In 2023 Karine Gonthier-Hyndman celebrates her 15th year in business. A career that was slowly taking shape, but which has offered him a series of exciting projects for a number of years. Despite such an enviable career, the actress does not take anything for granted. The sense of urgency that inhabits him and his fear that he is running out of time – for his job, his passions, his life – make him enjoy every moment intensely.
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Karine, the third season of That’s how I love you looks very promising…
Yes, but I haven’t read anything yet. This year, Patrice Robitaille and François Létourneau will produce the series. It will create a different atmosphere. I can’t wait to find her and see where it takes us. We tour every two years so that François has time to write. It is a project that allows us to act as actors. We are very active, always on the go. Since the series is set in the 1970s, the packaging is different: hair, makeup, costumes. I’m lucky enough to be able to play Micheline Paquette, who is both violent and loving. The characters of the series begin to take root in the collective imagination. On Halloween, people send us photos of themselves dressed up as the four characters. I tell myself we must have accomplished something.
Spin with your ex in it Between two sheets does it present challenges?
Not at all. Guillaume (Girard) and I started this series when we were already separated. We approached her as a couple of friends. It is absolutely not a slippery slope for us. We tour with good humor and the joy of working differently on our ties, like two work colleagues but above all like two friends. We are having a lot of fun with this project.
JULIEN FAUGERE
In 2023 we will also find you in the theater, if I’m not mistaken?
Yes, I will be touring with Le roman de monsieur de Molière. I will also appear at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier in the play Le Faiseur, an adaptation of a play by Balzac, Mercadet. This is my first time working with Alice Ronfard, an extraordinary theater woman. I’ve always liked people who have a unique thought. I like the way he approaches work with a certain risk factor. The theater is the place of risk, and I find that in Alice. Heat is not for me. Risks are part of our job.
Do you have models who amaze you with their boldness?
The model that everyone in the world knows is Madonna. I’m not a big fan of her music, but the artist that she is inspires me. She kicked in every door and always stood on the sidelines, refusing to submit to standards. She paved the way with such a powerful voice, not only for women but for queers and many others. We can criticize her operations, but she deeply embodies what she aspires to be. She is never disrespectful. It’s a strong model. Since the beginning of her career she has changed so much…
It looks like you’ll be celebrating 15 years of professional life in 2023.
Yes, I left school in 2008. I feel like I just started working yesterday… The beginnings were late; I started working when I was 30 and I’m 38 now. In the years before I started my career I was still working: I did theatre, singing, dubbing, acting workshops, I worked out, I went jogging. I prepared myself for the day he would come…
Then your career has literally exploded!
Yes, but I’m not one of those actors who headlines every project. My career is progressing slowly. I worked a lot for eight years, but always gently. I’ve been in bands, not necessarily front and middle, and I like that. I have a 15 year career but I still have that passion, that inner fire. I wish to stay alive and happy in my job.
Did you initially have concrete dreams, and if so, did you realize them?
I made more! Before I turned 30, I told myself that maybe I would never make a living from my job. Being able to make a living from it and even being recognized by your peers is unexpected. Our wants and desires grow as we unfold. So I have new needs, new desires, new ambitions. Sometimes I want to say to myself, “It’s okay! Basta, croquettes!”, but as time goes by the urgency increases.
Does this slower pace allow you to appreciate everything that happens to you?
Yes, and I don’t take anything for granted. I’ve fought so hard that every contract I receive is like a blessing. The fear of not working more or less will always be there. The fear of not being up to speed and also not renewing myself. It’s part of me. It can even be a driving force in my work. On the other hand, I have moments of calm. Knowing my year is full is comforting. My job is really my passion, I need it. I have to consume culture and make it.
JULIEN FAUGERE
Does the road to your forties force you to look at the passage of time in a new way?
Absolutely! What scares me about getting older is that it doesn’t work anymore. Otherwise, I like getting old. I feel more balanced and calmer than before. I feel more comfortable with my choices. There’s a lot going on in me. I want to explore different things but I’m afraid of running out of time. I’ve always been like this, even as a kid. My mother told me that I didn’t want to go to bed, that I always didn’t have the time. I still felt that urgency in my 20s and 30s: I have a hard time quitting. I wish the days were longer. So what worries me is that time is running out. Do I have time to travel as I want? To meet the ones I want to meet? To do the projects I want to do?
Do you still live in the beautiful house you renovated?
Yes, this is my haven of peace. I’ve made myself a nest where, come rain or shine, well-being or ill-being, finding myself there calms me. I feel good at home. I have a lot of plants, I garden a lot. That’s one of the things that calms me down.
If not, what do you do in your free time?
I consume cinema, I go to museums, I see my friends. I love shopping at the market, cooking. I’m particularly a connoisseur. As much as I need to be home alone to recharge my batteries, I like to be surrounded and invite my friends over. Last autumn I had the opportunity to go to Greece. It reminded me how good it feels to switch context, to open up to something different. Life is short. It makes me realize that I don’t have to put everything into work and that I need to make time for myself. That’s one of my New Year’s resolutions: Use the moments of calm to recharge your batteries instead of being stressed because I don’t have a job…
The room The novel by Monsieur de Moliere is on tour from January 18th to February 9th. tnm.qc.ca The room the maker will be shown at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier from January 25th to February 18th.