For this edition of The true natureJean-Philippe Dion offers us a duo meeting with Christine Morency and Félix Séguin. The two guests could not be more opposite, but thanks to a delve into the heart of their intimacy we will once again discover more than one point in common…
• Also read: Two guests instead of three this Sunday at La vérité nature
• Also read: 11 behind-the-scenes secrets of the “True Nature” episode with Marie-Claude Savard, Colombe St-Pierre and Christian Dubé
Cheese and card games
Christine arrived in the boat with her pillow, which is rare… She told us she needed it to sleep. Even before I arrived, Christine and Félix discovered common tastes: a love of smelly cheese and card games.
A little discomfort…
When I asked Christine and Félix upon arrival if they knew each other, Félix replied that he knew Christine, but Christine did not immediately recognize Félix. When I told her about JE, she remembered him. Apparently she's a big fan of JE because she remembered verbatim the line Felix said at the end of the show. She felt guilty all weekend because she didn't recognize him.
A trade in earthworms
Félix's father was a man with boundless imagination and great entrepreneurial spirit. He always had business ideas to realize. Félix told us about the time when his father started an earthworm business to produce animal feed. He was perceived by the locals in Témiscamingue in a unique way… He wanted so much to show that his project was interesting that, together with Félix's mother, he invited the locals to a barbecue and cooked earthworms so that they could taste it. It gives you an idea of the character!
Similar childhoods
Christine and Félix had somewhat similar childhoods, but then they took completely different paths to achieve their professional goals. We see that although we can have bad luck or experience dramatic events in life, everyone gets back on their feet in a different way. It quickly became apparent that her father had missed much of her life. A missing father always has a very strong impact on people's lives. After dinner, as we delved into the fact that both had managed to achieve their goals and make their dreams come true, Félix summed up the situation aptly: “We are aware that the machine is not broken.”
Raised as a princess
When the father is absent, the mother usually takes up more space. Félix's mother was committed. For example, she wanted Christmas to be nice even if the family had broken up. Christine's mother treated her daughter a bit like a princess. The comedian told us that when she was a teenager, she wanted to celebrate the national holiday with her friends on the Plains of Abraham. Christine's mother failed to drive her back to the bus from Montreal and when she returned from work, her daughter made fun of her for not being able to take part in the activity. Her mother therefore offered to take her back in the car. When she arrived in the Plains after a two-and-a-half-hour drive, Christine told her mother that there were too many people and that she wasn't feeling well. So they immediately came back to Montreal! It shows all the love a mother has for her daughter.
A moment full of emotions
Among the beautiful discoveries: the vulnerability of Félix Séguin. He is a journalist, presenter of JE and a strong man. I asked him if he had any memories of his mother tucking him in and taking care of him in his bed at night. No, he had no memory of it… He mostly remembered having trouble falling asleep because he was anxious. Then I played the song La mort de l'ours by Félix Leclerc, which his mother sang to him when she was putting him to bed. As soon as he heard the first notes of the song, he started crying. All the memories of his childhood came to the surface, the good ones as well as the less nice ones. Christine also cried and I was touched… It was a moment full of emotions.
A funny anecdote
Christine had a completely unusual start to her career. She didn't go to humor school. She was admitted there but ultimately refused to go. She made her first appearance in a bar in 2017 and the following year she was invited to a Just for Laughs gala, where things didn't go well. We have returned to this gala and published an excerpt. It was clear to us: Even if she wasn't the incredible comedian she is today, the foundation for her success had already been laid. We recognize his personality and his courage.
Overcome your fear of failure
From the start, I would say that we use the word “inspirational” too often… But in Christine's case, this term is well chosen. At some point she told herself that she had to stop becoming a comedian because if she didn't achieve her goal, she would perish. If she were denied this, her life would no longer have meaning. There is something deeply sad in this story. It's like telling yourself that you won't venture into life for fear of failure. Through her journey we understand everything she did to achieve her goal. Today she is successful in her job and her story confirms to us that we should never give up and, above all, not stop dreaming out of fear of being told no.
A bonding activity
During our activity we built a hut for my godson. The idea came from Félix, who was a real craftsman when he was young. His mother even gave him a running bill at the local hardware store so he could have wood delivered and order what he wanted to build three- or four-story cabins. He is a real builder! The cabin is finished and it is beautiful!
Gives me goosebumps
At dinner, Félix caused goosebumps with his stories about police operations and infiltrations. Christine sat on the couch and screamed quietly in fear, she was so scared. The telephone is Félix's most important work tool because his sources contact him through this medium. Since our condition for the weekend was that he put his cell phone in the cooler, he agreed, but it was the first time in his life that he had been without a phone for so long. .
Jean-Philippe's last word
Last year we did a show with only two guests because the third one had pulled out. This season we decided to do it again, but it was wanted and desired. I think when they arrived, Christine Morency and Félix Séguin wondered why they were brought together. At the end of the weekend they both told me that the magic had happened again after they were embarrassed to be face to face. They got along so well that it felt like they had known each other forever. It's a great show that allows us to explore these two guests in different ways. Christine is on stage as she is in life, but when it comes to Felix we learn about the man behind the public figure and the journalist who is in control. I also love surprising my guests. This time it was one of the most beautiful we have experienced so far. This is discovered in the show…
The consequence of The true nature starring Christine Morency and Félix Séguin airs Sunday, February 25 at 9 p.m. on TVA.