A GIRL'S OWN HERO

THERE he was. France's national treasure, adored by women, revered star of the screen: Gerard Depardieu. In the flesh.

He appears to be the same Depardieu whose presence fills the screen, whether in meaty roles such as Cyrano De Bergerac, or in the fluffy comedy Green Card. Amiable and smiling, he seems smaller in real life, a softer version of the beloved monstre of French cinema. Dishwater-blond hair hangs loosely around a ruddy face, which, feature by feature, is far from remarkable but oafishly handsome. Even his notorious nose does not seem that big, at least not from halfway across the room.

He is there to talk about My Father The Hero, a Hollywood remake of the French film (Mon Pere Le Heros) in which he starred in 1991. Although his English is good, an interpreter is on hand to guard against cross-cultural complications.

Why did he accept the role? 'I think it is a very special subject. It's about the discovery of love by a daughter and the father is witness to that and participates in it.' How did he cope with the first romance of his own daughter, Julie? 'It's something very private so it's a bit difficult to talk about, and it's also difficult to talk about because the first love is very important, very serious. I hope I was capable of dealing with it, but it's a learning process. That's why I liked the film, it shows how important it is to be attentive, to be present when your child needs you.

'The message of the film is to push people to communicate ... children are very awkward and this is very often how crises start in adolescence. The first love is when you feel very lonely and you need somebody to turn to. In love you are always alone.' No wonder mothers and daughters all over the world want to take Depardieu home.

But there is one concern over My Father The Hero and that is the portrayal of his child-woman daughter by photogenic 14-year-old American actress Katherine Heigl. On the brink of womanhood, the film-makers have made the most of the sexual allure of a girlin puberty. The camera lingers on her developing body, not least in the scene where she struts in a G-string swimming costume.