We are republishing this 2018 interview with actor Alain Delon, who passed away on Sunday, August 18, at the age of 88.

Alain Delon was one of the legendary figures of French and global cinema, with almost 80 films to his name – several masterpieces and many popular successes. He was also an actor who rarely spoke publicly. To shed light on his journey and explain how he carved out a unique place on the screen, and to share his thoughts on today's cinema, he spoke at length with our journalist.

What emerged was an extraordinary journey and a distinctive approach to what became his career – after all, nothing initially pointed him toward this profession. Delon became an actor by chance, learning his craft film by film as he progressed. He didn't just act, but "lived" his roles.

We met him at his office on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. He confirmed that he would no longer be making films, as he didn't want to fight too many battles. On the other hand, his return to theater was being considered, without a precise date, with Jeanne Fontaine's Le Crépuscule d'un Fauve ("Twilight of a Wild Beast"). He expressed himself precisely, with confidence, almost without regret and with great conviction.

You often say that your background, your family and your childhood were not assets for becoming an actor. When and how did it all begin for you?

In 1952. I was 17. I joined the military, went to Indochina and was very happy there. For personal and family reasons, I wanted to leave. I wasn't happy in my family. My parents had divorced. I lived with my mother and stepfather on one side, my father and stepmother on the other. I was a troublemaker, the child who didn't fit in, the child between two couples, a pain in the ass. I really was. I was a child of love, but when that love fell apart, everyone had new children with their new partners. Nobody knew what to do with me.

I was placed with a foster mother in Fresnes. Her husband was a prison guard. I was there when they shot Laval [head of the collaborationist government under Philippe Pétain] on October 15, 1945. Yes, I was there. Not next to him, but we knew everything. We thought, "It looks like they dragged him off, he couldn't walk anymore, then shot him." After that, I ended up with my stepfather, who was always on my back, wanting to kill me, and my mother had a daughter and another son.

I was a deadbeat. I became a butcher, I worked everywhere, really. I was nothing. I had as much interest in being a butcher as you can imagine. All this led me, at the age of 16 to 17, to say: "I'm leaving." I saw ads in the papers to join the military. My only way out was the armed forces. I wanted to join the air force first, but I had to wait six months or a year. So, I chose the navy and left almost straight away. Back then, I was one of the youngest.

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