Stéphane Guillon steps onto the stage at the Théâtre Antoine in Paris to portray Robert Badinter in a biographical play running through January 3, 2027.
The production, titled « Robert Badinter, l’enragé de justice », charts the life of the figure who spearheaded the abolition of the death penalty in France in 1981.
Born in 1928 to an Eastern European Jewish family, Badinter served as a lawyer and later as Minister of Justice. He passed away in 2024 at the age of 95 and entered the Panthéon in 2025.
The play examines his public battles and intimate moments. This includes a scene depicting his confrontation with his mother, who initially supported capital punishment.
Trained by Jean-Laurent Cochet, the actor approached the part with dedication.
Stéphane Guillon said, “Obviously, I wondered if the shoes were too big for the nasty comedian from Canal. It was complicated to turn down Jean-Marc Dumontet’s proposal”, referencing the owner of the Théâtre Antoine.
Guillon added, “I am very careful to avoid imitation. The work is done with a part of a miracle that means we are inhabited by characters of this caliber”.
The actor said, “Élisabeth Badinter came to see the show and felt that her husband had not been betrayed. It’s a fine compliment”.
Guillon praised Badinter as “the one who never deviated from what he thought was justice and injustice”.
The performer voiced concern over contemporary social friction, pointing to “bad winds coming from those who do not understand the uselessness and barbarity of the death penalty”.
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Having secured a legal victory against France Inter for unfair dismissal in 2013, Guillon expressed contentment with his move to theatrical stages, noting that he had also experienced success with his earlier play « Inconnu à cette adresse » and appeared in the Arte series « Eldorado » concerning the sniffing planes scandal.
He said, “For now, I no longer want to comment through humor on this very violent and nuance-free era. I am fine where I am. Through my choices in the theater, I have the impression of continuing a bit of what I was doing”.
Guillon said, “I sometimes paid very dearly for my columns. I spent a long time in purgatory and I don’t want to go back into that arena for the moment”, adding that he had reached a point where he felt he was becoming a caricature of himself.
