a novel right now.
Capone: So you’re doing things beyond screenplays?
SHL: Yeah, I don’t tend to write for the movie industry, actually. I’m really into literature, and I’ve written some short stories. Some have been published in some American publications.
Capone: Felix, do you know what you’re doing next?
FdG: Not really. I’m going to New York tomorrow. I’m meeting an agent. Also in France, I finished my studies nine months ago and I have also a music label and production company, and we’re announcing a brand of clothes. So we have many different projects.
Capone: Sven, do you feel like you were ahead of your time, because today DJs are these huge rock stars, they’re putting on these massive festivals. Do you feel like your timing was off?
SHL: No, not really, because it wasn’t my ambition, really. I was just in love with that music, but all the things around it, like festivals, never really attracted me.
Capone: Congratulations on the film. Best of luck with it. It was really great to meet you.
