Between sobs, producer Sylvain Parent-Bédard was trying to wrap up what constituted the nomination of his polydisabled son, who plays his own role on the show. About Anthonyfor the Gemini Gala.
“It’s extraordinary,” exclaimed a proud and emotional father on Friday, after announcing the day before that Antoine Parent-Bédard had won the Best Supporting Actor: Comedy or Dramatic Comedy category.
All this a few days before Father’s Day.
“If someone had told me one day that Antoine would do something like that and that he would be nominated for Gemini, I would have said, ‘You think I’m a basement.'”
“This is an appointment that I hope should mark a step in the history of television in Quebec. It’s a big step for people with multiple disabilities, but it’s a big step for inclusion on the silver screen. We say to all Antoines around the world and their families: Yes, it is possible to achieve great things.
“I exploded”
His wife, Cathleen Rouleau, Antoine’s mother-in-law and writer of the series, couldn’t contain her feelings when Antoine’s name was mentioned at Thursday night’s finalists’ unveiling in Montreal.
Cathleen Rouleau and Antoine, the autistic son of Sylvain Parent-Bédard, whose life inspired the About Antoine series. photo archives
“I exploded. I started crying and couldn’t control myself anymore,” says the actress, who also plays her own role in About Antoine, which is directed by Podz.
Antoine’s reaction? “When we drove to Montreal he was in a good mood as we hadn’t seen him for a long time. When he got there he was very vocal and a bit on his head, hunched over his iPad like on the show. When they gave him a name, he lifted his head in the air, smiled widely and sat back to return to his world,” says his father.
More ideas are in the air
Cathleen Rouleau is currently finishing up the second and final season of À propos d’Antoine, which will begin filming in the fall. This happy episode will therefore not be able to prevail through the new intrigues.
“There’s so much to say I could do a third season. That won’t necessarily be the case, but we’re not closing the door on other projects, like a film, in the next few years. Ideas are in the air,” she says.
According to Sylvain Parent-Bédard, Antoine’s performance on screen even influences the steps taken to sell the series abroad.
“After watching the series, all of our international partners come back and let us know that they will be recording the original series, dubbed or subtitled. They tell us that it will be difficult and complicated to find the energy that Antoine unleashes on screen in a multiply disabled child like him or an actor.
About Antoine series artists surround the hero during filming of the first season in August 2024. Photo: Stevens LeBlanc Archives/Journal de Québec
- series About Anthony is available on Club illico.
- She has six nominations for the Gemini Gala, which will be held on September 17th.