He has been an actor for 25 years. Since returning from a time of darkness, Pierre-Paul Alain has had a number of intense characters come to visit us. The exams fueled his career. He thanks life for that alone.
Photo: Patrick Seguin / TVA Publications
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When we spoke to him, he was in Quebec, near his family, having just returned from a week in the south soaking up the sun and having a good time. “Every year I do this with six childhood friends to stay in touch.” Since his friends, his sister and his father were in Quebec, he ended up in the provincial capital and settled there for a while before returning home returned to the south shore of Montreal. “I've been living there for almost two years because it wasn't possible to constantly go back and forth between Quebec and Montreal for work.” He had always lived in Quebec before, even in the first chapter of his career. “I always told myself that I would buy something in Montreal at some point. Except it was very expensive. But there I had an opportunity with my godmother, who rented me her furnished apartment on the south coast.” He lives alone. However, his heart and door are open to welcome love. “I don’t have anyone at the moment because I had to rebuild myself, but I could easily make room for someone.”
He's been giving us great emotions on the small screen lately. This is done through the character of Shawn Godin, a former soldier who returned from a deployment in Afghanistan with post-traumatic shock and is at the center of something in “Indefensible.” Pierre-Paul is a friendly, smiling guy. However, recently it has been more dark roles that he has had to interpret. “I've been through some pretty tough years. My personal baggage allows me to deal with dark sides, he admits. And I also do a lot of research… Because you can “play” a character and “embody” him. For me, if you don't believe when you try to play your character, no one will believe it. That’s why I try to draw on certain experiences and transform them through a character.”
Friends helped him with his role
To better interpret Shawn, he talked to friends who served in the military and went on missions, one to Bosnia, the other to Afghanistan. “The one who went to Bosnia, when he came back the army sent him someone to mow his lawn because he couldn’t leave his basement.”
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NO REGRET
He will also join the cast of Alerts' fourth season, which begins February 5. He will play the character of Pat Lamarre, a conspiracy leader. “Pat Lamarre is definitely a rather unusual character who is perhaps not very bright, even rather dark,” he tells us. In 2023 we saw him in several series. His role as a bad boy in the film Arsenault & Fils directed by Rafaël Ouellet brought him back to the acting profession.
The 35-year-old has a 25-year career. He spent his youth in the public spotlight. At the age of nine, Pierre-Paul began auditioning. At the age of 16, he landed the role of Steven in Bob Gratton: My Life and has been playing roles ever since. He notably starred in the popular annual series Destinies. Is he coping well with the fact that he spent his younger years in the public eye, or does he think he started too early? “I wouldn't do anything differently. “I'm not someone who likes routine, having my story written from A to Z and knowing where I'll be when I'm 65,” notes the actor. I have a life of very, very high highs… and very, very low lows! But it's an intense life and I love that, he emphasizes. During the pandemic, I managed to find another job in vaccine production at GSK (a biopharmaceutical company) and I thrived there for two years. I even did it after filming Arsenault & Fils. I was a team leader. I was trained: I have training in natural sciences, immunology, virology and microbiology. I learned something else.” It nourished him as an actor and in life. “Did I foresee that I wouldn’t play again for five years? Of course not! But that’s a thing of the past and now I just want to keep getting roles.”
Hardly proven
In the first chapter of his life, everything was going in the best of all possible worlds for this Quebec actor. But as his twenties gradually turned into his thirties, he began a long journey through the tunnel. Not only was Destiny, an adventure that had lasted seven years, over, but he also learned that his sister had cancer. Then his father was also struck by this terrible disease. Luckily both were able to escape. However, her mother was later diagnosed with a severe degenerative disease called multiple system atrophy, a condition that runs in the Parkinson's family. A few months after this news, Pierre-Paul's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He currently lives in a nursing home. The actor's mother died in February 2019. Due to the circumstances, the young man became a caregiver.
“Since my father suffers from Alzheimer’s, my sister and I are still involved. Because he is less aware of what is happening to him and is happy in his presence when he has everything he needs, I am less inclined to put myself in his shoes… C It's easier than telling someone see who is trapped in his body and aware of what is happening. It’s difficult because we put ourselves in his shoes and it’s terrible!”
HIS MOTHER, HIS ANGEL
He learned some great life lessons from his mother. “My mother's philosophy was, 'Do it!' Whether it's good or not, you will learn from it. “You will change your mind.” It was useful for me. I had nothing, living in a friend’s basement, no money, no more filming, sick parents… I had nothing and managed to make ends meet.”
Pierre-Paul's mother played an important role in his career: she accompanied him so often to auditions and filming! “She hated driving and asked her brother Alain Bélanger, whom she called Ti-Loup, to drive us.” He will always remember these crucial years in which he learned about life. “We didn’t come from a wealthy background. My mother worked for the government, my father ran a small hunting and fishing business and had no employees, he worked seven days a week. He couldn’t travel with me from Quebec to Montreal, so my mother paid for part of my uncle’s day and he would drive to take me to the auditions.”
It was karate that introduced Pierre-Paul to the sport. “At nine years old, I was one of the youngest karate black belts in Quebec, and Radio-Canada did a live interview with Bruno Pelletier, also a black belt, and me.” I did a karate kata live.” It got him appearing on TV. “My mother, who didn’t come from that background, had confidence in me. She said, “This is what he wants to do, this is what he loves, I will help him!” I owe him everything. And it was the least I could do to give her the time she needed and to be there for her at the end of her life.”
Today's Pierre-Paul Alain is different. “The fact that I went through this experience, these exams, gave me skills that I can use in my work today. It gave me strength, wisdom and maturity.” His mother will forever remain his guardian angel. “When my mother left, a lot of things were placed a little strangely.”
We can see Pierre-Paul Alain With a beating hearton Radio-Canada, Tuesdays at 8 p.m., and starting February 5, he will join the cast of the fourth season ofWarningsairs on TVA Mondays at 9 p.m.