30 years on from its release, Hasitha Fernando looks at the story behind Luc Besson’s cult classic Léon: The Professional… Léon: The Professional is important for a number of reasons. The controversial hitman film introduced audiences to a young Natalie Portman, gave Jean Reno wider recognition and reminded how much Hollywood needs Gary Oldman. But […]
I’ll just leave it here for easy access:
Besson’s second wife was actress and director Maïwenn Le Besco, whom he started dating when he was 32 and she was 15. They married in late 1992 when Le Besco, 16, was pregnant with their daughter Shanna, who was born on 3 January 1993. Le Besco later claimed that their relationship inspired Besson’s film Léon (1994), where the plot involved the emotional relationship between an adult man and a 12-year-old girl (played by then 12-year-old Natalie Portman). Their marriage ended in 1997, when Besson became involved with actress Milla Jovovich, then 19, during the production of The Fifth Element (1997). “We sensed the special chemistry between us immediately at the auditions and it just intensified during the filming of the movie,” said Jovovich.
He married Jovovich on December 14, 1997, when he was 38 and she was 21. They divorced in 1999.
He left his 20 year old wife of four years, mother to his 4 year old child, for a 19 year old.
Dicaprio over here taking notes