Olivier Dion and Geneviève Schmidt are ready to dive into the adventure of the island of lovewhich begins Monday, April 10th on TVA.
• Also read: Airing this spring: Actress Geneviève Schmidt will be the narrator of “The Island of Love”
Olivier, the love reality show’s new host, is flying to Las Terrenas in the Dominican Republic on Sunday in anticipation of filming beginning April 3 with the islanders’ third season.
Feverish, the 31-year-old artist is certainly one to become the first man to pilot ITV Studios’ Love Island format. He doesn’t want to spoil anything, but he wants to play a bigger role in the show, which airs Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m. Could he appear on screen more often than Naadei Lyonnais, who preceded him? Naadei’s role in the first two iterations was largely limited to officiating the flame ceremony, a climax that served to oust contestants.
“It’s the intention of the production to get me on screen more often. I want to get more involved, have a human side, be closer to the candidate,” he told QMI agency on Thursday.
MARIO BEAUREGARD/QMI AGENCY
To prepare for this mandate, which “turns him on”, Olivier was coached by Élyse Marquis, the presenter of the program Les chefs!. He can also draw on his memories of hosting Mix 4 live in 2014 and Dance to win in 2018.
“I can’t wait to get there, experience the villa, feel the energy and see the context of a film set in the Dominican Republic,” he added, saying he hasn’t packed his bags as busy as he finalizes his “looks” with his stylist.
Having attended the Star Académie in 2012, Olivier knows that islanders are being pushed out of their comfort zone. Also, he intends to “be in understanding of what they are going through to be empathetic with them.” “I can understand the emotions and stress they will go through and I believe my approach will be different.”
Olivier Dion will release his third album on May 4th – the title has not yet been announced – from the Dominican Republic, an operation carried out remotely thanks to social networks. Will we hear new songs from the original Sherbrooke resident in “L’île de l’amour” and are we even entitled to an appearance that will arrive with his guitar? Again, we keep the surprise with the viewers.
From one day to another
Geneviève Schmidt switches from one daily newspaper to another. She wrapped filming on STAT last Friday and has just two weeks to catch her breath before taking over the narration of The Island of Love. Again, this is the first time a woman has spoken among all the versions produced worldwide.
She’ll be arriving at the Montreal studio on Saturday, April 8, just under two days before the premiere, to share her sometimes funny, sometimes sarcastic comments. “Of course I don’t laugh at anyone in life. I can laugh at a situation, downplay things, but I will never make fun of people,” she said.
MARIO BEAUREGARD/QMI AGENCY
“I’ll sprinkle my spices, add my mustard, working with the Marie Pierre script. It’s teamwork.” The likeable actress relies on her personality and humor without comparing herself to her predecessor, Mehdi Bousaidan.
“What I love about a reality show is that it’s the best coffee machine talk. We put ourselves in the shoes of these people who aren’t actors, and then they experience emotions. There’s something satisfying for audiences to see and I couldn’t pass up this chance, me, the actress who thought she was just doing theater when she left National School in 2008.
Geneviève will be in the studio for four hours a day, four days a week to watch each episode, study the script, give it a touch and record its segments.
L’île de l’amour is produced by Productions Déferlantes in association with Quebecor Content and will air Monday through Thursday at 9pm from April 10th.