parismatch.be/actualites/433609/vincent-kompany-et-jcvd-belges-un-jour-belges-toujours-exclusifWhat are the three best memories of your career?
JCVD. My goal was to become an actor. I wanted to live my childhood dream. I gave everything to make it happen. I accepted the sacrifices, the pitfalls and the sufferings of life, moving away from my family and my country to make it happen. I knew it was my destiny. I felt it. I am fortunate to have parents who believed in me. Thanks to them, thanks to sport, I forged my destiny. And my best memories, apart from those relating to my private life, my parents, my wife and my children, I owe them to this fate. First there was this crazy day in Los Angeles where, to convince a producer to give me my chance, I the stranger who had not yet really worked, I jumped on his desk to do the big gap. He was so surprised that he allowed me to shoot "Bloodsport", the movie that launched my career. The second is meeting up with friends for "The Expendables 2". My friends ? Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren… People whose trajectories confirm that sport can help each of us. One evening at a gala, a woman came to me to tell me that I had saved her son. Saved his son? “Yes, he understood that it was better to tire yourself out in the gym than to hang out with the wrong people. Such statements go beyond the framework of cinema. There is also the context of the series "Jean-Claude Van Johnson": the great Ridley Scott wanted to shoot with me! Thanks to him, thanks to his great team, I was able to show, in completely different characters, who I really am. Not to mention the touching memory of a gala evening in Brussels. I was a little nervous: how would the audience, my audience, understand my character from "JCVD"? That night I saw a woman crying a few feet away from me: she was moved by what she saw on the screen. I, JCVD, made a spectator cry with my acting!
Vincent Kompany. My fondest memory is the first English league title, won with Manchester City, and Sergio Agüero’s goal. A crazy match, with twists and turns, a crazy suspense, and the coronation arrived in the last minute of the last game of the season. Like a final that is won at the last second. It was exceptional, strong, almost supernatural. The second moment, it was my goal against Leicester which allowed us to regain the advantage over Liverpool. It was the last home game. Of course, I also think of my very first match with Anderlecht and the unthinkable reception from the public, as well as my decision to return to the club with the objective of helping the young people and winning the title again for the supporters, the people who have always followed and supported me.
When you delve into your memories, what is the image you take of the child that you were?
JCVD. That of a loving and dreamy child. I was fortunate to receive a lot of family love. And I am very grateful to my parents for that. I dreamed of travel, adventure and action. I read Tintin's comics a lot. With him, I traveled, from my room, around the world. I wanted to become a hero, like him. I was in my bubble. But I was also a kid who moved a lot. I was curious about everything. Besides, I still am. Often there are not enough hours in a day so I want to move. Sport gave me double energy (laughs).
Vincent Kompany. I was a hungry child. I wanted to do everything, learn everything, know everything, with this desire to be the best at everything. A lot of things interested me, my ambition was huge. I worked in several different worlds: the Gare du Nord district in Brussels, where I lived, my Dutch-speaking school at Chaussée de Flandre and the Marché aux Grains, and finally the world of football. An elitist universe from the start, where you had to be at the top at all levels. The expectation was great, especially in this area which was nevertheless a hobby. I remember moving from one environment to another and feeling different impulses. In fact, from a young age, I faced many challenges.
Reading Paris Match is not without comments! © Frédéric Andrieu / Paris Match
What is your opinion on the racism of which many children are victims, and how can we fight it?
JCVD. I will never understand racism. In the world of sport, the link is very important. There are no borders. Through sport, you support each other. You help and motivate each other to win together. We are all human beings first and foremost. We often say: “Everything that divides us weakens us. " It is true. We must all live together and stem this hatred. We all live on the same planet, so let's all be together, it's so much more beautiful! We have a fight to wage: save our Earth which has suffered serious damage for years. Regardless of religion, we were created to live together on our planet, not to kill each other. Racism is often hatred that comes from uneducated and stupid people.
Vincent Kompany. Racism among young people has only one root: parents. They are the only culprits. This inhuman disease raises questions, generates doubts, causes deep pain, when a child should not even worry about such things; he should only be able to think about his development and the pleasures of life. A child should always spend his life laughing, discovering others, knowing the benefits of friendship. He should never be tainted with racism. It’s a pain that makes you leave childhood too quickly, that pulls you into a world that is not yours, that exposes you too young to adult problems. That is why the parents are the only ones responsible.
How do you explain that you can be successful coming from such a small country? And what do you think of this Belgium that you love so much?
JCVD. Vincent Kompany and I are Belgian UFOs (laughs). We have, I think, excited, delighted, dreamed of millions of people. And therefore millions of Belgians. We have reached all classes of the population. And, I hope from the bottom of my heart, made millions of young people want to take charge of a gym. How could I have thought that I was going to be successful when I came to Hollywood from my little Belgium? I didn't even speak English! But I was driven by fighting spirit, determination, ambition. Today I have a statue in Belgium. A second in Azerbaijan, in a village called Van Dam! A star in Ostend, prints of my hands and stars in various countries. Isn't it great for our Belgium to shine all over the world? Vincent like me is proud to be Belgian. Proud of our country full of talent. Look at Vincent: he could easily have gone to another club and made millions. He could have rested on his laurels. Well no, he came back to his original club, his childhood club, out of love and passion, with challenges in his head. It is class. This is the Belgian miracle: we love our country. We are devotees. In my second movie in Hollywood, I already said on screen that I was Belgian. I don't play politics. But when I see everything that is going on with us, I am worried. Let's not kill such a beautiful country, with so many different people who enjoy living together.
Vincent Kompany. Everything is easier these days; life has become a window open to the world. We travel more easily. And the examples of Belgians who export well are legion: the Red Devils, Stromae in the artistic field or in others like our brilliant scientists. For a small country, we also have an important asset: our ability to learn languages. I would even say that learning languages is an obligation to open up to the outside world. And then there is our ability to approach the other, to come into contact with him, to understand him. This very Belgian sociability is a huge asset, even if there are always exceptions. It is no coincidence that the Belgians are appreciated abroad. And this Belgium, I love it; she is so touching that she doesn't realize how special, different, special, unique she is. In addition, she lives in the center of Europe, surrounded by large countries; it is exceptional for its linguistic character and the international side of cities like Brussels, Antwerp and others. It's a crossing point for people from hyper developed, super powerful countries, a sort of control tower. The Belgians do not realize how much of an advantage this is. An aspect that must be continued to exploit, because we have everything to gain from it. For me, what I've learned mostly abroad, mainly in England, is that you always have to be alert to opportunities. In Belgium, we often focus on what could go wrong, when we should believe in our abilities and seize our chance at the right time. Our urban wealth is enormous. The country is full of talent, our potential is great. If we really became aware of these qualities, we could create a much cooler, healthier, more cheerful Belgium 2.0 to live in. Even more a generator of hope and equity for tomorrow.
Both of you often pay homage to your parents. What has been their role in your success?
JCVD. Primordial. I owe everything to their love and support. My parents had the ability to read my mind. They knew that I wanted to move to Hollywood to become a global actor in action cinema. We must admit that the bet was totally risky, almost impossible to meet for a little Belgian from Brussels. But I believed in it. My parents didn’t let anyone break my dream. They supported me in this incredible adventure. They were there. Always positive, always motivating. I wish everyone to have parents like mine. They played a big role and never leave my heart.
Vincent Kompany. My father taught me to be determined, to never give up. Ditto for my mom. She was a fighter, a strong woman, a woman of character, an intelligent woman who had enormous values. His discipline was total to constantly respect them. She gave me the strength to know that we can make our rules, that the challenge is sometimes more difficult, more complex, but always worth it, because the human dimension is there. No one is perfect and I am the first. But my mom's values live on in me; I think about it all the time in a day; I act based on them when sometimes I could take the easy way. My daddy has a leadership career at all levels. He was already so when he was imprisoned in the Congo, in forced labor camps. Or later, when he played football, or in the management of his company. Thanks to my parents, we are all, my brother François like my sister Christelle, united by these values and determined never to deny them. Our parents are fine examples. Thanks to them, we constantly question ourselves. We continually wonder. “Was our attitude the right one? »« Have we gone too far? Constantly having these questions, these rules, these doubts in the back of our heads allows us to chart our course. And I hope for my parents that this one will always be correct.
They display their faith in life but they are sometimes moving: "If I had five more minutes to live on this Earth, I would protect all those people who dared to cry foul and challenge the powerful who went unpunished. »© Frédéric Andrieu / Paris Match
How do you see the world today and that of tomorrow?
JCVD. For several years now, I have been shouting it loud and clear: we must save our planet. It is in difficulty with pollution, global warming, melting ice. Some animals disappear. Soon, we will only be able to show them to children on postcards. It is all very sad. Our planet is turning less and less round. One day or another, we'll all pay it off. All of this will become unbreathable and it is high time to wake up. Personally, I have campaigned for animal fights. I teamed up with Gaia to rant the world to stop these killings. It would be so beautiful to wake up one morning, to see that the sky is blue, that everyone is happy, that the animals are free, that we are united. Life would be so much better for everyone. Being happy is priceless.
Vincent Kompany. For me, there will always be two ways of seeing the world. First, you can see the world moving forward. For example, I like the ideas of Elon Musk. This visionary changed the way we think about the future, especially through the automotive industry, by creating the Tesla and electric vehicles. It takes us to renewable energies, uses science for what it has to offer, allows us to travel faster, to be in contact more easily. The world is moving forward because the citizens are better looked after, because the standard of living of the population is increasing. This is the world that I imagine for the future, the one I want to see blossom; a healthier, fairer, more balanced world. If we prefer the other, that of injustice, we will not move forward. We must focus on the one we want to see, because we still have the keys to a better tomorrow. We are all at a crossroads, we can go either way. I am convinced that we are going to take the right road. I am very optimistic, not naive. I know there is a lot of tension, but I see more and more people, young people, growing up intellectually, in all communities. They are able to use their voice, they have opinions, feelings, they are able to protest, to be heard. This is proof that we are moving forward. To create a better future for man and his children. This is why I say and repeat that the future will be better than the present world.
Why do you give few interviews?
JCVD. I am not a man of refusal, but given the requests from all over the world, if I accepted them all, I would only do that from morning to night. Now, sometimes I don't give interviews for a while. In this profession where egocentricity reigns supreme, you can be easy prey for journalists who have only one goal: to make the buzz by transforming your words by a skilful editing in order to make you pass for what you do not. are not. Or by taking your words out of context. An interview should be interesting and rewarding, and reflect the values it embodies.
Vincent Kompany. Other than the mandatory interviews, which I take on out of respect for agreements and partners, I don't want to be a speaker. I have advice to give and I don't mind giving it, but I don't like talking for nothing. What people think about it, what people say about me good or bad leaves me indifferent. For me, speaking often turns out to be a waste of time compared to huge professional obligations. I work every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. So I don't have time to scatter myself, it's not a priority. It's not that I don't like conversation or that I snub people, it's because I have other things to do.
Why is your family kept secret?
JCVD. Personally, mine was put in the spotlight very early on. In Hollywood, we tend to open our doors. Fans love to know about your life. This is normal, they identify with you, you make them dream. Remember, it is thanks to them that you become a star. I am very present on social networks. Like - share. Today, some actors prefer to remain more discreet. Personally, I am not one of them. I love my audience too much. This sharing is essential to me.
Vincent Kompany. I don't want to share my secret garden. I also got that from my mom. Privacy is privacy. There is a whole aspect of my existence that can be debated, it is the public aspect of me. It’s important, it occupies a large part of my existence, it’s theater, a world of emotions and circumstances. The family is a world of truth. And the real one does not mix with the theater. Ditto for my friendships, which are faithful, like Jean-Claude. My little secret garden is quite calm, normal, without noise or madness, far from my public life.
ean-Claude Van Damme and Vincent Kompany with their friends. © Frédéric Andrieu / Paris Match
How do you see your future from this day forward?
JCVD. This is a trick question. I am an optimist by nature and a challenger at heart. I see my future with cinema projects while happily pursuing my sport. I always want to have achievable dreams. A life without plans is a completely empty existence. I sincerely hope that our world will change, that it will regain a beautiful lightness and freedom without excess.
Vincent Kompany. My desire is to live a story. I feel the best thing is to be able to do what you love to do. And I want to take a lot of people with me on a trip, to make this story shared. I am not a boy who is afraid of the consequences. I don't live with the idea of what might happen if this doesn't work. I prefer to live with the idea that it could be so great if it worked.
Do you ever cry?
JCVD. Yes. It's human to cry. You must not hide your feelings because you have big biscotos! I am not, like in my films, a brutal man who likes to fight, without any emotion. Outside of film sets, I don't try to show myself in a light that isn't like me. I am naturally myself. I have already shed tears over an emotionally touching film or overwhelming news. I am of a very sensitive nature. I feel it strongly.
Vincent Kompany. No, I never cry. I have a lot of empathy, sensitivity, but my feelings are quite introverted. I don't easily express my intimacy, my deep feelings. I'm pretty extrovert when it comes to my job, but on a private level I don't really feel the need to flaunt this in public.
If you still had five minutes to defend someone, who would you choose and why?
JCVD. The stranger who doesn't get an interview to explain who he is. Those who are in pain and would like us to think of them. Those who fight for our lives at the risk of theirs: the nursing staff, the firefighters, the people in nursing homes who look after the elderly, the teachers who educate our children. And so many others. Let’s never forget who we are on a planet scale: just little dots.
Vincent Kompany. I would defend all the personalities who mobilized and who will mobilize again for Black Lives Matter, this movement born following the murder of many African Americans, which has become the emblem of the defense of civil rights. These people have come together and stood up to protect the rights of their own and others, regardless of the price. Yes, if I had five more minutes to live on this Earth, I would protect all those people who dared to cry foul and challenge the powerful who went unpunished.
