Interview with ‘Tranh et Nowak’s’ Quentin d'Hainaut

Images courtesy of Simon Dubreucq

Hello folks,

Today we are giving you an insight into Quentin d’Hainaut’s life and work. Quentin d’Hainaut wrote and starred in Les aventures de Tranh et Nowak, one of my favourite short films. He played Agent Nowak. If you haven’t checked out the film, we recommend you do so. It’s brilliant.

If you can only watch one film for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?
Blade Runner.

What is the first story you ever wrote?
The adventures of Michael the Rabbit », that I wrote at the elementary school. Michael was a kind of long eared Indiana Jones.

What’s the best screenwriting advice you’ve ever received?
Write about what you know. Don’t go searching too far. 

What was your favourite scene to write for Les aventures de Tranh & Nowak? 

The meeting between the agents and Von Schnitzel.

How did you know you wanted to be an actor?
I was student in a cinema school, and I wanted to become director. But when I filmed my first short-movie, I just kept thinking I wanted to play the lead part. I’d rather be in front of the camera.

What makes a great actor?
Silence and listening.

How do you prepare for roles?
Depending on how far the role is from me. But most of the time every role makes you think of an animal, a character you met in a book or in a movie, someone you know… It is all about observing and catching the right energy.

What are your favourite types of roles to play? 

Bad guys. Or tough guys who actually have a failure.

How did you get into stunt work? 

I met a great stunt coordinator called Manu Lanzi in 2014,(Emmanuel Lanzi) who became a friend and who made me work on movies and TV series.

What’s your favourite stunt you’ve ever done? 

A fight against a German shepherd for the American TV serie « Patriot ».

What’s the most challenging part of doing stunts? 

To be real. I mean to make it look realistic, especially in fights.

What inspired you to write Les aventures de Tranh & Nowak? 
I wanted to play with all the stereotypes we have in mind about the different origins people can have. The Jackie Chan’s movies I grew up with inspired me as well.

When you wrote Les aventures de Tranh & Nowak, did you imagine yourself playing Nowak?
Yes ! I wrote it for me !

How does it feel to play a character you wrote?
It’s written sur mesure ! You feel very comfortable when you go on set. But at the same time it can be risky, because you don’t have any distance with what you wrote. It’s important to make some readings or rehearsals before shooting. 

What was your favourite part of working on Les aventures de Tranh & Nowak?

The work on the comical scenes. It has to be very precise to get the right rhythm. 

What was the biggest lesson you learned on working on Les aventures de Tranh & Nowak?

 To trust myself more. Sometimes it is hard but you need to impose yourself and your point of view. You can not be lazy on the set. 

How do you want audiences to feel when they watch Les aventures de Tranh & Nowak?
I want them to be entertained. If the audience laughs and reacts during the fights, as if they were in the middle of the battle, it’s won !

Do you have any exciting upcoming projects you can tells us about?

We are working on an adaptation of « T&N » as a series or as a movie. In France unfortunately, the action-comedy genre isn’t very popular… but we are searching for a producer.

How has Fighting Spirit Film Festival helped your career? 

It is a bit too soon to say it, but for sure it helps us to introduce the movie to some producer to say that the short-movie won awards around the world.

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Well folks, we hope you enjoyed the interview. To keep up to date with Quentin, make sure to follow him on Instagram.