Posted at 2:02 am. Updated at 5:00 p.m.
It’s been a few months since I wanted to have a coffee with Marie-Andrée Labbé, the most prolific Quebec writer of the moment. The problem ? Exactly, she was too busy. She was supposed to finish writing STAT, the most popular fiction series of the past year.
STAT is 35 pages of text per episode, or 140 pages per week. Difficult. “Writing a daily newspaper is like running a marathon, with small sprints all the time,” she says.
And how many coffees a day does it take to get there?
” None. I prefer tea! »
So she made me an appointment at the Salon de thé Cardinal on Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Montreal. The room is dark. felt. Surprised. Nothing seems to have changed in 100 years. Marie-Andrée Labbé orders tea. “Sorry,” replies the waitress, tea service is only available on weekends. A little disappointed, the author resorts to a homemade lemonade, which she sips very slowly.
We’re here to talk about his passion: television. For as long as she can remember, the small screen has always had an important place in her life. “I was a huge fan of Nathalie’s Village as a kid. My mother loved comedians. Every week we received all art magazines at home. My mother even kept the Hebdo TV. »
At the same time, the beauty of the villages of Saint-Siméon and L’Anse-Saint-Jean where she grew up encouraged her to dream.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Marie Andree Labbe
It was clear that I was in another world. The creation, the imagination, it was a part of me from very early in my life. I’ve always had a knack for writing. I knew I could tell a story that would last. I always wrote without knowing what would become of it later.
Marie Andree Labbe
The 1990s Quebec series introduced her to a different urban reality than the one she knew in Saguenay. This world fascinates him. At 17 she moved to Montreal. “One of the first things I did when I got here was to see the recording of Le Poing J with Julie Snyder. That too, I was an absolute fan. »
After studying communication, Marie-Andrée Labbé turned to the art industry. First as a blogger for a website specializing in television, then as a screenwriter for comedian Valérie Blais. Contracts for a program by Pierre Brassard, the Les Parent series and galas followed. The two popular series “Trop” and “Sans Rendez-vous” gain notoriety. But STAT is in a different league. More than 1.5 million viewers per evening. The kind of project that changes a career – and a life.
To meet tight deadlines, Marie-Andrée Labbé has no other choice. She must lead a spartan life. “It’s something special. I need to hurry up writing AND have a long-term vision. Fortunately, I find it easy to immerse myself in a different world from reality. As soon as I put on my headphones and block out outside noise, I can stay in this universe for a long time. I love that. That’s where I’m best. It’s my favorite thing in life. But hey, I also like having a weekend off. »
“Did you have any in winter?”
– Not really. But that’s what I’m aiming for in Season 2…”
She describes her life as “very selfish”. “Everything is organized around me. I have no kids. I have nobody to take care of. I just have to write the best series I can within the prescribed deadlines. Yes, it’s demanding. But it’s also very selfish. »
This could change soon. Her producer, Fabienne Larouche, told website Showbizz.net that she envisioned her successor at the helm of her company. “I can clearly see that she takes my place at Aetios. She wants this. She’s excited. she is passionate »
Marie-Andrée Labbé does not hide it, she has big ambitions. She knows it can upset people. “As a woman, you have to be careful how you present yourself. One must always be humble, grateful, have gratitude. Above all, you have to say: I don’t know if I’ll be good. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Marie Andree Labbe
But if I’m proud of my work, I can say it. And if it’s bad, it’s between me and me. I am my own judge. My own boss.
Marie Andree Labbe
Also, she prefers to write alone rather than in a group, as is sometimes the case on other shows. It allows him to remain in control of his universe and stories. Now, when she becomes the head of a production company, selfishness is bound to give way to another dynamic: responsibility for the happiness of others.
This is already somewhat the case with STAT.
For what ?
Because in a movie or short series like Sans Rendez-vous, the actors know the entire plot in advance. You know what to expect. In a daily? Fewer. Marie-Andrée Labbé’s decisions affect her schedule, annual salary and career itself. Remember the actors who, in District 31, among others, struggle to accept the disappearance of their character.
“I realize that I have a right to the life and death of the characters and that the year of the actors depends on my writing. It’s a gradual learning process. It is fascinating. I really like the actors. I have a loose bond with them. We look like. We communicate with our emotions. If they’re worried, I can feel it. They definitely want to know if their character is going to die. »
I point out to her that she hasn’t killed any main characters yet. There’s even one who miraculously woke up from a deep coma at the end of the season.
“It will come,” she said.
She adds that actors also tend to want to protect their characters. So she met with them to tell them that their characters would all make a mistake at some point. “If everyone is protecting themselves, it’s not good for the show. The characters have to make a mistake or do something that you as a human don’t agree with. It sure is unsafe. I am aware of this when I write. »
“Do you dread that moment when you have to tell an actor their character is dead?
“I’m hypersensitive. I think it’s an enrichment, especially in creation. When you’re hypersensitive, you feel things. People associate it with instability. On the contrary, it is sharpness. I perceive things. I’ll find a way to get my point across. But it is certain that there are things waiting for me in the future that I find to be huge challenges. »
In view of future challenges, American screenwriters went on strike in May. Among their concerns is that they could be replaced by artificial intelligence software.
Marie-Andrée Labbé’s wife, journalist Judith Lussier, attempted an experiment last winter. “She asked Software to write a scene between a doctor and a nurse about a specific case. It was badly written. Unless it was true and consistent. »
Marie-Andrée Labbé never used artificial intelligence when writing her series. She sees it as a threat to her job. “People continue to use it for fun. But the more we use it, the more we strengthen it. It has to stop! »
Does it scare him? NO.
If artificial intelligence [s’impose], I will do something else. I will find another solution. But it will be a pity. I don’t think that will happen in my life. Or rather, I think it will affect our work in my lifetime. Will it replace the screenwriters after that? Will this take away our salary? NO.
Marie Andree Labbe
“On television, she adds, all the stories were told. There will always be room to repeat what has already been done, and I believe artificial intelligence will be able to do that. After that, it’s the unique way of telling the story and the feelings that set one author apart from the other. »
Questionnaire without filters
1. Coffee and me: i don’t drink it i prefer tea
2. A city I love: London. That’s wonderful. I am in my place. There’s something cute about this city.
3. A series I wish I had written: Six feet under. For the complex relationships between people and the recurring theme of death. There is nothing more alive than talking about death. It’s a brilliant idea, grandiose and implemented with humor. It’s perfection.
Who is Marie-Andrée Labbé?
- Born 40 years ago in Charlevoix
- She first gained notoriety by writing humorous skits for the Valérie Blais show, the Les Parent series, Brassard’s live today broadcast, and galas.
- She then wrote the series Trop and Sans Rendez-vous.
- Today she is the author of STAT, the most watched fiction series in Quebec.