Jean-Hugues Anglade is known for intense, emotionally exposed men, but we value the warmth he brings to Nikita just as much. He makes a supporting lover worth our attention, even when the writing gives him too little.
Fi1m perspective
As Marco in Nikita (1990), Jean-Hugues Anglade gives the film permission to relax. The romantic comedy suits him: he can hold our attention beside Anne Parillaud without treating their scenes as a contest. We warmed to him because that ease made the romance feel worth interrupting the thriller for. Luc Besson does not give Marco enough of a life beyond the relationship, but Anglade makes us interested in the man. It is a good supporting performance with a limit imposed by the writing.
His early leading roles made intensity the more familiar expectation. The breakthrough was Henri in Patrice Chéreau's L'Homme blessé (1983), followed by Zorg in Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue (1986). Subway (1985) began his collaboration with Besson, while Chéreau later cast him as Charles IX in Queen Margot (1994). The recurring attraction is to men whose feelings are difficult to contain, with a physical commitment that makes Anglade persuasive in both leading and supporting parts.
We would not mistake the shortcomings of Marco for evidence that Anglade needs a more anguished part. The difficulty is in Besson's writing, which leaves both him and Tchéky Karyo, as Bob, to suggest the lives their characters have not been given. Their charisma keeps the romantic triangle from becoming an interruption, but cannot give it all the feeling it needs. Anglade deserves credit for making those scenes work as comedy, even when the relationships do not move us as much as they should.
He directed Tonka (1997), then had a quieter period in cinema. Renewed prominence came with the television series Braquo (2009–2016) and later films including Sink or Swim (2018). We would begin with Nikita, a gripping thriller whose romantic comedy makes good use of him, and allow for a script that asks the actors to do too much.
Biography
Jean-Hugues Anglade is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. He was born on 29 July 1955 in Thouars, Deux-Sèvres, France, and trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique in Paris.
He is known for roles including Zorg in Betty Blue (1986), Marco in Nikita (1990), and Charles IX in La Reine Margot (1994), for which he received the César Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other credits include appearances in Subway (1985), Killing Zoe (1993) and the series Braquo.
Anglade has also directed and written the feature Tonka (1997). He was appointed Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2010.
