With the series The rebels and the show With or without cashGeneviève Néron makes a successful return to television as an actress and presenter. The one who found love in her late forties has also seen her family grow since her daughter recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Lucky if you hold us…
• Also read: Watch the first powerful trailer for the new The Rebels
Geneviève, you had a great start to the school year this fall. Are you satisfied with this outcome of your career?
Yes, I am very grateful. I host with or without cash, which suits my passions for travel and entertainment. I get to do what I really love: meeting people, learning and discovering. I’m doing this project with a really good friend, Guillaume Lambert. This is also incredible luck! I got some great roles this year, especially in Les Révoltés with Pier-Luc Funk and Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse. I loved working with these two wonderful actors. I found Louis Choquette as the director. It fills me with joy. It’s a beautiful, complex role with gentleness but also character. I play a mother who has a foster family and is going through a lot of heartache.
They are committed to it too to appreciate…
Yes, I have been working with Dr. for eight years. clown together. With another artist I am a clown for the little ones in the hospital; I go there every week. For eight years I have also been working with a non-profit organization, Le Bureau – Firme Artistique (which meets with the public to share the benefits of art through projects), with which I created a unifying musical called Rossignol. To combat loneliness and isolation among older people, we meet them in centers and CHSLDs.
This is a great project!
This is true. We wear 1940s clothing and jewelry and bring beauty and light to the elderly. It is an outpatient clinic with a ukulele and small percussions. I am applying for grants for this project, which I am presenting for free. It means so much to me! I also continue my work with my friends: I work with 28 people between the ages of 14 and 48 who suffer from Down syndrome. Every year we create a professional short film that we present to the general public. We have just finished our fourth short film with Rémi-Pierre Paquin and the 28 actors. It’s a gangster movie called The Ferret. It allows us to see all sides of these people.
You seem to be in brilliant shape…
This is the first time that all areas of my life are fulfilled. I am so well surrounded! I get love from everywhere in my life. There is nothing negative around me. I am fulfilled and in love. I see my family often. My parents are in good shape. I just returned from a two month trip to the Philippines with my sister. If you have the opportunity to go with a sibling, do it! We had a modest budget. I think we only spent three nights not sleeping in the same bed… We never fought. We laughed. People thought we were twins – we look very similar.
Is that your only sister?
No, we are three girls. I am the oldest. My sister had been planning this trip for six years. She was the one who asked me to go with her. I was so happy to be able to do it. It was the trip of a lifetime, you couldn’t be wrong… In the Philippines you can still find everything you found while traveling 25 years ago. We met people who were happy and curious to get to know us. They don’t see us as tourists. They don’t want to sell us things. Everyone there speaks English, which makes communication easier. I had my ukulele with me and played music.
Photo: Karine Levesque
A great way to connect with people!
Yes. We spent the evening with a family who let us try a few things. We sang songs in French, we told stories. It was a nice exchange. Filipinos are very hospitable. We met the oldest tattoo artist in the world. She is 106 years old and the last survivor of the Kalinga tribe. She gave us a tattoo. In the Philippines I saw the most beautiful beaches in the world… The food is excellent. We eat crabs, fish and seafood every day! Everything we were looking for was in the Philippines.
Do you have a lover who supports you in your endeavors even when you are away for months?
I have a wonderful lover! With or without cash, I was away for six months last year… So when I’m here, I take advantage of it. It took me a long time to find my lover. I was in my late forties. It seems like I’ve been preparing for this encounter my whole life. The same goes for him. We found each other. It’s both super passionate and super simple. I came home… I was ready to receive and share that love.
A word about this beautiful enrichment of your life: You became a grandmother at the age of 49…
Yes. It’s hard for me to put this experience into words… It was my little kitten having a little kitten. (Smile) Just talking about it makes me emotional… People ask me if I mind becoming a grandmother. For me it is a great status. I have the privileged position of the family! It’s raw love. Marianne was always my best travel companion. We have traveled together since she was little. We have experienced a lot. I have pictures of the two of us carrying them in my backpack. My daughter was three and I looked like I was 12! (laughs) I’m in good shape to experience this great adventure with my granddaughter. I’m sure I’ll travel with her too. That’s why I’m full of gratitude right now. I am in a phase where I am enjoying a lot of love and success at work. The last eight years have not always been easy. As an artist, it’s not always easy to go through low points.
Because your TV projects mark your return…
Really. I didn’t want to wait to be selected because in those moments you can feel rejected. I asked myself what I wanted to do. I wanted to work with people with Down syndrome. I like to sing, make music. It makes me feel good. Doing this even for a bedridden person who appreciates it is a great joy. All of this meant I no longer had to wait. And if we don’t wait any longer, things happen. I had great talents as an actress and as a presenter.
With or without cash airs Friday at 9 p.m. on Évasion.
The rebels will be released in two episodes per week on Club illico starting September 21st.
We will also see Geneviève in season 2 of robot portrait, Airs on TVA, Tuesday, 9 p.m.