Jean Reno, David Schurmann and My Penguin Friend

When it comes to penguins on film, if you’re not immediately jumping to thoughts of Colin Farrell or Danny De Vito under heavy makeup, you’re probably thinking about documentaries such as March of the Penguins, or animated fare like Madagascar or Happy Feet. Director David Schurmann is here to challenge your preconceived ideas about flightless waterfowl in leading roles in My Penguin Friend, a new family-friendly adventure film which stars internationally renowned actor Jean Reno, who undertook an exciting new challenge by acting opposite a penguin.

“I would like to think that we will think that we have one planet and to take care of it.”

“You need time to get close to the penguin without being rejected by him,” Reno says of working with his aquatic co-star. The Spanish born actor, who grew up in France, became an established star in French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, with appearances in film such as The Big Blue and La Femme Nikita. Reno is perhaps best known as the hitman, Léon, in Besson’s first major English language film, the 1994 action-thriller The Professional, in which he starred opposite Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman. Since then, Reno’s impressive list of world famous co-stars has included Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Matthew Broderick, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin and Beyoncé. In making My Penguin Friend, Reno embraced the opportunity to play numerous scenes opposite a real penguin as a privilege and a unique acting opportunity. “It takes time,” Reno says. “You calm—like he’s a partner or a friend—and calm, and calm again and don’t hurt him and don’t be brutal. Be sweet. Work with him. It’s giving fish to him, and after two to three weeks, we were close enough to to work together.” My Penguin Friend tells the story of an incredible friendship between João, a Brazilian fisherman who has suffered a heartbreaking loss, and a little lost penguin named DinDim, which translates to “Ice Pop” in English. When João finds a DinDim drifting alone in the ocean, covered in oil from a spill, he feels compelled to help the animal, not only rescuing it but metaphorically taken it under his wing, and becoming a nurturer and friend to him. When it’s finally time to let DinDim go, João doesn’t expect to see his friend again, yet the penguin surprised João, his wife Maria (Adriana Barraza, Babel) and people all over the by returning to the seaside village and to João again and again. 

“I wanted to make sure that we were as true as possible to the story,” Schurmann says. “It is a true story. And he came back for eight years in a row, which is unbelievable.” A veteran of documentaries, including the 11-part series Orient Expedition for National Geographic, Schurrman was enthralled with the tale of João Perei de Souza, who rescued an oil soaked penguin on the coast of his village just outside Rio de Janeiro in 2011. Schurmann was in awe of the resilience of penguins, and felt a responsibility to tell their story accurately. “I think the penguin shows us how to be more human, which is quite amazing,” Schurmann says. “They’re so tough, and at the same time, they’re so beautiful.” In 2017, Schurmann and his family established Voice of the Oceans, a global initiative to combat plastic pollution in the oceans, and it was in part this passion for the sea and the creatures who dwell within it that drew him to My Penguin Friend. “I think there are many connections, from my background with the oceans for telling true stories,” Schurmann says. “To go on this journey, to understand what this man was living, and understand the that these two souls that come together … there are many things that really attracted me to this film.” While a total of 10 live penguins were used for the film, the number decreased to four that worked directly with Reno throughout the shoot. “They were great,” Schurmann says. “Jean had the first three weeks with the penguins. Then the penguins got used to him and Jean got used to knowing how to be with the penguins and handle the penguins, because they could get scared. But once they got together, it was amazing. It was like souls connecting.”

“They’re so tough, and at the same time, they’re so beautiful.”

 For Reno, My Penguin Friend was a profound experience, providing an opportunity to stretch himself as an actor and to be a part of telling an unforgettable story, and he holds firmly to the hope that audiences will not just see the film, but walk out of the theater with a greater feeling of responsibility for and connection to the natural world. “I would like to think that we will think that we have one planet and to take care of it,” Reno says. “Take care of the oceans, take care of animals and please don’t destroy the planet, if you can.”  

As My Penguin Friend hits theaters on August 16, Reno and Schurmann are very pleased at the opportunity to share this heartwarming and poignant film with audiences around the world. It’s a unique and moving story that speaks to the nature of life, as well the healing power of friendship and empathy. 

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