Max Girard Character Analysis in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Max Girard is a French New Wave film director and Evelyn’s sixth husband. After meeting Evelyn, who immediately captivates him, he casts her in his films Boute-en-Train and Three A.M. on the condition that she agrees to film nude scenes. Max and Evelyn’s relationship becomes sexual and romantic after their film, All for Us, wins them each an Oscar. But though Evelyn feels genuine affection for Max, she soon realizes he is more interested in her as a celebrity than as a person, and he’d rather use her to boost his public image. This becomes even clearer when Max finds the letters Celia wrote to Evelyn and threatens Evelyn that he’ll reveal her sexuality to the media. When he eventually does so, after Evelyn files for divorce, it’s apparent from the media reaction labelling him “bitter” that he’s less respected in Hollywood than she is.

Max Girard Quotes in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo quotes below are all either spoken by Max Girard or refer to Max Girard. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

There are two men seated next to her, names lost to history, who are staring at her as she looks ahead at the stage. The man next to her is staring at her chest. The one next to him is staring at her thigh. Both of them seem enraptured and hoping to see the tiniest bit farther.

Maybe I’m overthinking that photo, but I’m starting to notice a pattern: Evelyn always leaves you hoping you’ll get just a little bit more. And she always denies you.

Related Characters: Monique Grant (speaker), Max Girard, Celia St. James, Mick Riva, Evelyn Hugo

Page Number and Citation: 16

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Monique scrutinizes her favorite photo of Evelyn—a shot of the audience at the 1967 Golden Globes. Her description of the photo reveals just how objectified Evelyn was and is—not only by the men beside her who can’t take their eyes off her body, but by anyone witnessing Evelyn from afar. That includes Monique, who can’t help but fixate on the same thing that enthralls those two men. Both the photo and Monique’s description of it suggest that Evelyn used her body as a tool to hold people’s interest in her. Much like Evelyn’s suggestion to Max to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit

What Max was talking about was a graphic portrayal of female desire. And my gut instinct was that I loved the idea. I mean, the thought of filming a graphic sex scene with Don was about as arousing to me as a bowl of bran flakes. But I wanted to push the envelope. I wanted to show a woman getting off. I liked the idea of showing a woman having sex because she wanted to be pleased instead of being desperate to please. So in a moment of excitement, I grabbed my coat, put out my hand, and said, “I’m in.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Rex North, Don Adler, Max Girard, Celia St. James, Harry Cameron

Page Number and Citation: 262

Explanation and Analysis:

During an early-morning shoot, Max proposes the idea of a graphic sex scene between Evelyn and Don’s characters. Evelyn immediately agrees to film the scene without discussing it with Celia. This passage also echoes the other moments in the novel that involved handshakes to confirm momentous decisions. When Evelyn agreed to marry Rex North, she shook his hand. Then, when she agreed to have a baby with Harry, she shook his hand. Now, agreeing to film a groundbreaking sex scene that will demand courage and vulnerability—and that eventually will lead to the demise of Evelyn’s relationship and generate widespread criticism Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimu

“Did you ever love me?”

“Yes, I did. When you made love to me and you made me feel desire and you took good care of my daughter and I believed that you saw something in me that no one else saw. When I believed you had an insight and a talent that no one else had. I loved you very much.”

“So you are not a lesbian,” he said.

Related Characters: Max Girard (speaker), Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James, Connor Cameron

Page Number and Citation: 308

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, Max confronts Evelyn about the letters from Celia he found in the closet. He demands that Evelyn explain her sexual identity to him. Evelyn’s response is her attempt to show Max that she’s sexually attracted to men, but more than that, it’s her opportunity to show him why she feels her relationship with Max is failing. The details Evelyn includes in her response go far beyond a simple confirmation of her attraction to Max, and her repeated use of the past tense emphasizes that, since she first fell in love with Max, she’s come to feel very Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore lab

Max Girard Character Timeline in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The timeline below shows where the character Max Girard appears in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...connections, most of which lead nowhere. But then Evelyn meets with a New Wave director, Max Girard, who knows nothing about her but is stunned by her beauty. He asks if... (full context)

Femininity, Sexuality, and Power Theme Icon

In the middle of the night, Max calls Evelyn to ask if she’s free to shoot a movie with him in France... (full context)

...weeks later, Evelyn is on the set of Boute-en-Train. During the shoot, it’s obvious that Max is attracted to her. On the penultimate day of filming, he tells her it’s time... (full context)

Celia tells Evelyn she thinks she should star in Max Girard’s next film, Three A.M. Evelyn’s surprised by her suggestion: Celia hates Max and thinks... (full context)

Evelyn reads the script and eventually rings Max to tell him she wants the part. When he hesitates, she reassures him her body... (full context)

Back in the present, Monique asks Evelyn why she agreed to the film without asking Max to cut Don. Evelyn says she wasn’t sure Max would fire him if she asked,... (full context)

...begins to give up time with Connor and Celia in order to fit in with Max’s changing schedule. She can tell Celia regrets encouraging her to do Three A.M., but she... (full context)

One day toward the end of the shoot, Max knocks on Evelyn’s dressing room door to convince her that the love scene, which she... (full context)

...Celia the flowers and asks to talk to her. She tells her that she and Max have discussed the sex scene being more graphic than expected. Celia says she understands the... (full context)

...Evelyn reads hundreds of scripts to find one that Harry would want to produce. Finally, Max sends her one called All for Us, a gritty, hopeful story about a single mother... (full context)

...All for Us comes out, Evelyn and Harry go to the Oscars together, though because Max has made so many comments about wanting Evelyn as his date, she feels like she’s... (full context)

Later that night, Harry has already returned to the hotel to check on Connor. Max’s limo pulls up to where Max and Evelyn are sitting outside a mansion. Max asks... (full context)

Max and Evelyn end up standing in line at a fast-food restaurant. When the cashier recognizes... (full context)

...biography picks back up the day after the Oscars. When Harry reads the note from Max, he’s silent for a while before suggesting that nothing would change between himself and Evelyn... (full context)

Three weeks later, Evelyn visits Max’s apartment to ask whether his proposal is serious. He confirms it is: it’s been 20... (full context)

...been living separately for a few years while Evelyn has been kindling a relationship with Max Girard, who may be her “lucky ticket to happiness” now that the two have announced... (full context)

Evelyn and Max marry in Joshua Tree in the company of Harry, Connor, and Max’s brother. Evelyn wears... (full context)

When Evelyn wakes up the next morning, Max tells her that this isn’t how he imagined life with her—it lacks the glory he... (full context)

After four months of marriage, Evelyn realizes that Max has no intention of loving the real her: the idea of her is more attractive... (full context)

In 1988, six years after Evelyn and Max’s wedding, Celia plays Lady Macbeth in a film adaptation and submits herself for Best Supporting... (full context)

...letter to Celia asking if lovers can ever be friends. Celia writes back, asking if Max is like Harry and Rex; Evelyn replies saying no, but asking to meet. Celia writes... (full context)

Evelyn calls Celia, and Celia picks up. Evelyn tells her that she used to love Max but doesn’t anymore; she’d like to see Celia. Celia refuses. Evelyn insists, telling Celia she... (full context)

...she doesn’t need them since she’s flying to see Celia in person. She leaves while Max is still asleep, saying goodbye to Connor, who rolls her eyes at Evelyn’s farewell. But... (full context)

Evelyn’s instinct is to lie to Max and tell him that she’s not planning to see Celia. But when she opens her... (full context)

...men she’s been with since they broke up. She says she’s getting a divorce from Max, no matter what he says about her: she has her fame and Harry’s support, and... (full context)

...cry together, then have sex. In the morning, Celia describes her plan. Evelyn will leave Max and appear in public with Celia’s friend, a politician. People will be shocked to see... (full context)

...Evelyn, who has been seen out with a young Democrat, is filing for divorce from Max, who has been spreading rumors that Evelyn’s a lesbian and a cheater. The author writes... (full context)

Max Girard Character Analysis

Max Girard Quotes in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Chapter 2 Quotes

Chapter 45 Quotes

Chapter 54 Quotes

Max Girard Character Timeline in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo