Dany Turcotte is better. More than that, Dany Turcotte is fine. Twenty months after his departure Everyone is talking about it, the comedian has regained the necessary composure and above all the necessary self-confidence to go back into the arena and start a new chapter.
Posted at 11:00 am
Marc-André Lemieux The press
Dany Turcotte could have returned to familiar territory by presenting a one-man show, for example. But the desire wasn’t there. “I’ve been asked, I’ve been met, I’ve been invited to dinner, I’ve been offered teams. They wanted me to host galas at the Just for Laughs festival, at ComediHa!… But I would have felt like I was acting in the same film again,” says the one who was a member of the Blood Group.
Dany Turcotte returns where nobody expected (or almost) expected him: to the world of documentaries on Savoir Media, an educational television channel. His first project On the men’s side goes on the airwaves this week. This is a series directed and produced by Jean Roy (Vivre tous ensemble, La science de l’art) that paints a portrait of modern Quebec men through six themes: sexuality, fatherhood, work, mental health, masculinity and education.
Smiling, Dany Turcotte speaks of a great “back door” reintroduction to the industry.
It’s so left field. It’s not mainstream. But it’s worth it. That’s not nonsense. It’s a beautiful, classic documentary. And I’m proud of it.
Dany Turcotte
Guy A. Lepage’s former jester is right. On the Men’s Side isn’t a popcorn series that aims to entertain first like the ones Netflix is taking over. Rather, it presents field reports from specialists without frills or staging. It speaks of performance anxiety, reluctance to give advice, under-education, etc.
“It’s a necessary series, believes Dany Turcotte. Because it’s a topic that doesn’t get covered in the media. Because we’re addressing issues from people who have taken their place over the past few years. Many are looking for each other. You’re like in no man’s land. They have no idea how to react. So we have to open the discussion. I’m not saying we’re going to change the world, but it can help someone who is at home all alone in their misery. »
new projects
Like several of the men portrayed in the documentary, Dany Turcotte has been questioning himself in recent years. In an interview, the host says he’s been “marked” by several dramas. At the top of the list, he cites the disappearance of Dominique Lévesque, his major accomplice and acolyte of the Lévesque-Turcotte tandem, which took place in 2016. “It got me thinking. My boyfriend died at 64. I’m 57. Life goes fast. »
The passage of time is also the focus of another project that will occupy him this fall. For Radio-Canada, it will focus on the aging of LGBTQ+ people, specifically the 75-80 year olds who remember the enactment of Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s government’s Omnibus Act in 1969, which outlawed homosexuality decriminalized by taking over the state from the bedrooms.
It’s an inspiring generation. The first to come out of the closet. But when they get home, they have to go back because the others around them haven’t evolved at the same pace. So it’s a very sad end of life.
Dany Turcotte
“I want to give them credit for working hard,” the host continues. Thanks to them, I can be gay in public. I can be on TV. My boyfriend can come and sing me a song on En direct de l’univers… And it’s good, even though he’s 25 years younger than me! »
Dany Turcotte cooks other documentaries including Nobody Speaks About It, a series in which he meets people who live extraordinary lives away from the limelight. “I got serious! he laughs. It’s unlike anything I’ve done before. »
change of pace
After two decades on stage and almost as many on the small screen, Dany Turcotte likes the change of pace he imposed on himself when he left Tout le monde en parle.
I am lucky. I worked a lot. I have accumulated some money. I can choose my projects.
Dany Turcotte
“When I left, everyone was talking about it, I was burned out, but I wasn’t burned out. I’ve heard so much nonsense about certain cases. For days it was an endless stream. And when it happens to you, you end up believing that you’re no good, that you’re lazy. It eventually comes back. It’s in your head. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Dany Turcotte
Since leaving, Dany Turcotte claims to have “conquered his demons”, most notably by returning to Radio-Canada’s Sunday talk show. Satisfied with the result and now “immune” to hate messages on Twitter and Facebook, he would like to participate sporadically again.
“I ended up twisting my tongue 25 times before intervening. I had lost confidence in myself. But quiet not fast, it came back. Maybe I needed some time to calm down to get back to actual business. »
For men, it will be broadcast on Savoir media from Tuesday at 10 p.m. The series will also be available online at savoir.media and YouTube.