For Guillaume Marbeck, cinema has always been more than entertainment — it has been a question waiting to be answered. Growing up in Paris in a family with no artistic background, Marbeck’s fascination with film began early, driven by a desire to understand how stories were built and why images moved people. As a teenager, he experimented with filmmaking the only way he could, directing and starring in homemade music videos uploaded to YouTube, unaware that cinema could one day become a full-time career.

Two decades later, that childhood curiosity has led Marbeck to his most defining role yet. At 31, he stars as legendary filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard in Nouvelle Vague, the latest film by acclaimed director Richard Linklater. The role marks Marbeck’s first feature film appearance and places him at the center of a story about one of cinema’s most revolutionary figures — the man whose 1960 film Breathless helped ignite the French New Wave and permanently alter the language of film.

Speaking from Paris, Marbeck admits the opportunity still feels surreal. After spending nearly a decade trying to establish himself in the industry, landing a role of such magnitude felt both validating and overwhelming. The chance to portray Godard, under the direction of Linklater, represented a moment where years of persistence finally converged into something tangible. For Marbeck, it was an artistic leap of faith — exhilarating and frightening in equal measure.

Marbeck’s path to the role was anything but straightforward. After enrolling at Paris’s ESRA film school, he quickly realized that directing required an understanding of every role on a film set. Determined to learn, he immersed himself in all aspects of filmmaking, from production to distribution. Eventually, his journey led him to acting school, where he began sharing audition reels online. One of those videos caught the attention of the casting director for Nouvelle Vague, who invited him to audition.

At first, Marbeck thought the offer was a scam. The idea of being considered to play Jean-Luc Godard in a Richard Linklater film seemed implausible. Yet after a lengthy audition process, the role became his — a realization that brought both terror and excitement. He describes it as standing at the edge of a cliff, unsure of what awaited after the jump.

Since completing Nouvelle Vague, Marbeck’s career has continued to gain momentum. He appears alongside Angelina Jolie in Couture, playing a make-up artist, and is currently reviewing scripts in search of roles that allow him to bring something uniquely his own to the screen. Along the way, he has discovered that acting offers a different but equally compelling way to explore storytelling.

For Marbeck, both directing and acting serve the same purpose: offering audiences a new perspective on the world. “That’s why people go to the cinema,” he says — to see life through someone else’s eyes.

Nouvelle Vague is set for release in cinemas on 30 January, marking not only a tribute to cinematic history but also the arrival of a new talent ready for his close-up.

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