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Acting in Switzerland

Xavier Ruiz, a filmmaker from Geneva, especially popular for his films ‘Neutre’ and ‘Swiss made in Hollywood’ as well as his latest work ‘Verso,’ filmed in Geneva, shares his views on the Swiss cinema industry.

Xavier’s methods have been greatly influenced by his own experience working in the United States. He enlightens us on the differences between the Swiss and American film industries as well as the difficulties Swiss actors encounter breaking into the business here in Switzerland.

Interestingly, he goes into great detail about race and gender and how these criteria differ significantly between Swiss, European and American films, as well as his own process in selecting actors for his films. Interview with Xavier Ruiz.

In the US, many people have agents that send them to auditions, is this procedure similar in Switzerland?

No, because there are no agencies in Switzerland. When someone gets an agent here they will be in Paris, Rome or Berlin. Even though they may already have an agent (because you have to be at a certain level to get an agent, people from the German part go to Berlin to get an agent, etc.), sometimes actors directly negotiate for themselves or through casting directors. There aren’t any agencies because the market isn’t big enough here.

What are the similarities and/or differences between the US film industry and the Swiss one?

Everything is different, it’s the opposite. America is a market-driven industry. Switzerland is a state-funded/ cultural-funded ‘non-industry’. It is ‘artisanal’, it is so small. In America, they make around 1’000 feature films per year and in Switzerland there are between 20 and 30, so nothing to compare with the States.
In France there are about 200 feature films per year, but if you take all of Europe there are more produced than in America with 1’200-1’400 feature films, but America is stronger because they get distribution rights and Europe is not a unity, it is 30 different countries.

How do you find actors for your productions?

I am one of the few who hire casting directors to organize auditions. I was the boss of Function Cinema (Grütli, Geneva) and revolutionized their website. When I was managing it, you could see all the castings on the website but now I don’t know how they go about it. Presently, there is only one casting director in the french speaking part of Switzerland. America is a great place for acting because you can make a living there, not possible here unless you do theatre, but it’s tough.

Is the Swiss market for theatre more popular than the one for cinema?

In general, cinema is more popular than theatre. More film productions are in French and more people go to the cinema. However, Swiss drama is more popular than Swiss film, so in terms of local productions, people appreciate theatre more than cinema, the answer can go two ways. Here, there are more theatre productions and something like 70 theatres. You can make a living as a theatre actor here.

For someone who has only had theatre experience, how easy is it for them to convert this experience to the movies?

A good idea is to make a lot of shorts to make a demo. It’s going to be difficult. It’s not the same kind of acting. For example, in cinema if you talk quietly you can hear everything. In theatre, you have to perform with the body because there is no camera; you move your body in theatre.

Do you hire a lot of Swiss actors?

I hire Swiss actors. We get a lot of cultural grants and you have to hire Swiss actors, it is compulsory. They are less expensive than French actors and you must fill the quota. Switzerland is a small country and they protect their actors.

With all the different races in Switzerland how are they represented in Swiss cinema?

Very badly! To be straightforward, cinema, even television in Switzerland is ‘rural’ because Switzerland is a ‘rural’ country and races are not represented in a rural country. So, you have some races in some films but not that many, not because of racism. Actually when you get all races in a TV episode or feature film that is actually in the countryside, many races are represented because they are written by ‘urban’ people.
In my last film, ‘Verso’, there was a black cop and in my first film, ‘Neutre’ – about the Swiss army – there was also a black person. When people see my films they tend to see them as American copies, gimmicks. They don’t see them as ‘natural’. Yes, races are underrepresented. In my films there are black people, but not because it’s a story about a black, he’s black because he’s black and the other is white, I don’t care, he’s here because he’s working in the same police unit, etc. So, it’s not a color-reason it’s just that he’s a guy from here.
Here it is really difficult, it is not like in the US or even in France. For example, if you write a role for a woman or a man, in Europe you are 99% sure it’s going to be a white person who gets the part, not because they want a white person, but because it’s so obvious in a way. In America, when you see Denzel Washington or Will Smith have the lead role you don’t ask yourself ‘why he is white or black?’, you don’t care, it’s just a guy. Take a film like Will Smith in “I’m a Legend”, he could be white or black, it doesn’t matter, he could still get the role. In Europe there’s no way. Not because they don’t want a black guy, but there are no black stars. We don’t have a Michael Jackson in Europe. For five to ten years now in France something new has been happening, where some actors are of Arab origin and some of them are getting leading roles.
It’s not racism, it’s cultural. Now Arab actors get main roles without being an Arab in the film. In the UK, if you are an Indian in the film, it’s still because the role has to be an Indian. It’s not like in America. America is only 200 years ‘new’, if you are black, Asian or whatever else, you are a ‘real’ American. Here, it’s not because they don’t like the color of your skin or where you come from; it’s just not like that. It’s a historical point-of-view.

What are your criteria in selecting an actor for a role?

He/She has to match the character. A casting director may ask ‘how do you see him/her: tall, small, fat, ugly, beautiful, black, white ?’ I just want him/her to match. You have to feel the character, so I don’t have a prejudice about exactly how he/she looks but a criteria even more important is how he/she is going to live out the character. It’s true that when you talk to a casting director you always try to narrow down the choices because you don’t really know where to go, but even casting directors, most of the time, discriminate. They have their own prejudices, so I guess they also make selections without the director, maybe unconsciously. I don’t know about that, you will have to ask them, but I guess it’s like that, it’s human nature.

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