A fashion icon is getting their story told in a unique way with Becoming Karl Lagerfeld. Having started his career in the industry in the ’50s, the German-born fashion designer amassed a grand reputation throughout his lifetime, going from the artistic director for Jean Patou to a celebrated freelance designer to then becoming the sole designer for Chloé in the ’70s, when he became one of the most prominent designers worldwide. Lagerfeld later found further renown when he was hired by Chanel in the ’80s, reviving the now-iconic brand from near-death and instituting many style choices used to this day.

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld specifically chronicles the titular fashion designer’s rise to stardom in ’70s Paris, particularly his frustrations with the nature of freelance designing and early days of working with Chloé, while also putting together the early ideas that would later become his eponymous brand. On top of this, the miniseries explores Lagerfeld’s relationship with Jacques de Bascher, in which he helped the fashion designer embrace his sexuality, even though they held a non-physical relationship, and how de Bascher’s destructive affair with Yves Saint Laurent would create a wedge between them.

Golden Globe nominee Daniel Brühl leads the ensemble Becoming Karl Lagerfeld cast in the titular role alongside There’s Someone Inside Your House‘s Théodore Pellerin as Jacques, Arnaud Valois as Saint Laurent, Alex Lutz, Agnès Jaoui, Sunnyi Melles, Théodora Breux, Jeanne Damas, Claire Laffut, Paul Spera and Carmen Giardina. Filmed on location in France and Italy and bearing very little English dialogue, the show is a stylish, authentic, and gripping exploration of a fashion icon.

In anticipation of the show’s premiere, Screen Rant interviewed Daniel Brühl and Théodore Pellerin to discuss Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, the “fascinating” true story of their characters, exploring their unique relationship, putting trust in the material for some of its more risqué sequences, as well as Brühl’s potential Marvel Cinematic Universe return and reflection on a viral moment.

Brühl & Pellerin Were Captivated By The “Fascinating” True Story Of The Show

With so many exciting layers to dive into with the show, ranging from the stylish wardrobe to larger-than-life characters and talented cast to act opposite, both Brühl and Pellerin point to Becoming Karl Lagerfeld‘s true story as being the biggest draw for them both. The former, in particular, recalls getting to meet the fashion designer in real life and how he was an ever-present figure in Germany, while the latter praised the show’s writing, particularly that “the dialogue was so precise“:

Daniel Brühl: Well, me being German, growing up, Karl Lagerfeld was always present. He was always there, and he was always that iconic, mysterious, fascinating figure in Germany. And on the one hand, this sharp, witty intellectual, on the other hand, like a pop star, almost. He had created this strange persona, similar to Andy Warhol, and I met him 15 years ago, only once. He took pictures of me, and I met the persona, you know, I saw him with the tail and the shades and that armor.

And for me, it was very interesting to go back in time and to discover who that man was, before he became famous and created this character, and to open doors, and take away these peels, and try and show a man with his vulnerabilities and insecurities and complexes. Being a young man trying to make it in Paris, as a young rookie, homosexual man from Germany, that wasn’t an easy path for him, and he had such strong ambition and hunger, that he made it. And this journey was so enriching, when I saw it on paper, I said, “Yes, I want to play Karl Lagerfeld.”

Théodore Pellerin: For me, I came in much later, after Daniel did, of course, but I just loved the writing from the beginning. From my first audition, I just had two scenes, and I thought the dialogue was so precise, and I could immediately see the dynamics and the character kind of transpiring from those two scenes. And then, I allowed myself to look more into who Jacques was, and who Karl was, and I was just fascinated by them, and fascinated by Jacques, who was kind of a not widely-known figure, but nonetheless a very impactful figure of his time.

The way that the series and the writing of the show was going, and how it was giving us access to these characters who are very untouchable and inaccessible, and giving us a view into their vulnerabilities and their inner wars, I just thought was fascinating. So, it was clear from that that it was an exciting project.

Brühl & Pellerin Bonded So Closely That The Former’s Wife Jokingly Said “We Can Have An Open Relationship”

While Lagerfeld’s rise to stardom is one of the cruxes of the show, his and de Bascher’s relationship is just as vital and compelling in Becoming Karl Lagerfeld. Brühl and Pellerin took this relationship seriously when diving into their roles, and though noting that chemistry doesn’t always happen, they clicked “within two minutes” and bonded so closely that Brühl’s wife jokingly told him, “we can have an open relationship“.

Daniel Brühl: When you think about this relationship, it’s so complex and bizarre at times. What I found so fascinating about Karl is that this was the love of his life, and in times that were very much about sex, drugs and rock’n’roll in the ’70s, it was a revolution amongst the young people, and a sexual liberation. So, he was living like he was in the 18th century, because this is something, a realm, that he enjoyed so much in his head, and that a man, then, was able to build that fantasy world, of his dreams and of his fantasies, and make it reality, dedicated to this man, who was the one and only love of his life.

It’s something so romantic and fairy tale-like that was really touching, and it’s also very bizarre. So, I knew, “Oh, my God, this is such a challenging ride, who’s gonna be my partner?” And then, with chemistry, it either happens or it doesn’t. So in that case, whoever made the casting, if it was the director or the casting director, I don’t know, but when I met Théodore, within two minutes, I guess we both felt, or at least I felt [laughs] —

Théodore Pellerin: We both felt. [Chuckles]

Daniel Brühl: — that something interesting is going to happen there. And I’m very fond of the show, I have to say, because there’s a couple of moments throughout the series that I can say are among the best that I’ve ever done. Because I see truth there, we went, emotionally, all in. There’s no pretension. We could be generous and completely unrestrained with each other, and it kind of came to the point that I called my wife and said, “I’m sorry, honey, but I will be in love with a man for a couple of months, and then I’ll be back.” And she said, “Oh, I love this actor, too, we can have an open relationship.” [Laughs]

Théodore Pellerin: I really feel the same way, it was one of the best experiences to get to work with Daniel, every day, and have all of these moments of love, and of constant tearing apart and getting back and trying. He was just one of my most enjoyable, and easy to act with, partner, it was truly just great.

Pellerin’s Steamier Scenes Hold A Far Deeper Message About Jacques’ Life

With the show taking careful consideration of telling its story in the most authentic fashion, this leads to some steamy scenes between Pellerin’s Jacques and some other characters, namely Yves Saint Laurent. More than just requiring vulnerability from the actor, these scenes also allowed Pellerin to highlight just how Jacques wanted to “make his life a form of art“:

Théodore Pellerin: You know, he was like that, and at the same time, it really wasn’t just out of wanting to party and addiction, it really was his way to approach life and to live life. It was kind of his poetry, in a sense, he was decadent, and he knew how to be, and it really was in full knowledge that he went for it. So, I think that all of this was part of the character that he was kind of creating around himself, and for his life, and the staging that he was making.

He was an erudite, he was incredibly literate, and he couldn’t write, although he wanted to, he wasn’t able to. I think that’s part of why he was in love with Karl, because Carl was such an overachiever, and he wasn’t able to achieve that, he wasn’t able to achieve his art, so I think that the nights, and the sex, and the drugs were a way to write his life the way he wanted it to be written. To become the character that he admired, in a sense, to make his life a form of art.

Brühl Will Be “Patient” For His MCU Return After Being Excluded From The Thunderbolts Roster

One of Brühl’s most iconic roles to date remains the villainous Baron Zemo in the MCU, having first debuted as the character in Captain America: Civil War before bringing him back in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Though a member of the antiheroic Thunderbolts team in the comics, Brühl’s Zemo is notably absent from the roster of the upcoming Thunderbolts* movie, despite his character still being alive. For the Golden Globe nominee, though, he’s not too upset about the absence, jokingly saying he’s a “very patient man” while also assuring he’s ready to go when the call comes in:

Daniel Brühl: It’s fine for me, I can wait. [Laughs] I’m a very patient man. No, I’m not, but it’s funny, because in the meantime, I just wrapped on a show that’s called The Franchise, where it’s actually a satire about the superhero universe, so it was fun to switch sides, so to say. But knowing Marvel, they have a lot of sense of humor, so they will probably find it as funny as I did. And who knows, I mean, I’m still not dead, I’m very confident that I’ll be back.

Falcon & Winter Soldier‘s Zemo Dance Was Brühl’s Idea (& He Did The Same Thing With Becoming Karl Lagerfeld)

Of his tenure in the MCU, one of Zemo’s more iconic moments came with his dance sequence in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which went on to become a viral meme and GIF on social media. In reflecting on this moment, Brühl recalls how he pitched the non-scripted idea for the show, and even did the same with Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, while also teasing an emotional dance scene for the titular fashion designer and Jacques:

Daniel Brühl: Well, it’s funny that you’re mentioning it now, because also in this series, I insisted on a non-scripted dance moment that is not the one in the club, but later on in the show. It’s a beautiful moment, because it’s juxtaposed with a beautiful dance scene of Théodore, of Jacques de Bascher, so you see them both, I think, in the fifth or the sixth episode. It was a beautiful moment, with a wonderful song that they found, which I won’t give away. And with Zemo, it was the same thing. It wasn’t in the script, so I just had this idea, and I think that in both cases, it was a f—-ng brilliant idea.

About Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

In 1972, Karl Lagerfeld (Daniel Brühl) is 38 and not yet wearing his iconic hairstyle. He is a ready-to-wear designer, unknown to the general public. While he meets and falls in love with the sultry Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), an ambitious and troubling young dandy, the most mysterious of fashion designers dares to take on his friend (and rival) Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois), a genius of haute couture backed by the redoubtable businessman Pierre Bergé (Alex Lutz).

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld plunges us into the heart of the 70s, in Paris, Monaco and Rome, to follow the formidable blossoming of this complex and iconic personality of Parisian couture, already driven by the ambition to become the Emperor of fashion. Between glamour and clashes of egos, grandiose parties and destructive passions, discover the story of Karl before Lagerfeld.

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld begins streaming on Hulu on June 7.

Source: Screen Rant Plus