The Rise of Ethann Isidore: A Journey from Teenage Actor to Indiana Jones Star

2023-07-02 07:00:00

For a first feature film as an actor in the cinema, here is an entrance on the scene that smacks like a whiplash! 14 years old at the time of filmingIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (in theaters since June 28), Ethann Isidore, 16, has been living a waking dream since the day when, in the spring of 2021, a phone call informed him of his selection in the role of street urchin Teddy Kumar, accomplice in Tangier of the antiquities dealer played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. A lifelong fan of the saga, an apprentice actor enrolled at the Orleans Conservatory, Ethann has just gone through an extraordinary epic with this shoot which took him from Morocco to Scotland, via Sicily and the Pinewood plateau. in England.

Native of Chesnay (Yvelines), already noticed in the series Deadly (on Netflix), Sam (TF1) and a short film entitled Goodbye Tom Selleck in 2018, this young lover of theatre, music and cinema, who will enter first class at the start of the school year, regularly pinched himself between two shots facing Harrison Ford or Waller-Bridge, under the direction of James Mangold . Chosen from nearly 6,000 candidates over a casting straddling Morocco, England, France and India, Ethann Isidore rubbed shoulders with the disproportionate scale of an American blockbuster, but essentially keeps the magical memory of having given the reply to Indy in person. We will soon find him on the small screen in Daryl Dixonthe next series derived from The Walking Dead, and, pending a possible take-off of his career in the wake ofIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyhe returned for Le Point Pop on this formidable stroke of fate.

The Point Pop: When does your vocation as an actor go back to?

Ethan Isidore: I’ve always wanted to do comedy. As a child, I did little numbers during family meals or I had fun reproducing plays seen on TV. I also think that having musicians in my family, including a guitarist grandfather, cultivated in me a connection with the artistic world. When I was 6, I asked my mother to do theatre, she enrolled me in a course in Croissy, in the 78. And I’m finishing my first year of theater at the Orleans Conservatory, I’m starting the second in September.

How did you land the role of Teddy in this new Indiana Jones ?

I had two auditions. The premiere took place in Paris during the spring of 2021, with casting director Mathilde Snodgrass. I was not given the title of the film, I just knew it was a “famous American adventure saga”. And on the four screenplay pages corresponding to my scenes to be rehearsed, the name of Indiana Jones was replaced by “James”. I quickly realized that it was very likely that this was a new movie Indiana Jones because each page was watermarkée with the Lucasfilm logo.

A few weeks later, as I returned from class, my mother informed me that we were leaving the next day for London: she received a phone call informing her that I was asked for a second audition. [dans le jargon, les responsables de casting appellent cela un call back, NDLR], because I am one of the actors who interest James Mangold. And there, it was a real dream: the London audition took place in a room at Pinewood studios, where the James Bond, Star Wars, Marvel…

READ ALSOHarrison Ford as Indiana Jones: ‘I Like Being Old’

And so, in London, this second audition was the good one…

I first saw James Mangold at Pinewood, as well as American casting director Nina Gold. As I knew that Teddy was a street kid, I showed up scruffy, with no haircut, with my skateboard and, to try to be as spontaneous as possible and not put pressure on myself, I put myself in the lead. that I would not be chosen. Facing Mangold, I was very impressed, but he was super warm. I played a few more scenes and, normally, I should have gone back to France straight away. But I was asked to wait in an office, and there, producer Kathleen Kennedy came into the room to greet me and say, “Bravo, you did a great job! I was then asked to try out with the make-up and costume team the same day. Two days later, while we were strolling through London with my parents, I received a phone call from Mathilde Snodgrass informing me that I was in the new Indiana Jones. With my parents, we cried, then we called the whole family in Mauritius!

Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge gave me an electric guitar on set. I took them in my arms, it’s one of my most beautiful memories.Ethan Isidore

And this first meeting with Harrison Ford, then?

It was also in Pinewood, for my second day of filming. I was very nervous. It was one of the last scenes we see in the movie. [scène qui se déroule à New York, mais nous n’en dirons pas plus pour ne pas divulgâcher, NDLR]. I approached Harrison, he held out his hand to me, just saying “Harrison”. I told him “Ethan”, I did everything to hide it, but I was amazed. Then he looked me up and down and said, with a little smirk, “They really made a really bad choice for this casting. Harrison Ford is like that: he often makes small jokes without smiling or barely, so much so that you never know whether to laugh or not. But it’s always without malice and it’s part of his charisma!

Et Phoebe Waller-Bridge ?

She is the first one I met on the set, she made sure that we were present at the same make-up times so that we got to know each other better. She immediately knew how to put me at ease by telling me: “You and I are going to be like Bonnie and Clyde! »

READ ALSOShould we (still) burn “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”?

What will you remember the most from the shoot?

Unforgettable camaraderie, this movie was made entirely by Indiana Jones fans, including James Mangold, so everyone was happy to be there and had stars in their eyes. Me, I was a fan of the saga before playing in the film: I had the collector box on DVD, toys, Lego games, and I even made short films Indiana Jones with my cousins, filmed with my father’s mobile phone, during our holidays in Mauritius. I played Indy in search of magic objects in the jungle… Throughout filming, we chatted regarding music with Harrison, who is a big fan of Bob Dylan and also a rock fan like me. The last week of shooting, between takes, he and Phoebe gave me an electric guitar. I took them in my arms, it’s one of my most beautiful memories.

What’s next following Indiana Jones ?

I would like to continue making films – while going, if possible, to the baccalaureate. I have a role in the series derived from The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon. And also in the series Fiascowith Pierre Niney and François Civil, which will be broadcast on Netflix in 2024. For the rest, I recently had a few appointments, I am impatiently awaiting the release of the dial of destiny this Friday in the United States, we will see what happens. If I might, I would definitely move to Los Angeles to work there.

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