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Director and producer Jean-Marc Vallée, who won an Emmy for directing the hit HBO series “Big Little Lies” and whose 2013 drama “Dallas Buyers Club” earned multiple Oscar nominations, has died. He was 58.
His representative Bumble Ward said Sunday that Vallée died suddenly in his cabin outside Quebec City, Canada, over the weekend.
Vallée was acclaimed for his naturalistic approach to filmmaking, directing stars including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal over the past decade.
The director’s breakthrough 2005 film “C.R.A.Z.Y.” was one of the most celebrated Quebecois films of the ’00s, earning 11 Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture.
He directed Emily Blunt in 2009′s “The Young Victoria”, and followed it up with the acclaimed 2011 French-Canadian film “Café de Flore”.
Vallée became a sought-after name in Hollywood after “Dallas Buyers Club”, featuring Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, earned six Academy Awards nominations, including best picture.
He often shot with natural light and hand-held cameras and gave actors freedom to improvise the script and move around within a scene’s location. The crew roamed up and down the Pacific Coast Trail to shoot Witherspoon in 2014′s “Wild.”
“They can move anywhere they want,” the Canadian filmmaker said of his actors in a 2014 interview with The Associated Press. “It’s giving the importance to storytelling, emotion, characters. I try not to interfere too much. I don’t need to cut performances. Often, the cinematographer and I were like, ‘This location sucks. It’s not very nice. But, hey, that’s life.’”
He re-teamed with Witherspoon to direct the first season of “Big Little Lies” in 2017, and directed Adams in 2018′s “Sharp Objects,” also for HBO. Vallée won DGA awards for both.
Remembrances for Vallée poured in on social media.
Remembering celebrated Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée — the only director to both open (DEMOLITION) and close (THE YOUNG VICTORIA) the Toronto International Film Festival. pic.twitter.com/hWZvAZtCqP
— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) December 27, 2021
Can’t believe it. Jean-Marc Vallée was a prodigious talent, and the only filmmaker to both open (DEMOLITION) and close (THE YOUNG VICTORIA) the Toronto International Film Festival. I’ll miss his fire. https://t.co/MCrHJQJvGg
— Cameron Bailey (@cameron_tiff) December 27, 2021
Jean-Marc Vallée is one of my favorites, I adore the rhythm of his editing and the way he thinks about memory and trauma, way ahead of the pack all trying to do the same thing. I think about his style all the time. So so sad
— cassidy xcx (@olsencassidy) December 27, 2021
Took this of Jean-Marc Vallee in 2019 in Careyes, Mexico during the ArteCareyes film fest. He was soulful and generous and loved music more than anything. He’d always wanted to be a rock star. In MTL we road bikes to Leonard Cohen’s house. He was one of the coolest I’ve ever met. pic.twitter.com/4UlzHqV0IY
— (((Malina Saval))) (@Malinasaval) December 27, 2021
Saddened to hear about Jean-Marc Vallée. In one of our interviews he wore a rubber mask to make a point about directors masking their own personalities in support of the material. He was an entertainer who knew how to use striking images to tell his stories. #RestInPower pic.twitter.com/e6AgANuL8o
— Richard Crouse (@RichardCrouse) December 27, 2021
Extremely shocked and heartbroken to hear about the sudden passing of Jean-Marc Vallée — when I was 23 I wrote a letter in hopes of a mentorship with. I got nervous and never sent it. RIP ❤️ pic.twitter.com/naLDXucfLp
— Sophy Romvari (@SophyRomvari) December 27, 2021
Huge loss for the Canadian film industry. The sudden death of filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée leaves us speechless. His colossal work is a precious and inspiring legacy. pic.twitter.com/O5qF16M5KY
— Sén. René Cormier (@SenCormier) December 27, 2021
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AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.
