Catherine Chabot puts her sense of humor at the service of comedy The candidate by Isabelle Langlois. This first major role on television is a unique opportunity in a career that began ten years ago.
“When we study at the conservatory, we dream of playing such a leading role and performing the lyrics of Isabelle Langlois. It’s a bit surreal and I feel like Alix, my character, experiencing something extraordinary,” said the 35-year-old actress in an interview with QMI Agency.
“This is a big meeting for me, Alix. She allowed me to be free as an actress because her role requires poise and confidence. She takes responsibility for her body, her personality.”
Lily-Rose Loyer and Catherine Chabot PHOTOGRAPH BY BERTRAND CALMEAU, PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
Alix Mongeau is a single mother. As a nail technician, her heart is in the right place, even if she makes bad decisions and has no filter and no confidence. We can also judge her by her appearance, as we do all too often, she who spends a lot of time in front of the mirror. She likes big jewelry, she wears very long nails, she keeps her tan and wears tight clothes. We might as well say that the actress changed to portray “this strong and complex woman.”
“She’s a warrior!” I love her, I admire her and I know a lot of single women around me, so it’s a way of paying tribute to them,” she added, specifying that she has a two-year-old daughter and a half vom has the chance to grow up with the support of her “pillar”, her partner Nicolas.
Louis Champagne, Valérie Tellos and Catherine Chabot PHOTO BY BERTRAND CALMEAU, PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
Alix’s life becomes complicated when she becomes a candidate for the Parti Progress et Démocratie du Québec (PPDQ) at the request of her boyfriend Benjamin Claveau (Olivier Gervais-Courchesne), an elected official of that party. She agrees to play the game when she is informed that she has no chance of triumphing against outgoing MP Claude Fortin (Hugo Dubé) in the saddle of Dufferin. However, against all expectations, she wins and her life is completely turned upside down.
Like Ruth Ellen
Alix’s journey is reminiscent of that of Ruth Ellen Brosseau, that woman from Ottawa who, to everyone’s surprise, won her election in Berthier-Maskinongé during the Orange Wave in 2011. Ms. Brosseau was also a Pole candidate and knew nothing about riding. She even stayed in Las Vegas during the campaign. After her victory, however, she rolled up her sleeves, learned French and even became leader of the NDP group in the House of Representatives after her re-election in 2015.
The author of Rumeurs and Letting go was inspired by Ms. Brosseau and then crafted a completely different story. In “The Candidate,” Alix Mongeau celebrates her 30th birthday in New York on election night and finds out about her victory while drunk on all fours in a hotel corridor! We hear this is proof that anyone can be chosen, but Alix will likely make a Ruth Ellen of herself by taking her role seriously over the course of the 10 episodes directed by Sébastien Gagné.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the House of Commons in Ottawa. ARCHIVE PHOTO
Good news for Alix, who is struggling to raise her daughter (Lily-Rose Loyer): She will now have a salary of $95,000!
She has to learn everything in her new world and quickly comes into contact with the snooty PPDQ parliamentarian Salime Ranni (Ines Talbi), who is not happy about having to supervise her. Let’s say Alix stands out among the other elected officials, reminding us of former Solidarity elected official Catherine Dorion, but without the tuque.
The first season of The Candidate, produced by Encore Group, is available on ICI Tou.tv Extra.