We had seen it on our screens for a long time. At 78, Yves Corbeil is making a remarkable comeback in Good Morning Chuck (or The Art of Harm Reduction). He embodies in cameo form the father of a popular morning show host whose love life and fame are reduced to rubble because of his drug problem.
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“Having three children and five grandchildren, I drew on my life experience for this role. Even Nicolas Pinson, who plays Chuck, called me dad on set. (laughs) We didn’t play, we were each other! My character has a great bond with his son, who doesn’t get along with his mother at all. He feels guilty for what is happening to him. As is often the case between fathers and sons, they do not often express their feelings because they are shy and proud. Their relationship is touching and disturbing at the same time,” explains the actor and presenter. Yves Corbeil is well able to understand the pressures faced by people who are at the forefront of daily broadcasts. Having hosted Bonjour Matin himself and being the ancestor of Salut Bonjour, he chooses between reality and fiction.
Photo: Patrick Seguin / TVA Pu
“When you know the demands of a job like this, you wonder how Chuck manages to be at the party! (laughs) To host a morning show, you have to go to bed very early and get up in the early hours. The story is made plausible by being set in the world of television and showbiz. It’s very easy to lose your footing. The pleasure is accessible, the invitations are not lacking and the temptations are numerous. Luckily I had a wife and kids and had to go to bed the next morning to go to work.
balance in everything
The protagonist of cocaine addict Chuck juggles success and nightly decline until a seemingly mundane gesture causes the extent of his behavioral problem to be exposed on social media. “Sport was my outlet for me. I played tennis and rode a lot of bikes. I read to relax. I drew my adrenaline from my time as a news junkie. I’ve tried smoking weed once or twice but didn’t like it. Alcohol was not compatible with my schedule.
It is estimated that 10% of the world’s population, or approximately 800 million people, suffer from some form of addiction. “I saw colleagues sinking around me. The line is fine, but we are all human and therefore imperfect. How can such influence of alcohol, drug, sex and even fame or money addiction in our modern societies be explained? He thinks for a long time before answering… “I think we take the easy way out too often. We try to fill our gaps with other gaps. During our short stay on earth we need to ask ourselves what we are doing here and above all set goals. After spending eight years at a classical college in André-Grasset and then a few years at university, I developed my thinking and critical sense. This coaching helped me. I believe that the break between religion and modern life was too sudden. The church had many flaws, but it urged us to think about life.
Photo: Patrick Seguin / TVA Pu
It’s clear
Without wanting to embarrass him, since he was Loto-Québec’s spokesman for more than thirty years and gambling is an addiction, we asked him if he felt he had indirectly contributed. “That’s a good question. I am against gambling! And I know that’s going to sound strange. When I was asked to make prints, I wanted to know why. I’ve been told I look like a lucky guy. I told them I never played. (laughs) The only games I play are chess and bridge, and there are no cash prizes.
JOEL LEMAY/QMI AGENCY
The importance of humor
Yves Corbeil is still pushing. His deep and distinctive voice made him one of the most popular voice actors for a long time; He was notably the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tim Allen. He was also a voice actor, commercial speaker, TV presenter (Fais-moi un dessin), but also an actor (Les belles Histoires des pays d’en haut, Peau debanana). He even dared several times to play counterintuitive roles that others would not have dared to accept. Was he afraid of being taken too seriously? “I’ve always had a good sense of mockery. When I hosted the morning show on TVA, I did a lot of impersonations and caricatures. One day Les Grandes Gueules, José Gaudet and Mario Tessier, who imitated me on the radio, invited me to their show. I went there to make fun of myself. You couldn’t believe my sense of humor!”
Photo: /VAT
The legendary animator, who turns 79 on July 18, is still active but above all likes to do a little less. Unlike many others who have complained about this, he has made good use of the rest that the pandemic has brought. This time allowed him to take stock of what he hopes to experience in the years to come. “I would like to do theater again. I like the direct contact with the public. You can’t cheat in front of people. For the rest, I am satisfied because my wife Michèle Bibeau, my three children and five grandchildren are in good health. “Next year we’ll be married 60 years,” says gratefully the person who has never bought a raffle ticket but thinks he has won the jackpot in the lottery of life.
Photo: /VAT
See “Good Morning Chuck” (or the art of harm reduction) on Crave.
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