Madeleine Péloquin has a busy start to the year. In addition to filming the second season of the series Classified secretshe’s touring Quebec with Michel Tremblay’s play, the real world?. On our site we can see her in the drama The emperorwho tells the disturbing construction of an attacker.
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Magdalene a The emperorShe stores the sister of Christian, a sexual aggressor. Can you describe your relationship with us?
When Christian and Audrey lost their mother when they were kids, my character became the second mother to their little brother, played by Jean-Philippe Perras. She feels a great bond with him that goes beyond siblings. Christian runs a successful advertising agency and has opened a convalescent home for parents of sick children. Her sister appreciates her very much, as does everyone around her.
How does Audrey react when a first woman decides to sue him for sexual assault?
She begins a very painful waltz between denial and truth when she doesn’t have all the information in her possession. What do you do when someone you love deeply does something irreparable? Can she still love him despite everything he’s done?
Does playing this character make you look at the sexual assault cases that make media headlines in a different way?
Yes totally. My first thoughts go to the person who denounced, of course, but also to the collateral victims, their family, their friends, their co-workers. The strength of Michelle Allen’s screenplay is that it lets us see through the eyes of the different characters that it’s not all white or black when it comes to the actions of a sexual aggressor. There are several gray areas, it’s a very complex situation.
Photo: Bertrand Calmeau /
In the series you give the answer to your real lover, the actor Jean-François Nadeau!
This isn’t the first time JF and I have acted together in a TV series. By putting our complicity at the service of a story, we can progress further in the game, because we already know each other, we trust each other. When my boyfriend and I first got together we found it fun to see each other at work, if not a little weird. But so, we’ve passed that stage, we’re used to it.
You have several emotional scenes to play out…
Effectively. In the series, our daughter is battling cancer. As we are parents of two girls in real life, let’s say that during the scenes where we were talking about our sick child, the emotion was slightly there.
You recently starred in the spy series IXE-13. How did you find the experience?
Although it is also a historical series, it was a completely different experience than my role as Angélique in Les pays d’en haut as the spy drama IXE-13 is set in post-war Montreal. As I reiterated to the costume, hair and makeup departments, once transformed, there wasn’t much left to do to get into my character’s skin!
Finally, what are you doing right now?
Filming the second season of the spy series Classé Secret and touring Michel Tremblay’s play Le vrai monde? through Quebec. I have a big working winter but this is perfect as I feel spring is coming sooner.
You, a fan of gardening, can already look forward to spring!
My boyfriend and I bought a cabin in the Hautes-Laurentides where I have lots of land and forest to play with. Last summer I planted garlic and herbs. Finding myself with my hands on the ground gets me off. The only downside to my passion for gardening is that I can’t do it 12 months a year! (laughs)
The emperorWednesday 8 p.m., at Noovo. The room the real world? are on tour from February 3rd to April 3rd.
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