When Patrice Robitaille left the Montreal Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in 1998, he had no idea what the future held for him. Twenty-five years later and in his early fifties, the actor can only be pleased with the progress so far. “If I had been told at the conservatory that I would take up such a profession, I would have signed it immediately!” he reveals in an interview with the protocol.
Patrice Robitaille repeated this several times during the long and generous interview he gave us a few days ago on the occasion of the release of the film “Le temps d’unété”: fortune has smiled at him many times since the beginning of his career.
Unlike many of his peers, the 48-year-old (soon to be 49) actor didn’t have to struggle for years before landing his first big roles on stage and screen. In fact, he was just completing his studies at the Conservatory when he landed his first professional contract: a role in Les Fourberies by Scapin, by Molière, at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier.
“I’ll knock on wood, but I’ve never missed a job,” he confirms. I’ve been spoiled! It’s a job that can be tough for a lot of people, but I’m one of the lucky ones who’s always had a job. I think it’s a profession of trust. We see a certain confidence and confidence in the actors who act a lot. Because when you’re a little unsure, it can be intimidating to be on a movie set. I have to have that confidence in myself.”
Patrice Robitaille is not the type to celebrate his 25th career anniversary himself. It was Le Journal that reminded him of this anniversary at the beginning of our interview.
“I left the conservatory in 1998, so your calculations are good,” the actor chuckles.
“I recently went out drinking with people I studied with at the conservatory and it seems like I realize how far I’ve come. Because in my daily life I don’t take the time to think about it. I never had a career plan and I never had a role I dreamed of defending. I let myself go
Crucial encounters
Patrice Robitaille’s early career was fueled by important encounters. This is particularly true of director Ricardo Trogi, with whom he wrote (along with Jean-Philippe Pearson) the cult comedy Quebec-Montreal, the film that launched his career on the big screen.
“I met Ricardo and Jean-Philippe at university and we learned our trade together,” he says. We made short films with other friends, like Rémi-Pierre [Paquin] and Pierre Francois [Legendre]. Until producer Nicole Robert offered us the opportunity to make our first feature film, which became Quebec-Montreal.
In addition to his work with the band in Trogi, Patrice Robitaille has developed a faithful relationship with François Létourneau, the actor and author of the series “Les Invincibles”, whom he met at Cégep de Sainte-Foy. The two friends are still working together today and are co-directors of the third season of the series C’est comme ça que je t’aime, which is currently being filmed.
aging on the screen
Patrice Robitaille in a scene from the film Le temps d’unété directed by Louise Archambault (It was raining birds, Gabrielle). Photo courtesy of Immina Films
Patrice Robitaille will be 50 next year. Although he admits that “the idea of aging in general isn’t exactly coherent,” this new course doesn’t deter him from a professional perspective.
“I don’t think about it professionally,” he says. It’s not my image that defines my work. I’m not afraid of aging on screen. On the contrary, I think it’s beautiful. It’s a privilege to grow old on screen. That means you’ve had a career long enough for people to see you grow older. That means you’ve had a good career.
And then the fact of aging allows him access to more mature and varied roles. He recently had the opportunity to play a philosophy professor in the drama A Review. And in Le temps d’unété, which hits theaters next Friday, we see him play the role of a street chaplain and vicar who decides to go on vacation with a small group of homeless people to a house he’s just inherited Bas-du-Fleuve has taken over.
“I was glad that people considered me for this type of role,” he says.
“He’s a former bum who uses part of his work as a priest for social work. I was very confronted with my generosity to slip into this character. I find it admirable to see people who have that in them, the kindness and the desire to help and reach out to those for whom life is less easy. I found it super enjoyable defending this character who listens and is kind. It’s a feel-good film.”
►The Movie A summer time hits theaters on July 14th.
Patrice Robitaille in 8 outstanding roles
In a 25-year career, Patrice Robitaille has already starred in around thirty films and around twenty television series. Here are eight of his most notable roles.
Quebec-Montreal (2002)
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“Quebec-Montreal is the cornerstone of my trip. It’s the first deal we made by saying we want to do the movie that we want to see. It caused a kind of birth and professional birth for us. And it changed the way people looked at us. It seems that from the moment you create your own work, you become a kind of project builder. When we were shooting Quebec-Montreal and Biological Clock, I felt like I wasn’t just an actor waiting for the phone to ring anymore.
Biological clock (2005)
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“This is another important milestone in my career. I remember being so nervous before shooting the film. When we graduated from Quebec-Montreal we had everything to gain and nothing to lose. But when we did Biological Clock I thought we weren’t there yet. It worked out well in the end, we had a great box office. It was also a great project. I have a very good memory.”
The unconquerables (2005-2009)
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“It’s my first big TV show with my friends François [Létourneau] and Jean Francois [Rivard, le réalisateur]. That too was the birth of something important on my journey. It’s so much fun to be there with a new voice. Twenty years later people are still talking about this show. I think it’s hot!”
A summer without points and hits (2008)
Photo courtesy of Alliance Vivafilm
“I had a great summer making this film. There I met Pier-Luc Funk, Jean-Carl Boucher, Simon Pigeon and the whole little gang that started out in cinema. It’s Francis [Leclerc] The film’s director and Francis’ sets are always very entertaining. Always nice and fun to work with. He’s full of fun.”
Cyrano de Bergerac (2014)
Photo courtesy of TNM
“As Sergius [Denoncourt] When he offered me to play Cyrano at TNM, I immediately said yes. But afterwards, on the way home, I started reading the play and I said to myself, okay, man, you said yes, but buckle up! I worked so hard on this project. It’s crazy ! I think to this day it’s the case I’m most proud of. One regret I have and that is not being able to enjoy it while preparing it. I was too excited about the performance. In the theater I tend to put ridiculous pressure on my shoulders.
The beautiful inconveniences (2014-2016)
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“Les beaux malaises is the project I took part in that had the greatest impact on the public. The Invincibles was also a big hit, but maybe it was aimed at a niche younger audience. But Les beaux malaises, it got big ratings and I felt it. I’ve been told about it by a multitude of people. Also, I had the chance to defend a really crazy character. I felt like Martin [Matte] I enjoyed writing for this character. It was fun.”
Victor Lessard (2017-2019)
Photo provided by Yan Turcotte
“I was very happy to be part of this project because it’s kind of [série policière] we don’t do that often in Quebec. It’s an American series with a mentality, with a leather and gun hero. It was great fun playing a murderous cop alongside my good friend Julie LeBreton. It was also a great meeting with the author, Martin Michaud, who is a really nice guy.
That’s how I love you (since 2020)
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“This is also a super important project for me. And I have a feeling it’s going to grow even more because it’s the first time I’ve been able to direct. [il coréalise cet été la troisième saison avec François Létourneau, NDLR]. However, it was quite a challenge to tackle the production of a series in which we also play the leading roles. But so far it’s going really well. It’s super beautiful. I feel really lucky to be part of this series. It’s beautiful and great TV.