Jean Reno and Zofia Borucka got married in 2006
Photo: EASTERN NEWS
Renault seems to many a typical Frenchman. But none of that: he is a purebred Spaniard, and his real name is Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez. He was born in 1948, when Franco ruled Spain; His parents, fleeing from the dictator, went to Morocco, to Casablanca, where Jean was born. Morocco was then a protectorate of France. He moved to France as a young man and served in the army for a year to gain citizenship. In an interview with The Guardian, Renault said: “It was stupid, difficult, tough. We had no human relationship with the officers. We were like sheep among dragons. ” As a result, Reno managed to get a job as secretary to the head of entertainment programs at the barracks, and this made his position easier.
And then he went to Paris with a hundred francs in his pocket to enter an acting school. “I am not a Freud, but it seems that he was not happy with who he was. I thought maybe people would love me if I became someone else.” And he started transforming into other people on stage. Until now, the atmosphere of the troupe of actors is very important to him: “If I can more or less imagine what kind of atmosphere, what kind of atmosphere will be on the set, I agree to play the role.”
But the shooting did not come immediately. At first there were some TV shows, and for the first time she appeared in front of the movie camera only when she was already over thirty – she played a small role in the film “The Light of a Woman” (Romy Schneider played the main role). . And then she appeared in the debut work of Luc Besson “The Last Battle”, and she became friends with the director for many years. It was Besson who ultimately made him a star, shooting successively at The Underground, The Blue Abyss, Nikita, and finally Leon. That’s when Reno, 46, finally became a movie star. The role of hitman, virtuous in his profession and ridiculous in everyday life, made him famous throughout the world. As, however, and his partner-a very young debutante Natalie Portman. They are still friends, Natalie some time ago came to visit him in the south of France with her family. “She is a wonderful person. She would be happy if one day we have another opportunity to work. But now I am happy to know that she is happy and that she is alive. These are my thoughts.”
After “Leon”, shot in America and in English, Reno was glad to see him in Hollywood (he was lured there first of all by fees, as he once admitted to France’s KP.RU correspondent Valentina Lvova). He played in French Kiss with Meg Ryan, became a villain in the first Mission: Impossible, starred opposite Robert De Niro in the movie Ronin, appeared in Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla. Also, for Godzilla’s sake, he turned down the role of Agent Smith in The Matrix, which, of course, was a mistake: the monstrously long and clunky first film was widely recognized as a flop, while the second… .
But there were more successes. In France, the comedies “Aliens” and “Aliens: Corridors of Time” are considered cult, “Crimson Rivers”, “Time Difference”, “Empire of the Wolves”, “22 Bullets: Immortal” became huge hits. He’s still doing a lot of filming now: One of the last notable movies was Spike Lee’s Five of the Same Blood, which premiered on Netflix during the pandemic. Of course, he played a Frenchman there and, of course, a bad guy: he was always lucky enough to play the roles of both anti-heroes and villains.
And who is he in life? A rather simple person: he comes to meetings with journalists, he himself drives a car, without an escort of security guards, modestly (but stylishly) dressed. During his 75 years, he became the father of six children by three wives. With the last of her, the British model Zofia Borucka, he married in 2006 and is still happy with her. Of the problems that awaited him in life, one can name type 2 diabetes: he spoke about his disease in an interview and urged all readers to go to the doctor to control their blood sugar level.
On the day of your anniversary, it’s probably best to revisit León. And once again steeped in an amazing story of innocent love between a clumsy killer and a girl full of revenge. Years go by, and in Reno’s excellent filmography, this film remains the standout.
