The cult film team The young lost one of its “leaders” on Saturday when Paul Houde, who played the role of goalkeeper “Fern,” died.
“Paul was a leader. When he got to filming, he didn't stop talking. It was like turning on the radio in the bedroom,” says Richard Goudreau, producer of the films, on the phone.
The latter learned the news on Saturday afternoon when he was on the phone with a friend about Paul Houde's health.
“Les Boys 1” – Quebec film directed by Louis Saia, released in 1997. In the photo: Paul Houde (Fernand Fern Rivest), Michel Barrette (Roger), Yvan Ponton (Jean-Charles Taillefert), Rémy Girard (Stan Ouellet) Photo credit: with kind permission. Photo courtesy
“What's happening? Are we dreaming?” he asked himself. “It's such a great loss.”
“I find it scary. He wasn't old. “I’m shocked,” reacted actor Rémy Girard, who played the role of trainer “Stan”.
Boys fans also shared a quote from Fern on social media on Saturday, which they adapted to pay tribute to Paul Houde's departure.
“Today the big club decided to recall you. The Lord made you the first pick in the draft. For you, the indicator table stopped at 69 years […] Goodbye Paul, you’re not dead, you’re in overtime.”
Archive photo
“Tight-knit” boys
The boys were alarmed by Paul's health two weeks ago when he had to be absent from a meeting of the film's actors for the ceremonial puck drop of the Quebec Pee-Wee Tournament.
“I told the boys this news at dinner. They all wondered why he wasn't there. It was a shock for them,” says Mr. Goudreau.
Richard Goudreau Photo Chantal Poirier / JdeM
“The boys are a very well-coordinated team. “I’ve been in the business for a long time and have seen teams in films, but The Boys is something different,” he adds.
The producer had been following his friend Paul's health concerns “for almost two months.”
“On a Friday two weeks ago he had an operation in the CHUM. It took 10 hours. He came out fine. He needed rest to do exercises.”
He actually had a successful operation for a brain mass, wrote his sister Johanne Houde on Facebook. “Unfortunately, due to complications, his heart suddenly stopped,” she announced on Saturday.
“An exceptional companion”
“He is one of the Proud Boys, one of the funniest,” argued Marc Messier, who played the role of Bob Chicoine. “We had a lot of fun. He's a guy who knows the sport well, a statistician. Actually, he was a bit like his character. He was a good guy.”
Rémy Girard remembers Paul Houde as “an extraordinary companion” with an “incredible” general knowledge.
Rémy Girard in his role as Stan Ouellet. Decency
“He created an extraordinary atmosphere on the film set because he told us many stories. Paul was our reference.”
The actor remembers, among other things, his trip to Chamonix, France, to film Les Boys 2.
“He decided to take Serge Thériault and me with him on the cable car. Paul was a mountaineering specialist and knew all the mountains by their nickname. We couldn’t believe it!”
Richard Goudreau, who was Paul's neighbor across the street for many years, also stood out for his friend's knowledge and extraordinary memory.
“We often had dinner with Marc Messier on Saturday evenings. One game we played with him was that I would open the encyclopedia of Olympic records and have him randomly guess performances.”
“It was incredible. It gave the athlete's correct name, in which Olympics and in which year! We laughed so much. The book was about 500 pages!”