The truck is available in a range of variants suitable for both metropolitan and construction site applications.
UD says the emphasis for the newest Quon variant was driver safety.
UD Trucks Australia has announced the latest evolutions of its Quon truck. The heavy-duty vehicle boasts increased performance and a range of new safety features
UD says the Quon is equipped with an 11-liter driveline with power ratings between 390 and 460hp depending on the variant. While torque is 2250 Nm for the 460hp model, and 2000Nm for the 400 and 430hp variants.
UD says the Improvements are aimed at minimizing driveline drag, and as a result, achieve better fuel efficiency.
The new Quon features a Euro 6 emissions compliant 11 liter engine as well as a 12-speed ESCOT Automated Manual Transmission. While 8 liter Quon variants have the choice of ESCOT or a 6-speed Allison automatic transmission.
One of the safety features added across the Quon 8-liter and 11-liter range is a function UD calls Stop & Driver Initiate Go, that automatically controls speed and aims to reduce driver stress and fatigue.
Other improvements include a revised Traffic Eye Brake System and Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) that triggers an alarm to alert drivers when they unintentionally leave the lane and UD Stability Control that automatically detects and adjusts engine output and braking to retain truck stability.
UD says all Quon models will be equipped with UD’s BSIS (Blind Spot Information System which can monitor the left-hand side of the truck and detect pedestrians and cyclists as well as vehicles.
Vice President UD Trucks Australia, Lauren Pulitano says the latest Quon truck is all about worksite safety.
“The evolution of the Quon continues. This latest iteration of our best-selling vehicle proves that performance and driver comfort don’t have to compromise safety and efficiency.
“This truck sets us well on the way towards our goal of zero accident and zero emissions in the future.
“The Quon already exceeds Euro 6 emissions standards and now coupled with significant fuel efficiency gains these latest improvements are yet another step towards providing sustainable options for Australian transport operators.
“Many of our vehicles are operating in the urban environment for their entire working day, navigating city streets, laneways and construction sites right in the midst of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.
“These latest safety advances help make our cities a safer place to be and the Quon our safest truck yet,” says Pulitano.
The UD Quon is available in 4×2, 6×2, 6×4 and 8×4 configurations across a wide range of wheelbases to suit rigid and prime mover applications.
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Olivia Newton-John’s funeral plans revealed: Grieving family accept state memorial service after Grease star’s death
By Jade Watkins for Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
Australians will get a chance to publicly mourn Olivia Newton-John, with the beloved entertainer’s family accepting an offer for a state memorial service.
Newton-John’s daughter Tottie Goldsmith accepted the offer on the family’s behalf while speaking with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday morning.
A venue and date for the service have yet to be announced, with further discussions under way between the family and the premier’s department.
Olivia’s death was announced on Monday, after a 30-year battle with cancer.
Australians will get a chance publicly mourn Olivia Newton-John, with the beloved entertainer’s family accepting an offer for a state memorial service
But Mr Andrews flagged the event will be more of a concert than a traditional funeral service.
‘The family were quite touched at the prospect of Victorians being able to come together and celebrate Olivia’s life,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘As tough as this time is… it’s made a little easier by all the outpouring of grief and support, and the very fond memories people are sharing of such an amazing person.’
Newton-John’s niece Tottie Goldsmith accepted the offer on the family’s behalf while speaking with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday morning
‘The family were quite touched at the prospect of Victorians being able to come together and celebrate Olivia’s life,’ Mr Andrews said
The actress, singer and activist was reportedly planning to write an introductory letter to new Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, federal Health Minister Mark Butler and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to push for greater access to medicinal cannabis.
Ms Thomas said she had not received any correspondence from Newton-John but was aware of her passion to support people living in pain with cancer and other chronic illnesses.
The Grease star lost her battle with stage-four metastatic breast cancer on Monday morning.
The actress and singer died peacefully at the age of 73 at her home in southern California, surrounded by family and friends. Her husband John Easterling announced her death on her Facebook page.
‘Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ Easterling wrote.
The actress and singer died peacefully at the age of 73 at her home in southern California, surrounded by family and friends. Ella’s husband John Easterling announced her death on her Facebook page
‘Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,’ he wrote
‘We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.
‘Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.
‘Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer,’ he added.
The family asked for donations to be made to her cancer organisation, the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, instead of flowers.
Easterling also paid tribute to his late wife on social media this week, talking about their love for one another.
Using Newton-John’s Instagram account, Easterling wrote: ‘Our love for each other transcends our understanding. Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural.
‘We never had to “work” on it. We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever.’
The actress famously beat breast cancer twice but was diagnosed again in 2017.
She spent the last few years at home, campaigning for animals’ rights and raising money for her charity online.
She was also a strong campaigner for the use of medical cannabis for treatment in Australia.
Olivia is survived by husband John and her daughter Chloe Lattanzi
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Who doesn’t love a tech sale? Right now, eBay is running a sale on its official Microsoft storefront, where you’ll be able to take an extra 20% off a wide selection of Microsoft products as well as MSI, Razer and Samsung PC gear.
To claim your additional 20% off on any of the following items from eBay’s Microsoft sale, you’ll need to use the code SAVFAV20 at checkout.
To help you find only the best deals to spend your hard-earned dosh on, we’ve rounded them all up below.
The best laptop and monitor deals
Image: MSI
If you’re hoping to find a new laptop or monitor, whether it’s for marathon gaming sessions or work, Microsoft’s eBay store has got you sorted. In particular, there are quite a few MSI laptops on sale for up to $700 off.
You’ll be able to work from any angle with ease thanks to this MSI Summit E14 Flip laptop that’s on sale. Not only does it sport 360-degree rotation, but it also features fast-charging capabilities and an ultra-long battery life. Perfect for productivity and efficiency.
The best keyboard deals
Image: Razer
This Razer BlackWidow V3 keyboard is green, in the spirit of halo-infiniteand that’s all we need to know.
Aside from being a worthy aesthetic addition to any gaming set-up, buying this special edition keyboard will get you a bonus in-game gift: a Deathly Poison Weapon Coating. And who doesn’t love a goody?
The best mouse deals
Image: Microsoft
This Microsoft eBay sale is the perfect opportunity to nab a new mouse for your desk if that’s something you’ve been putting off for too long.
Check out a couple of our top sale picks below, especially the much-loved Razer gaming mice.
The best earbuds and gaming headsets deals
Image: Aftershokz
Whether you need a pair of earbuds to go running in or some headphones that will immerse you in the open-world desktop game you’re playing right now, Microsoft’s eBay sale has more than enough choices to check out.
More PC accessories deals
Image: 8BitDo
Not only is Microsoft’s eBay sale brimming with laptops, monitors, keyboards and mice to update your set-up, but they also have a number of wireless controllers, RGB lights and even rockers to really take your home office to the next level.
Don’t forget to check out the Microsoft sale here over at eBay Australia to explore more great deals on everything from MSI laptops to Razer headsets and a Surface Pro X.
The author Salman Rushdie has been stabbed in New York.
The 75-year-old was about to deliver a speech at the CHQ 2022 event in Chautauqua, Buffalo, when he was attacked on stage, according to witnesses.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being introduced, the outlet reported.
The author was taken or fell to the floor, and the man was restrained. Rushdie’s condition is not immediately known.
“Just witnessed the horrific assassination attempt on #SalmanRushdie’s life. He was stabbed multiple times before attacker was subdued by security,” author Carl Levan tweeted shortly after the stabbing. “Some intrepid members of the audience went on stage. What courage will be expected of us next to defend even the smallest freedoms?”
The Indian-born novelist previously received death threats for his writing, particularly for his book the Satanic Verses in 1988.
Pakistan banned the book after uproar and he was issued a fatwa – a death sentence – by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989.
Khomeini’s threat forced Rushdie into hiding for the best part of a decade and the writer claimed to receive a “Valentine’s card” from Iran each year reminding him that they wanted him dead.
Rushdie won the Booker Prize in 1981 for his second novel, Midnight’s Children.
He has lived in the US since 2000, and he was named a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University in 2015.
He has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, for Midnight’s Children, in 1983 for Shame, in 1988 for The Satanic Verses, in 1995 for The Moor’s Last Sign, and in 2019 for Quichotte.
The long wait for the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is ending soon. And, the developers recently revealed a new map to hype the fans, and it also excited another genre of fans.
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The upcoming game is the sequel to the 2019 reboot series Modern Warfare. Further, the new Call of Duty will follow the story of an elite squad consisting of familiar characters like John Price, Gaz, Ghost, Soap, and Farah. Further, this team will also have a new character, Mexican Special Forces Col. Vargas.
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The task force would have to control a situation after a missile strike from the US that eliminated a foreign general. Further, the elite squad would have to take care of the terrorist organization Al-Qatala and the drug cartel Las Almas. Also, the game has a thrilling multiplayer mode to entertain the fans.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II unveils an F1 circuit for multiplayer
The developers, Infinity Ward, recently unveiled a new map that would be available for Modern Warfare II’s Multiplayer 6v6 matches. Call of Duty claimed they worked on maps to give an ultimate experience to the fans. Further, the upcoming game would suit every kind of player.
The new 6v6 match map they introduced would be called Marina Bay Grand Prix. And as the name suggests, this circuit might be based on the real-life F1 circuit, Marnia Bay Street Circuit, that hosts the Singapore GP. Undoubtedly, an F1 circuit could be a great battlefield for 6v6 fights.
Twitter reactions to the Marina Bay Grand Prix map
The 6v6 map in the upcoming Call of Duty title impressed the CoD fans, as well as the Formula One fan. This Marina Bay Grand Prix map undoubtedly narrowed the wall between CoD and F1. Further, the motorsports fan showcased their excitement for the new map. Let’s look at some of the tweets from the fans.
THIS MAP ALREADY LOOKS BETTER THAN ANY MAPS FROM MODERN WARFARE!!!!
Looks clean, traditional to a sense, WOW. I literally cannot wait for this game.
There are a lot of expectations from the new Call of Duty title after the failure of Vanguard last year. Let’s hope the game lives up to expectations and impresses F1 fans. Are you excited to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
WATCH THIS STORY: Top 5 Call of Duty Games of All Time
Constance Hall OWNS the ‘desperate, lonely and sad’ man who sent her ad**k pic – as she publishes his vile text to her
Australian mummy blogger Constance Hall has called out men for explicit pics
The 38-year-old mother shared the text messages on her Facebook page
She tried to ‘put herself in their shoes’ but couldn’t make sense of the situation
Ultimately she ‘felt sorry’ for the men who feel the need to send such images
By Matilda Rudd For Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
An Australian mummy blogger has unleashed on creepy men after she was sent an unsolicited explicit photo of a stranger’s genitals and a series of graphic text messages.
Mother Constance Hall, who lives in Western Australia, took to Facebook with a photo of the texts – and a censor over the male genitalia – to talk about the ‘assault’ that is receiving such low rent content.
‘I just got sent ad*** pic but unlike all the other lonely boys that have sent me them in the past, this came through to my private phone number on an app I downloaded two days ago to message my paranoid friends on,’ she captioned the photo.
‘Aside from the obvious victim on the other end of this assault, what is going on with these blokes? So I tried putting myself in their shoes.’
Mother Constance Hall, who lives in Western Australia, took to Facebook on August 7 with a photo of the texts – and a censor over the male genitalia – to talk about the ‘assault’ that is receiving such low rent content
Despite ‘trying to be open minded’ Mrs Hall couldn’t see how sending these types of images would be gratifying – for the sender or the receiver
Despite ‘trying to be open minded’ Mrs Hall couldn’t see how sending these types of images would be gratifying – for the sender or the receiver.
The message she had received read: ‘Weren’t you after this? Did you text me after something big and throbbing?’
‘Could it be depravity? If I had never met anyone who actually wanted to see my stimulated v**** could I be driven to send it out there anyway? Umm that’s a no,’ she concurred.
‘Maybe to get even? If I found out that my husband was sending his genitals to a number of people who didn’t want to see them would I then be inclined to ‘get even and show him that two can play at the game of assaulting strangers with our genitals? I don’t think that’s how I’d frame that particular revenge.’
Mrs Hall couldn’t actually come up with a single instance in which she thought the photos were okay to send without the receiver first acknowledging that they wanted to see them first.
‘And I do realize that it’s not always possible to understand someone who’s lived a different life to yours, male privilege can be hard to fully grasp when you have been served the privilege of it,’ she said.
Mrs Hall couldn’t actually come up with a single instance in which she thought the photos were okay to send without the receiver first acknowledging that they wanted to see them first
‘But there isn’t enough empathy in the world that could help me understand how desperate, lonely, sad and full of self entitlement I’d have to be to send someone a close up of my aroused genitals who simply didn’t want to see them.’
She did acknowledge that there was a certain degree of sympathy for those ‘poor excited men’ who sat alone in their bedrooms taking these photos.
‘They’re dreaming about the wide world of sexual encounters being had all over the place, none of which he was invited to,’ Mrs Hall said.
Bizarrely when she snapped a screenshot of the photo it was naturally censored by the app it was sent in, preventing Mrs Hall from sharing it on even if she wanted to.
‘Of course, that thought moved on. And left me wondering what kind of an app blanks out d*** pics in screenshots? How the f*** am I supposed to process this if I ca n’t black out his nob de él and rip apart his bedroom with my queens?’ She said.
Some of her 1.3million fans praised the mother and clothing designer for her prose, and agreed that they couldn’t understand why men sent such photos (Pictured with her husband Denim)
Some of her 1.3million fans praised the mother and clothing designer for her prose, and agreed that they couldn’t understand why men sent such photos.
‘Never in my life will I understand why ‘men’ send a pic! Send back a pic of a scoring panel!’ One woman wrote.
‘I’m in a relationship now but before I wasn’t and I found this kind of behavior really disgusting and degrading … hard no, from me,’ another said.
While one woman said: ‘Weird that men think it is a turn on.’
Premium smartwatches have more or less all caught up to each other when it comes to features like heart rate tracking, smart assistants, and crisp OLED displays. So how does a company like Tag Heuer make its digital timepiece stand out? It teams up with Porsche for a special edition model that can remotely control certain features when paired to a user’s supercar.
Tag Heuer and Porsche have already teamed up for a handful of more traditional mechanical chronographs, but this is the first smartwatch the two companies have collaborated on, and the TAG Heuer Connected Caliber E4 Porsche Edition brings with it more than just a unique design featuring a matte black titanium case, “Frozen Blue” accents borrowed from the electric Porsche Taycan, and a custom “Circuit” watch face option that blends circuit board elements with subtle nods to race tracks. It’s not quite as subtle or ‘dressy’ as most of Tag Heuer’s offerings, but it certainly feels more modern.
Image: Tag Heuer
Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ processor and running Google’s Wear2 OS, the TAG Heuer Connected Caliber E4 Porsche Edition promises up to 24 hours of battery life after a 90-minute charge, although that will vary depending on how it’s being used. Its fitness-tracking and heart rate monitoring features may knock that down a bit. Basic features include a compass, barometer, NFC functionality for tap-to-pay systems, and waterproofing to a depth of 50 meters: standard stuff for a premium smartwatch today.
Where the TAG Heuer Connected Caliber E4 Porsche Edition gets interesting, and might start to justify its $US2,750 ($3,818) price tag, is its added connectivity with current Porsche vehicles, including most of the car maker’s 2022 lineup and newer models. Users can add complications to the smartwatch’s face displaying their vehicle’s total mileage, the car’s current charge level and estimated range (for electric models), or just the estimated range (for gas-powered models). The smartwatch even includes controls on its OLED touchscreen for adjusting a Porsche’s air conditioning and heating, which is presumably more useful for making sure the interior is comfortable after remote starting the vehicle than making temperature adjustments on your wrist while driving.
The TAG Heuer Connected Caliber E4 Porsche Edition will officially be available starting in September, and while you don’t need to own an actual Porsche to buy one, it really seems like the only way to take advantage of its uniquely expanded functionality.
Tomorrow is the birthday of Ron Mael from Sparks, so how could the Thursday quiz, where he has been a regular feature, be anything other than Ron-themed? You face 15 general knowledge and vaguely topical questions, all of them tenuously linked to the wonderful world of Sparks and some of the brilliant songs that Ron has written over the years. There is a playlist of all the songs mentioned to listen to as you do the quiz, and a very special bonus guest contribution too. To answer them you don’t have to be a Sparks fan – although of course you should be – and there are no prizes, it is just for fun. Let us know how you get on in the comments, and happy birthday, Ron!
The Thursday quiz, No 68 – Rum from Sparks special edition
If you do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please feel free to email [email protected], but remember, the quiz master’s word is always final, so only do it if you really think this town is big enough for both of us.
(Pocket-lint) – They say never work with children or animals, but Swann Security allows you to keep a watchful eye on all your loved ones. Swann is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of smart security systems meant for average, everyday users. The Swann Security system includes a wide range of devices, including video cameras, video doorbells, window/ door alerts, motion alerts, and more. But if you’re looking for a security device to monitor your family, you can’t do better thanSwann Tracker Cam.
When you’re a parent, one half of your mind is constantly at home with your kids and pets. What are they doing? Are they safe? What if I miss them doing something cute? These are just some thoughts that may wander your mind when you’re working. Swann Tracker Cam is an extremely simple and easy-to-install video camera that monitors your family, tracks their movements, records footage, and gives you peace of mind.
This article describes how you can put your family first with Swann Security.
Zoom and track your kids’ and pets’ movements
Swann Tracker Cam is a smart video camera that provides 1080p visuals with a 180° viewing angle, allowing you to monitor your pets and children with complete clarity. But Tracker Cam’s most innovative feature is the ability to automatically track moving objects. The camera features a second camera view that zooms and focuses on the shape of your children and pets, allowing you to follow your kids and pets around the room.
Keep an eye on your family even at night
Swann Tracker Cam allows you to monitor your family at night. The video camera has a powerful infrared lens that can capture up to 32 feet (10 meters) of visuals in pitch-dark conditions. Furthermore, unlike most night vision cameras, you don’t have to worry about losing contrast or definition – the videos are always 100 per cent clear and high-definition. Even if you’re working late nights, you can monitor your kids from anywhere.
Save thousands of videos of your family
Parents hate missing precious moments of their children and pets. Kids and pets get up to all kinds of cute and adorable things when you’re not looking. Swann Tracker Cam features an inbuilt 32GB micro SD card that captures and stores thousands of videos, allowing you to replace the essential unseen moments of your family’s life. You can also download the recorded footage and save them in your family’s personal gallery.
Speak directly with your kids and pets
Swann Tracker Cam features an inbuilt 2-way microphone that allows you to communicate with your kids and pets. If you’re not home and want to communicate with your kids, you can simply engage the microphone feature in the smartphone app, which turns your phone into a handy walkie-talkie. You can now communicate directly with your kids and pets, and they can respond to you. This is an incredibly useful feature that allows you to convey information from Afar.
Install conveniently without hardwiring
Swann Tracker Cam is extremely easy to set up, install, and monitor without hardwiring or professional monitoring. You can connect the video camera to your home’s WiFi router, following which you can plug it into the power outlet – you don’t need a smart hub or DVR. Because of the simplicity of installation, you can easily invest in this product without any concerns about the installation, making it useful for renters.
Claim a limited-time discount right now
Swann is offering a limited-time discount on theSwann Tracker Cam right now. Instead of paying £89.99, you can get this powerful video camera and baby monitor for only £69.99. If you want a convenient, comprehensive, and scalable means of monitoring your baby or checking in with your pets in the warm weather, we encourage you to learn more about the Swann Tracker Cam today.
Home Security Week (8-12 August) in association with Ezviz. Find all the latest content on our hub.
A global leader in smart home security, EZVIZ is dedicated to building next-level security solutions powered by intelligent video, advanced AI and cloud infrastructure. With a footprint in 130+ countries, we’ve been trusted by millions of families who enjoy visual protection and tangible joy provided by our products.
Yof Michael Caine is the quintessential London actor, Romain Duris could become his Paris equivalent. Born and raised in the city, he rose to international fame in 2005 playing the real-estate hustler with ambitions to be a pianist in Jacques Audiard’s The Beat That My Heart Skipped. Quick to the punch but nifty in his fingerwork from him, dropping rats in a sack on unwanted tenants while wearing Cuban heels, he was Parisian squalor and glamor in one snake-hipped paradox. Then he cashed in his tousle-haired bourgeois-bohème cachet in Christopher Honoré’s Dans Paris and Cédric Klapisch’s Paris. And now the pinnacle: he is starring in a new biopic about engineer Gustave Eiffel.
Duris couldn’t resist the man’s ubiquity. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m Parisian, but Eiffel is really a figure in France who matters,” he says. “He is everywhere – there are lots of Gustave Eiffel bridges, lots of buildings at the bottom of courtyards signed by him.” And, of course, that tower. The film shows the fraught atmosphere around the competition to design a showpiece exhibit for the 1889 Exposition Universelle; how Eiffel’s peers and the press deemed what was the world’s tallest structure at the time a dangerous act of hubris – and how he fought to make it happen.
He was, in Duris’s eyes, the Steve Jobs of his day: “He made it look easy, like a children’s game. A bit like Jobs, who had the intelligence to think of his computers as almost like toys that anyone could use. Eiffel fabricated the tower in sections in gigantic warehouses in Paris, and really assembled it as if it were a game for children with numbered pieces.” A quick, agile talker who pinpoints the eager aesthetic qualities of his projects, Duris is speaking on the phone from the set of the film he is working on in south-west France.
Duris makes it look easy too, playing Eiffel as a kind of dashing control freak, fretting over wind speeds and hydraulic pressures. And what kind of Paris picture would this be without some romance? Director Martin Bourboulon – who picked up the project after it had passed through many hands down the years, including Ridley Scott’s – gives Eiffel an unrequited love affair with a Bordeaux landowner’s daughter, Adrienne (drawn from cursory suggestions in his biography of him).
In truth, this forbidden-love plot – based on the Titanic blueprint – feels a bit schematic, even inadvertently comic: as Eiffel tries to win her back, the tower comes to seem less hubristic than horny – the biggest over-compensatory erection until the Trump Tower. But Duris feels the flashbacks energized the script, as did the casting of the Anglo-French Sex Education actor Emma Mackey as his lover de ella: “It’s like when you’re cooking a mayonnaise, and it takes.”
The film also came to serve as a tribute to Duris’s architect father Philippe, who died at the end of 2019, just before a Covid-enforced break in shooting. His dad’s job was another reason why he signed up: “It’s a profession that speaks to me.” Its specific mixture of flair and exactitude was one he was familiar with. “One thing my dad and Eiffel had in common was that they made their blueprints freehand, without rulers or computers. So I always used to see these huge blueprints in the house, traced by hand, and that always impressed me.”
Duris clearly inherited some of this talent, and originally trained as an illustrator. But his drawings of him were anarchic, sexual – deliberately so: “It was my way of doing things in relation to my father.” Life coaxed him further down the freeform artistic path as a teenager, when a casting director spotted him outside a school in Paris’s third arrondissement as he was waiting to pick up his girlfriend from him. “This had happened a few times before. I had a bit of an edgy look: my hair sticking up, trousers covered in paint. So people used to stop and ask me about doing adverts, films, photos. But I always said no.”
Bourgeois-bohème … The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005). Photograph: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock
This time, a friend persuaded him to read the script that came with the offer for Cédric Klapisch’s rowdy 70s Paris youth memoir Le Péril Jeune. Luckily Duris liked it, and it was the start of a partnership that has seen them make seven films together. What does he think the casting director saw in him at that moment? “It’s hard to have that kind of distance,” he says. “But I think it was a nice mixture of fragility and modesty, but at the same time being a bit of a loudmouth.” I have scoffs. “You know, that kind of big I-am at school, the kind where you say: ‘Oh-la-la, either he’s going to end up badly or he’s going to become something.’”
Now he is one of the most sought after French actors, so not bad. The 48-year-old is currently shooting Le Règne Animal, a dystopic sci-fi picture about humans who turn into animals being interned in concentration camps. Production has been halted until the autumn because some of the sets burned down during the recent wildfires: “It’s a catastrophe, but that’s the world we live in,” says Duris.
The film sounds like another idiosyncratic turn in a recent unclassifiable filmography that has oscillated between more mainstream punts such as Eiffel and the 2018 post-apocalyptic thriller Hold Your Breath, gruff social realism such as 2019’s Our Struggles and a few dollops of period drama. It seems he is no longer penned into the charmers and chancers of his early career but rather searching for direction in that tricky post-40 phase. Despite his magnetic turn in The Beat That My Heart Skipped and a couple of films – Heartbreaker and Populaire – at the turn of the last decade that tried to position him in the Euro-swoon category, and a small English-speaking role in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, an international career has not happened for him.
Like cooking a mayonnaise … Duris with Emma Mackey in Eiffel.
But Duris is relaxed about it, saying he doesn’t think of his career as something that needs a direction: “I like to manage my present, my life. But managing a career or journey, that’s a pain in the ass.” He responds to projects on a one-by-one basis: “It’s a very sincere, instinctive feeling. There’s no calculation there. I’ve never done things calculatingly, never.”
What has been a constant is the vivacious tempo of his performances, which you could see as operating on Parisian rhythms. When his on-screen energy is contained and channeled, he is precise and decorous; but he often threatens to overspill into something nervous and ragged. He’s a delight in the 2018 crime black-comedy Fleuve Noir, as a prissy French teacher with grand literary ambitions, trying to outfox Vincent Cassel’s detective but always flirting with disaster.
Even as Duris gets older, gravitas isn’t his natural mode, he admits. “I have problems when I’m asked to play authority figures. It’s not something I’m at ease with. That kind of cold, calm authority that certain people can project very well – I have to work at that.” Even as the real-life father of two sons, his on-screen dads have n’t got any more commanding: “Fathers have changed these days. So I can play the modern ones better. My ones are either a bit quirky, or just as crazy as the kids.”
‘I always played the clown’ … Duris. Photograph: Marc Piasecki/WireImage
He’s never lost his natural anti-authoritarianism, he says. This kicks in when I ask him whether he admires Jobs, or the other visionaries of our age: “Anyone with too much power makes me suspicious. Anyone like that today at the head of a business or an empire can’t be spotless – so I don’t take much inspiration from that.” Remaining on the side of the poets, he was well cast as Vernon Subutex, the wastrel record-shop owner and alt.culture diehard on a Parisian odyssey in the recent TV adaptation of Virginie Despentes’ bestselling novels.
Maybe this allergy to authority figures is why Duris remains reluctant to step up to directing – even if he’s happy to play a director, as in Michel Hazanavicius’s recent meta-zomcom Final Cut. He just hasn’t found the “life and death” subject matter that would justify him devoting all his time to it. “It has to be essential and visceral,” he explains. “And I already communicate that way through illustration. When I finish a film, I love drawing on my own, and I get to communicate certain things. That’s more natural for me.”
So for now Duris is still doodling, keeping it loose on screen. Next up are a pair of Three Musketeers films with Bourboulon, in which the actor gets to lark it up with Cassel and Pio Marmaï. Duris is Aramis, the conflicted seducer and would-be man of the cloth: “Either he’s doing one thing and regretting it, or doing the other and regretting that.” It sounds like a fun paradox to navigate freehand. No doubt it will be done with gusto, no different from his D’Artagnan days, when he was the ingenue on the Paris boulevards: “I always played the clown, I always made people laugh. I knew that the camera wasn’t going to be a problem.”
Image: Tag Heuer
