Jean-Marc Vallée, Director of ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ Dies at 58 – The New York Times
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Known for his naturalistic approach, the Canadian-born filmmaker transformed true stories into acclaimed dramas.
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Jean-Marc Vallée, the award-winning Canadian director of the film “Dallas Buyers Club” and the hit HBO show “Big Little Lies,” was found dead this weekend at his cabin outside Quebec City. He was 58.
His publicist, Bumble Ward, said his death had been unexpected. The cause and further details were not immediately available.
Mr. Vallée was known for a naturalistic and generous approach to filmmaking that colleagues said brought out the best in those he worked with. He avoided artificial lighting — and even rehearsals. Mr. Vallée also became known for helming several films and TV series with strong female leads.
His debut feature film, “Liste noire” (“Black List”), a 1995 thriller that follows the trial of a judge, was nominated for several Genie Awards in Canada, including for best picture. He went on to co-write and direct “C.R.A.Z.Y.,” a coming-of-age film, in 2005. That helped catapult him to Hollywood.
In 2009, Mr. Vallée directed “The Young Victoria,” which starred Emily Blunt and explored the early years of Queen Victoria’s rule. The film received several major awards and nominations.
He took on the critically acclaimed “Dallas Buyers Club” in 2013, a drama based on the true story of Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician and rodeo rider. After receiving a diagnosis of H.I.V. in 1985, the Texan fought to get medication (illegal in the United States at the time) for himself and others with the virus.
Matthew McConaughey said he dropped 50 pounds ingesting nothing but vegetables, egg whites, fish and tapioca pudding — and “as much wine as I wanted to drink” — to lose weight to play Mr. Woodroof. The film was nominated for six Oscars, winning three, including Best Actor for Mr. McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Jared Leto.
In a Vanity Fair article adapted from “Never Silent: ACT UP and My Life in Activism,” the activist Peter Staley recounted his long battle to make sure homophobia and AIDS denialism did not make it into the film. He said he put Mr. Vallée “through hell and back.” But he said the director “kept the promise he’d once emailed me: that in all his films, he tries to ‘capture humanity and reveal the beauty behind it.’”
The following year, Mr. Vallée directed “Wild,” another film based on a true story, which starred Reese Witherspoon as the author Cheryl Strayed during a solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. That film was also nominated for several major awards, including an Oscar nod for Best Actress.
“Big Little Lies” won several Emmys and an award from the Directors Guild of America. The cutting tale of violence and class in the wealthy beachside town of Monterey, Calif., starred Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Zoë Kravitz, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley and Meryl Streep.
Later, he took viewers into the world of small-town Missouri with the series “Sharp Objects,” which starred Amy Adams as a troubled reporter, and was nominated for eight Emmy Awards.
“It’s true that my last projects were featuring mainly female characters,” Mr. Vallée said in an interview published by HBO in 2018. “So, am I the lucky guy? Maybe — maybe I am. I’m not afraid of intelligent, strong women. You got to create a space where they’re going to feel respected and comfortable.”
“We pushed the envelope in order to capture something that feels real and authentic,” he added. There were no storyboards, shot lists or reflectors used in making “Sharp Objects” because he preferred to allow the actors to express themselves.
“I’m reacting to what they’re doing, instead of being active and telling them, this is what I’ll do with the camera,” he said, adding: “I love it. You know, I’m like a kid on a set, a kid playing with a huge toy and having fun.”
Mr. Vallée was born on March 9, 1963, in Montreal. He studied filmmaking at the Collège Ahuntsic and the Université du Québec à Montreal. Two sons, Alex Vallée and Emile Vallée; and his siblings Marie-Josée Vallée, Stéphane Tousignant and Gérald Vallée survive him.
In a statement, Nathan Ross, Mr. Vallée’s producing partner and close friend, described him as a “true artist” who stood for “creativity, authenticity and trying things differently.”
“The maestro will sorely be missed,” he said, adding, “It comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.”
Mr. Vallée was set to direct and executive-produce another show for HBO, “Gorilla and the Bird,” a limited series based on a memoir of the same name about a public defender who suffers a psychotic break.
In an interview with The New York Times in 2018, Mr. Vallée described his work as attempting to expose the flaws and imperfection in human nature.
“I see that I seem to be attracted to these stories and to underdog characters,” Mr. Vallée said. He added: “The humanity, the beautiful humanity, is dark.”
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