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Evelyne Brochu - Trop Commercial (2018)
Evelyne Brochu
“I live by the whim of my heart”
SHE TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF HER MATERNITY LEAVE
from 7 Jours v.2021.04.01
After starring in all three seasons of Trop, Evelyne Brochu is now one of the leads in Paris Police 1900, a major period series for which she filmed in France and that we will be able to see (in Quebec) very soon. But, for the moment, the sympathetic actress is on maternity leave after giving birth to twins a little over four months ago.
Evelyne, let’s first talk about your role as a mother with your twins. Is it going well?
Yes, very well, in fact. It’s funny, because I’ve already experienced maternity once (she has a boy, born in October 2018), and I was expecting double the intensity, but in the end it’s going well day to day. It’s very consuming, but when you love doing something in life, it’s not taxing. Once you accept the lack of sleep, there is no more mental space to be in anticipation; your brain is more in the moment.
Your children were born in November…
They were born on November 12, at 37 weeks. Usually, for twins, the doctor doesn’t let it go any further because one of the babies is often low on amniotic fluid. They are considered “at term”, although they are three weeks early. I am really happy because I was lucky enough to have a beautiful delivery and two healthy babies, Camille and Mathias, who arrived home 24 hours later. Twins are considered a risky pregnancy. There is always a part of oneself that hopes for the best. In my case, it went really well.
So it’s really a beautiful time with your kids.
Yes, it’s hard work, but I don’t live it as a hassle; I live it as little moments of love. You know, changing diapers is a time to look into their eyes, to tickle them. What I’m experiencing right now is amazing. I know it’s a short time. I know that in two seconds they will crawl, they will run, and I know very well how short this little bubble of newborns is. I focus on the beautiful things that won’t last long. I often wake up at night, but it’s to feed them. It’s cool though! I take full advantage of it.
“My children need me, and I want to devote myself to this stage of my life.”
You decided to extend your maternity leave…
Yes, I made that choice, and so did my boyfriend. He took a longer leave than the last time because we knew it was going to be a lot of work. I chose to put off work so we could get into a routine, and of course there’s my oldest - who isn’t that old either. They need me, and right now I want to focus on this stage of my life.
I guess you still have some work ahead of you.
There are small things on the horizon, a small film, a foreign production that will be shot this summer in Quebec. It will give me other experiences; at the same time, it will allow me to stay close to home.
Starting April 8, you will be able to watch the police series Paris Police 1900 on Tou.tv Extra. It’s a mega production, right?
It really is! The series cost 16 million euros, which I didn’t know when I was shooting. But when I arrived at the Italian Embassy and saw the carriages and the extras, I realized that it was a big production. Since I couldn’t go to France to have my measurements taken for the corset I was going to wear because I had work to do here, a costume girl came to Montreal to have the corset made to fit me. The shoes were handmade in Italy, the hats were incredible… There wasn’t a thing that wasn’t custom made. The makeup lady was from the Paris Opera, the hair lady learned from the best, and it was the biggest set I’ve seen. It was very impressive. Above all, we had time. Everyone had time to do what they wanted to do. The costume, makeup, and hair designers had days and days of testing, and we were out there trying on looks to figure out the hairstyles, the eyebrow silhouette… And the dress assigned to the character was specifically designed to make an effect.
Did you also take much time to shoot the scenes?
Yes, we did two or three scenes a day, and everything was pushed to the limit. Going all the way, and not feeling dizzy from the frenzy, is intoxicating for an actress. In the end, the way I was used to working on Quebec sets made me think that it lacked a beat, that we had too much time!
So, shooting this vintage series was an exciting experience…
For me, it was a journey, I was outside of the box, let’s say! I was in France, it was another thing, another way of working, and I was also elsewhere in time. It is thrilling for an actress, the way you have to hold yourself, the way you frame, the way you handle objects… There were also moments of humor. When you see the prefect announcing the arrival of the telephone and saying “Call the police!”, you realize that it was quite a novelty to call the police with the telephone in 1900! Playing in such a series, you also see how far women have come since that time when police techniques were born. My character was a modern woman who was friends with Émile Zola and Toulouse-Lautrec, but she didn’t have the right to vote, she didn’t have a bank account, and she wore a corset all day.
Your character, Marguerite Steinheil, is a woman who really existed. And her lover even died in her bed…
Her lover was Felix Faure, the president of the Republic, and this scene is the first in the series, the beginning of the story. Because she was the president’s mistress, she had a position in the world, she had a protector. But when he dies, she loses her protector and has to find a situation to survive and guarantee her daughter’s future, so she becomes a spy for the police. She will infiltrate anti-Semitic groups whose leaders really existed. In some episodes, there are speeches that people have really said, and that are bloodcurdling. When I saw the series, I thought, about one speech in particular, that it was totally twisted that the author wrote that. It was word for word exactly what one man had said in those anti-Semitic speeches.
So you play a strong woman who is bound to get her way!
She is a strong woman, a woman of head, a modern woman, and she uses every means available at the time, that is to go through men, to get what she wants.
Is there any plan for a sequel to this series?
Yes, a second season is being planned and will be filmed next year. I was told that it would be filmed in January 2022. That’s perfect, because it gives me time to be a mom.
The series Trop ended after three seasons. Was it much of a heartbreak?
I would say that some series endings were harder than others. We know that we won’t find certain friendships again because we meet these people at work, whereas for Trop I made a gang that will last. I still see Virginie Fortin, and I’m still in contact with the author, Marie-Andrée Labbé, and Alice Pascual, who is my true friend in life. There’s a kind of nostalgia for the fun we had getting together, seeing each other often, and shooting a show we loved. At least the bonds that you feel when you watch the show remain in your life, you can take comfort in that.
The year 2022 will be quite busy for you, with the possible shooting of the series in France. Would you like, for example, to star in another series for two or three years?
I’m open to anything; that’s the way I work. I go on my own as my heart desires, as my feelings. When something arrives in front of me, I will seriously consider it, I don’t have a five-year plan, I don’t have a strategy. I told myself I wouldn’t work until May, and that makes me make some choices, but I don’t have anything until August, which is great. As it stands now, I figure if I get something wonderful, that’s good. If not, it’s just as great to have time for my family.
*Paris Police 1900 will be available on Tou.tv Extra starting April 8. All three seasons of Trop are also available on the platform.
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Evelyne Brochu, Trop 2
Interview with Evelyne Brochu
Coup de pouce Magazine, September 2019 | by Joëlle Bergeron
Describing herself as an actress who loves to sing, the talented woman launches her first pop-retro album, produced in collaboration with her friend Félix Dyotte.
Are you comfortable with the singer label?
For me, a singer is Véronique Claveau, Adele; girls who have great voices and can do anything. If I had to compare myself, I would go more towards Jeanne Moreau or Charlotte Gainsbourg. Their strength lies not so much in the vocal power as in the power of the performance. I am humbled by those who have been refining their instrument for years.
On the album, we can clearly recognize the world of Félix Dyotte, who wrote the lyrics, then composed and produced the melodies. What was your creative contribution?
I was part of this creation from beginning to end. There is one of the songs I wrote (7 jours), one that I co-wrote (Escale à Madrid) and I feel like, as Félix knows me well, he composed the other pieces thinking of me, even when I was not there! This album is the result of a long-standing friendship. The DNA from our link is there.
Are you still considering publishing a poetry collection?
It’s in the plans. After that, there are plans and there is time, but it’s already going on. There is a collection of short stories too, which I have been working on for years and which is almost finished… I just have to dare to present it to a publisher.
Season 2 of Trop ends when Isabelle drops everything and goes on a trip. How are we going to find her in season 3?
She comes back more grounded, but a new event will soon destabilize her. It’s going to take about the whole season before she gets back on her X. It is a season of upheavals, but also of affirmation.
This is the last season. Are you the type to get the blues or do you move on quickly?
I have some problems. It was an important project in my life. My sense of belonging is very strong, both humanly and artistically, so I try to live the last moments by enjoying them as much as possible.
The book on her bedside table
Le Lambeau, by Philippe Lançon, one of Charlie Hebdo’s journalists who survived the terrorist attack. It is a story of healing and reconstruction that I loved very much. The author, a great writer, explains how art can save us.
A song she listens to
There’s a song my boyfriend introduced me to lately. It’s Sari d’Orcino of Feu! Chatterton. It’s a great song.
A series she’s watching
I’m not watching anything specific right now. But I must admit I’m a big fan of Fixer Upper, which features a Texas couple renovating old houses. They’re really funny and I love them. So, from time to time, I watch a little Fixer Upper.
The artist on her radar
Philippe Cyr. He is the one who directed the production of Le BrasierandJ’aime Hydro, so I’m very excited to see the rest of his work.
On the agenda
Her album will be released in stores in September. The third season of TROP will be aired this fall on ICI Radio-Canada Télé.
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@mariealabbe : Pas encore revenue de cette journée-là, sorry ♀️ #troplasérie avec mes meilleures. @loulouarchambault@chloerobish@virgfortin@evelyne_brochu
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The serie Trop filmed the final episode on June 29, 2019, in the area in which the author Marie-Andrée Labbé was born and raised.
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Evelyne Brochu behind the scenes of Trop3
