All is connected

Reda Kateb met Ben Mendelsohn on the set of Ryan Gosling's sharp Lost River Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Wim Wenders has played a big part for Reda Kateb with films Paris, Texas, The State Of Things, Buena Vista Social Club, and The Soul Of A Man and he recently starred with Sophie Semin in Les Beaux Jours D'Aranjuez, based on a Peter Handke story and appears in Wim's latest, Submergence, starring James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander. Longtime Nick Cave collaborator Warren Ellis, who is featured in Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth's 20,000 Days On Earth and is the composer for Deniz Gamze Ergüven's Mustang, got involved with Étienne Comar's Django through Reda's film Pitchoune.

Cave and Ellis did work for David Oelhoffen's intimate Loin Des Hommes, in which Reda starred opposite Viggo Mortensen. His next film, Territoires, will be with Alice Winocour's Disorder star Matthias Schoenaerts, directed by Oelhoffen.

Reda Kateb on Wim Wenders: "My eyes grew up with his movies." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

We start out with Uncle Wim.

Anne-Katrin Titze: I spoke with Wim Wenders right before he was filming the Peter Handke story, Les Beaux Jours D'Aranjuez. How was the shoot?

Reda Kateb: It was great. I love Wim. And we shot another movie together [Submergence] with James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander in Djibouti last summer. And I saw him in Berlin when we presented Django. I love him. He's like my uncle. And I told him, anytime he wants me, anytime, anywhere.

AKT: Do you have a favourite Wim Wenders movie, besides the ones you are in?

RK: I grew up with his movies, in a way. My eyes grew up with his movies. With Paris, Texas and L'État Des Choses [The State Of Things] and his documentaries. And I spent a summer dancing with Buena Vista Social Club music. I love the blues, so the movie The Soul Of A Man about the blues.

AKT: And we could go full circle. The Warren Ellis connection to Nick Cave and Cave to Wings Of Desire.

RK: Exactly. All is connected!

AKT: It's a small world. I didn't notice until at opening night they were showing all these clips, you were also in Lost River!

RK: Yes. Did you see the movie?

Reda Kateb and Sophie Semin in Les Beaux Jours D'Aranjuez

AKT: Yes and I am one of the few people who really liked it.

RK: Oh, I appreciate that.

AKT: At the première of The Nice Guys, the detective comedy Ryan Gosling was in with Russell Crowe, I talked with Ryan and told him that I honestly liked Lost River and he blew me an air kiss.

RK: He was happy about that.

AKT: It's a much better movie than La La Land.

RK: Very happy to hear that. I love Ryan and I have a great connection with him so I can say he is a friend of mine.

AKT: I really don't understand why people didn't like it.

RK: Too much culture, too many references.

AKT: Did you have scenes with Ben Mendelsohn?

RK: I don't but we met on set. Crazy guy. Very funny, very sympathetic. Now he's in Star Wars [Rogue One: A Star Wars Story].

AKT: I talked with him about Jacques Lacan.

RK: Oh really? Wow. He wanted to take me with him to the casino.

Reda Kateb on Ben Mendelsohn: "Very funny, very sympathetic. Now he's in Star Wars." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

AKT: Gambling? Where did you film?

RK: Detroit.

AKT: What's coming up for you?

RK: I'm going to shoot a movie [Territoires] with the director of Loin Des Hommes, David Oelhoffen. I am starring with Matthias Schoenaerts. You know him?

AKT: Yes, he is great in [Alice Winocour's] Disorder [Maryland].

RK: We're going to be the two main characters in this one. For the moment, that's what I can talk about.

Read what Reda Kateb had to say on discovering Django Reinhardt.

Read what Django director Étienne Comar had to say on telling the story of Django Reinhardt and working with Warren Ellis.

Read what Cécile de France had to say on working with Reda Kateb and the genius of Django Reinhardt.