'Annette' Star Adam Driver Lights a Cigarette During Cannes Standing Ovation

Adam Driver caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival this year. 

The actor made a memorable appearance at the festival while attending the premiere of his new musical film "Annette." The film was a hit with the audience, which gave it a five-minute standing ovation, and while the film's cast, and its director Leos Carax, all received equal praise, it was Driver's act of lighting up a cigarette during the ovation that made the headlines. 

Video footage circulating on social media shows Driver, who looks somewhat unsure of what to do, pursing his lips, waving at the crowd then shuffling from one foot to the other while the audience claps. He then lights up a cigarette and casually puffs it as the ovation roars on. 

With this still fresh in the public's mind, Driver then caused a stir the following day when he failed to appear at the post-screening press conference, which Carax exited also with a cigarette in hand, stating he needed to "go for a p--s," according to Deadline. 

During the conference, actress Marion Cotillard, who plays Driver's wife in "Annette," opened up about the challenges of being in the spotlight.

"It’s been a big question in my personal life. Why do you need to be looked at, loved by some many people? It can build your confidence … but it can destroy you," she said. "Especially when you don’t have so much love for yourself. We’ve seen so many celebrities go down."

Cotillard also spoke about the process of filming the musical, in which the vocals were recorded while cameras were rolling, and not in post-production, which is standard with most films. 

"Normally you record the songs in a studio and lip-sync on set," she said. "Here it was live, it means that the sound of the singing was changed by every movement of the body. We had a lot of action while singing, it was different from any other project that involves singing."

"Annette," which follows the story of a stand-up comedian and opera singer whose lives are changed dramatically after having their first child, has received mixed reviews, but it is Driver's performance that has stood out.

The Guardian applauded the star as "magnificent and wild," while BBC wrote that he "shines" in the  "bizarre rock opera" film. Anne Thompson of IndieWire noted that, while the critical reaction is polarized, many would admire Driver "for his daring, often naked dive off a high board, singing, performing bravura comedy routines, making love, and murdering people he loves most."

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