Paul Kircher

Not to be confused with Paul Kirchner.
Paul Kircher
Kircher at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in 2024
Born (2001-12-30) 30 December 2001 (age 22)
Paris, France
OccupationActor
Years active2020–present
Parents
Relatives

Paul Kircher (French: [pɔl kiʁʃɛʁ]; born 30 December 2001) is a French actor. The eldest son of actors Irène Jacob and Jérôme Kircher, he is known for his starring roles in the drama film Winter Boy (2022) and the adventure film The Animal Kingdom (2023). Both roles earned him nominations for the César Award for Most Promising Actor. For starring in the coming-of-age drama film And Their Children After Them (2024), he won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor.

Early life

Paul Kircher was born in Paris on 30 December 2001.[1][2] He is the eldest son of actors Irène Jacob and Jérôme Kircher. His grandfather was the phyisicist Maurice Jacob (1933–2007). He grew up in Paris with his brother Samuel, who is three years his junior and is also an actor. They both attended school in the 18th arrondissement.[3] Irène Jacob and Jérôme Kircher both often acted together and took their sons on tours.[4]

Originally, Kircher did not want to follow in his parents footsteps by stepping into the acting business, an industry which initially "scared him a bit". Parallel to attending high school, he took lessons at a music school in Paris and sang in various rock bands. After graduating from high school, he began studying geography and economics[5] at Paris Diderot University.[6] At the same time, he completed theater internships with Jordan Beswick, who is a professor at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York and at the Manufacture des Abbesses in Paris.[5]

Career

Kircher made his feature film debut in 2020 in the teen comedy How to Make Out (T'as pécho?) directed by Adeline Picault. In the film, he took on the lead role of 15-year-old Arthur, whose love for Ouassima (portrayed by Inès d'Assomption) is unrequited. He then gathers a group of unsuccessful male classmates to give them tips on flirting with girls. Kircher had found out about the casting from a friend and spontaneously auditioned. The part led Kircher to another major role, in the 2021 romantic comedy film A Little Lesson in Love (Petite leçon d'amour), which starred Laetitia Dosch and Pierre Deladonchamps as lovers.[7]

Kircher's breakthrough as a film actor was the award-winning title role in Christophe Honoré's semi-autobiographical drama Winter Boy (Le Lycéen) Kircher portrays Lucas Ronis, a 17-year-old gay teenager coping with the sudden and unexpected death of his father in an accident that may or may not have been suicide. To help her spiraling son, Isabelle (Juliet Binoche) sends Lucas to Paris for a week with his older brother Quentin (Vincent Lacoste). Honoré had chosen Kircher from hundreds of actors[5] and would later praise him for his "overwhelming sensitivity".[7] In preparation, he gave the actor, among other things, the novel The Beautiful Room Is Empty by Edmund White to read.[8] For his portrayal of Lucas, Kircher won the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance at the 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival and received nominations for the César Award for Most Promising Actor and the Lumières Award for Best Male Revelation.[9][10][11]

Kircher at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival

Following the success of Winter Boy, Kircher was originally slated to play the male lead in Catherine Breillat's erotic drama Last Summer (L'Été dernier). However, the shooting was delayed, after which the actor was considered too old for the part intended for him. He then recommended his brother Samuel, who was not active in cinema, to the director, who ultimately awarded him the role.[12] Kircher was instead cast in a main role alongside Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos in Thomas Cailley's science fiction adventure film The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne animal),[13] which screened as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.[14]

Kircher next played the lead role in Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma's And Their Children After Them (Leurs enfants après eux), an adaptation of Nicolas Mathieu's novel of the same name.[15][16][17] The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival,[18][19] with Kircher portraying Anthony, a 14-year-old boy navigating the socio-economic and racial tensions in the fictional town of Heillange during the 1990s.[20] Guy Lodge from Variety noted Kircher's portrayal as 'cocky' and 'charismatic,' embodying the reckless bravado of a teenager grappling with the limitations of his small-town life.[21] His performance earned him the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor.[22]

He is set to make his theater debut in January 2025, portraying French playwright Bernard-Marie Koltès in Les Idoles, at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin.[23] Kircher will next star in Cédric Klapisch's La Venue de l'avenir,[24] in Phuong Mai Nguyen's animated feature, In Waves, based on the graphic novel of the same name by AJ Dungo,[25] and in Hubert Charuel's Météors.[26]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2020 How to Make Out Arthur
2021 A Little Lesson in Love Lancelot Girerd
2022 Winter Boy Lucas Ronis
2023 Les uns sur les autres Isaac Short film
The Animal Kingdom Émile
2024 Nos Cabanes Reda Short film
And Their Children After Them Anthony
TBA La Venue de l'avenir †[24] TBA Post-production
In Waves †[25] Eon (voice)
Météors †[26] TBA

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2020 Capitaine Marleau Manu Philippon Episode: "L'Arbre aux Esclaves"
2022 Weekend Family Alexis Episode: "Double Axel"

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue Notes
2025 Les Idoles Bernard-Marie Koltès Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin [27]

Music videos

Year Title Artist Role Ref.
2022 "En famille" Florent Marchet [28]

Awards and nominations

Award Date of ceremony Category Title Result Ref.
César Awards 24 February 2023 Most Promising Actor Winter Boy Nominated [29]
23 February 2024 Best Male Revelation The Animal Kingdom Nominated [30]
Cinemania 2022 Best Actor Winter Boy Won [31]
Lumières Award 16 January 2023 Best Male Revelation Nominated [32]
20 January 2025 Best Actor And Their Children After Them Pending [33]
San Sebastián International Film Festival 24 September 2022 Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance[a] Winter Boy Won [36]
Seville European Film Festival 16 November 2024 Best Actor And Their Children After Them Won [37]
Venice International Film Festival 7 September 2024 Marcello Mastroianni Award Won [22]

Notes

  1. ^ shared with Carla Quílez for her performance in Motherhood.[34][35]

References

  1. ^ "Qui est Paul Kircher, LE LYCÉEN de Christophe Honoré ?" (in French). Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  2. ^ LR Médias (27 January 2024). "Qui sont les frères Kircher, tous les deux nommés pour le prix de la Meilleure révélation masculine aux César 2024 ?". Marie Claire (in French). Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  3. ^ Armelle Héliot: Jérôme Kircher : ses adresses à Paris XVIIIe. lefigaro.fr, 12 April 2016.
  4. ^ Rossel, Natacha (1 June 2019). "Irène Jacob: Trois couleurs et bien plus encore". Tribune de Genève (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Dubreuil, Maroussia (29 November 2022). "Paul Kircher, acteur dans Le Lycéen : "La sexualité est la seule chose qui appartient vraiment au personnage"". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  6. ^ Bitton, Léa (23 November 2024). "Paul Kircher : « C'est le rock qui m'a permis de me découvrir »". Paris Match (in French). Archived from the original on 26 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b Paul Kircher. In: allocine.fr (accessed 16 April 2023)
  8. ^ Ciné Kircher. Tribune de Genève, 29 November 2022, p. 23.
  9. ^ Roxborough, Scott (24 September 2022). "'The Kings of the World' Wins San Sebastian Film Festival Golden Shell for Best Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  10. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (25 January 2023). "César Nominations: Louis Garrel's 'The Innocent' Takes Surprise Lead, Followed By 'Night Of The 12th' – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  11. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (15 December 2022). "'The Night Of The 12th' Leads Nominations In France's Lumière Awards". Deadline. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  12. ^ Cooper-Hadjian, Olivia (13 April 2023). "Catherine Breillat : L'Été dernier". Cahiers du Cinéma (in French). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  13. ^ Felperin, Leslie (17 May 2023). "'The Animal Kingdom' Review: Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos in a Sensitive French Sci-Fi Adventure". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  14. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (13 April 2023). "Young talents abound in Cannes' Un Certain Regard". Cineuropa. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  15. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (18 May 2023). "French Hitmakers Hugo Selignac, Alain Attal Set for Banner 2024 With Studiocanal and Netflix on Gilles Lellouche's 'L'Amour Ouf,' and With WB, HBO Max on Boukherma Brothers' Next Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  16. ^ Oury, Antoine (5 July 2023). "Leurs enfants après eux : le Goncourt 2018 au cinéma en 2024". ActuaLitté (in French). Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  17. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (5 October 2023). "End of filming is in sight for And Their Children After Them". Cineuropa. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  18. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (23 July 2024). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: 'Joker: Folie A Deux', Almodovar, Guadagnino, Kurzel, Larrain & More In Competition – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Leurs enfants après eux". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  20. ^ Brooks, Xan (31 August 2024). "And Their Children After Them review – racism and revenge festers in smalltown France". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  21. ^ Lodge, Guy (31 August 2024). "'And Their Children After Them' Review: A Delinquent Crime Echoes Through the Years In an Overblown Youth Melodrama". Variety. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  22. ^ a b Tartaglione, Wiseman, Nancy, Andreas (7 September 2024). "Venice Winners: 'The Room Next Door' Wins The Golden Lion; Also Wins For Nicole Kidman, Brady Corbet, 'I'm Still Here' & More". Deadline. Retrieved 7 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Clert, Claire (26 November 2024). "Paul Kircher : "Pour moi, c'est très important d'utiliser mon corps et de le connaître pour pouvoir en jouer"". GQ France (in French). Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  24. ^ a b Lemercier, Fabien (5 June 2024). "The shoot for Cédric Klapisch's La venue de l'avenir enters the home stretch". Cineuropa. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  25. ^ a b Hopewell, John (23 April 2024). "'French Dispatch's' Lyna Khoudri, 'Deerskin's' Rio Vega Lead French Voice Cast of 'In Waves' From Silex, Anonymous Content, Charades (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Reims et Troyes: figurants de 20 à 60 ans recherchés pour le tournage d'un long-métrage !". Figurants (in French). 4 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Les Idoles". portestmartin.com (in French). Archived from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  28. ^ Haddek, Emmanuel (12 May 2022). "Dans son nouveau single, Florent Marchet se retrouve "En famille"". Les Inrockuptibles (in French). Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  29. ^ "César 2023 : L'Innocent et La Nuit du 12 en tête des nominations". parismatch.com (in French). 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  30. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (24 January 2024). "'The Animal Kingdom' Leads Nominations For France's 2024 César Awards, Followed By 'Anatomy Of A Fall' – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Les films lauréats du festival Cinemania dévoilés". ICI.Radio-Canada.ca (in Canadian French). 14 November 2022.
  32. ^ "La Nuit du 12 en tête des nominations des prix Lumières, avant la course aux César". Le Figaro (in French). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  33. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (12 December 2024). "'Emilia Pérez' Leads Nominations For French Lumière Awards". Deadline. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  34. ^ "'Los reyes del mundo' wins the Golden Shell at San Sebastian Festival's 70th edition". San Sebastián Film Festival. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  35. ^ Cabeza, Elisabet (24 September 2022). "'The Kings Of The World' wins Golden Shell in San Sebastian". Screen International. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  36. ^ "Festival de San Sebastián : Paul Kircher reçoit la Concha d'argent de la Meilleure interprétation pour 'Le Lycéen' !" (in French). Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  37. ^ "'And Their Children After Them', de los hermanos Boukherma, gana el Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla". EFE. 16 November 2024.