7 Jours
7 Jours
November 24, 1990
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO LEARN TO LIKE YOURSELF
While Ovila Pronovost goes to great lengths to charm Émilie in Les Filles de Caleb, Roy Dupuis, aged 27, did not have to do anything to conquer all the hearts of Quebec. No, that’s not true! He had his huge talent as an actor; so immense that his role of Ovila, like that of Maxime Morel in the first film of the series Lance et Compte, gave him the reputation of a being a rebel. Here, however, the undisputed rising star of Quebec belies this reputation with his elegance and gentleness.
First of all, Roy, I would like you to tell me about your experience with Marina Orisini in the Les Filles de Caleb.
Everything clicked from the beginning, and that’s what enabled us to create the intimacy and to find the sensuality that appears in each episode. Because of the series, we have become close friends. We don’t go out together all the time, but we’ll certainly drop in for supper now and again.
How did you come to be an actor?
At secondary school in Laval (I was born in Amos but my family moved to Laval when I was fourteen), I was taking a course in French theatre. At that time, I did not even think of making a career in acting. And then, one day, I met a girl who wanted to audition for entry to theatre school; she asked me to go over her lines with her. Two days before the audition, a friend of hers, who had also applied, dropped out at the last minute. So she asked me to take his place and to pass myself off as him.
And did the deception work?
Up to a point, at any rate, because I passed the audition. When I arrived at the office of the director, Michelle Rossignol, she had a photograph of the guy who had dropped out! We had a talk, she finally gave me a registration form, and thus at 19 I was accepted into the National Theatre School, where I studied for four years. My life changed completely from that time. When I left I did a lot of theatre work, such as the part of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at the TNM (Théâtre du Nouveau Monde - New World Theatre). I also had minor roles in several films, such as Jésus de Montréal, Dans le ventre du dragon (In the belly of the dragon) and Comment faire l'amour avec un nègre sans se fatiguer (How make the love with a Negro without getting tired).
Your life must have changed even more since your character in Les Filles de Caleb became the heartthrob of Quebec?
I am obviously aware of my popularity, because more and more people stop me in the street to ask for my autograph or to say that I am a good actor.
Do you like that?
Yes, because I’m pleased with my work. I can therefore deal with my popularity, even if I am not quite accustomed to this pace of life. It’s not in my nature to talk about myself; especially as after having spent a year and a half in the character of Ovila, I’ve scarcely begun to find myself again. Also I have my private life and a circle of close friends.
Are you not trying to escape this attention?
I am living in Montreal, but if I’m looking for a piece of land on which I can settle and have a country house built, it’s simply because in a way I miss the woods and the environment in which I grew up. This nostalgia has grown even greater during the filming of Les Filles de Caleb.
However, when people appreciate your work they want to know you better, and that’s the price of fame ….
I’m not anything very special! I have a brother and a sister, my father is a commercial traveller and my mother teaches the piano. I had a very happy and busy childhood. After school I had two hours of cello lessons every day in addition to hockey and swimming.
Do you still play this instrument?
No and I miss it, because I could to express my emotions and my frustrations through the music. Moreover, as with the hockey (I have just begun to play again on the Artists’ Union team), my study of the cello helped to make me a good actor because it requires a lot of concentration and discipline.
Are you the sort of person who leads a very ordered life?
Not at all! I become very disciplined when I like what I’m doing. But when it comes to dealing with my personal affairs I’m not. Let’s say that I am organized in the sense that I have found other people to manage my business.
You are called a rebel, delinquent...
That’s not true! Rather, I am the sociable type who likes people and parties. In short, I enjoy life. Moreover, I am in love and a romantic. I’ve been with my partner for a year and a half.. <<Simé Girard , at this time>>
Where does your reputation as a revolutionary come from?
I don’t revolt, but there are things which revolt me.
For example?
Neckties! Conformity, people who are anchored in their principles and who refuse to have a more open mind. In these cases, it’s true that I like to have a go at them ….verbally, because I have never set upon anyone in all my life!
But do you have principles of life?
What stimulates me is a love of life, of other people and, especially, a love of oneself, because I think that it’s essential to learn to like yourself as much as you can in order to like other people better.
Are you a loner?
When I’m surrounded by people, I feel more alone than when I am really alone at home; then I go looking for my pals. In any event, I don’t try to figure it out. I live from day to day because I do not want to waste energy worrying about the future. That’s the best investment I can make for my future.
Is your fame and all that has happened to you going to change you?
It is true that I must adapt to it. But while the earth will continue to revolve without me, and while currents may circulate around me and define me to a degree, I’m nevertheless free to take steps that could change the course of my life. I’m not yet at the mercy of this way of life! If I am rebellious, then perhaps it’s in this sense, but no more.
Returning to your popularity: it rests partly on your image as a sex-symbol. How do you deal with that?
I admit that it’s flattering and I am coming to terms with it at the moment. We shall see where it leads to …. But I do not seek this image. And then, I didn’t choose my face! When all’s said and done, I’m a very simple person; I simply do what I have to do.
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