Born in Casablanca in 1948, Jean Reno has built an impressive career over the years in both French cinema and Hollywood productions. After several small roles, his collaboration with Luc Besson completely changed his trajectory with Subway, then above all The Big Blue in 1988. The film became a huge success and propelled the actor to stardom. The sequel continues with films that have become cult like Nikita, Léon, Visitors, Ronin or even Mission Impossible. Thanks to his deep voice and his very particular charisma, Jean Reno is quickly establishing himself as one of the best-known French faces internationally. However, despite this worldwide recognition, the actor explains today that he kept his feet on the ground for a long time, surrounded according to him by “real friends”, “not people who caress me with a polishing brush” as he confided on Sunday May 17, 2026 in the YouTube show The Glimmers.
What was this consequence of the Big Blue on his private life?
But this sudden fame also had significant consequences on his private life. Still in the same interview, Jean Reno returned to the period which followed the success of Big Blue. A time marked by his first divorce from Geneviève, the mother of his two eldest children. “You have not succeeded in life; a film is not a life. There is always a backlash”, he explained with great hindsight. The actor says he was completely overwhelmed by this sudden notoriety: “I took off at one point. When I toured the world with Le Bleu, it was my first divorce, I think”. Before recognizing: “I lost the taste. I had too much too much. It took me a while to come down.” Jean Reno also explains that he became aware of his new status at this time: “You understand that you have changed your status“. Derrière le succès énorme du film de Luc Besson, the actor therefore experienced a much more complicated period than it seemed.
Sometimes difficult times
Over time, Jean Reno now speaks more freely about the difficult moments that marked his life. On April 16, 2026, guest in Daily on TMC to discuss his show The Camelthe actor agreed to talk about the low points of his existence in front of Yann Barthès. “Divorce, absence, the fact that the children are growing up and you don’t see them”he confided with emotion. He also spoke about “loneliness”, a feeling that often accompanied him during his career. Very invested in his roles, Jean Reno explains that he has sometimes put his personal life aside for his job. “I don’t do things by halves.” he said, explaining that he remained totally focused on his filming. The actor also admits to having struggled for a long time before making a decent living from cinema: “You’re hitting doors in your face.” Now living in New York with his wife Sofia Borucka, Jean Reno seems to look at this journey with more serenity, even if certain injuries still remain very present.
