The conversations with Sébastien Delorme are always very interesting. When I recently spoke to the interpreter of the character, Léo MacdonaldUntenableHe took advantage of a week-long break from filming. What did he do during this time? “I’m learning my lines for the next shoots! I have the texts for episode 212 in my hands, there will be 240. We will finish the second season in mid-November.
• Also read: First public appearance for Sébastien Delorme and his partner
Sébastien, what is the difference between the role you played? District 31 and the ones you have inside Untenable?
The two roles are completely different. The workload may be similar, but I have to process, learn, analyze and edit a lot more text. I ask further questions to Me Richard Dubé (defense lawyer and creator of the series) or to Izabel (Chevrier, the author) to understand, among other things, the defense attorney’s point of view. Last year I had to figure out who the character was, and this year it’s well established, which makes learning the lines much easier. The atmosphere on the film set is super good, I’m having a great year with the second season of “Indefensible”. I no longer feel the pressure of performing daily, of having deadlines and challenges, of knowing if we’ll manage to get through our days, if there needs to be more than one take for a scene, etc. It’s well organized. I wouldn’t have thought that we would be able to work as relaxed as we do now in everyday life. It’s so much fun, I’m really overwhelmed.
Would you say that you make a great team with Michel Laperrière and Anne-Élisabeth Bossé as well as Inès’ interpreter Nour Belkhiria?
Really! I had already worked with Michel in the theater, in Charbonneau et le chef. Otherwise, I had met Anne-Élisabeth briefly in 30 lifetimes. We will organize exams together, Michel and I, super good causes. And Anne-Élisabeth, she is so much fun and pleasant to work with. She’s a great actress, she’s talkative, she’s my little clown! Michel, it’s more the wisdom and emotional side of his character that comes through. He reacts strongly to injustice, which fits well with Léo Macdonald, who is more of a fighter. The wisdom of André Lapointe’s character leads Léo back to the principles of the law. Nour, who has a legal background, is simply charming. At first it was funny to see how she discovered everything, including the rhythm of everyday life. I left theater school (Collège Lionel-Groulx) in 1995 and have been practicing my profession for 30 years. This whole experience is very useful for my daily life.
Do the people you meet today talk to you about Léo as much as they did about Poupou back then?
Yes, it’s crazy, but people forget it. When you’re on air, people talk to you about it a lot, and when it’s over, it’s forgotten, they talk to you less about it. And now it’s Leo. In our case, we always have to start from the beginning so that people remember us.
Did you have any fears about what you would do if Poupou disappeared? District 31?
Yes, I was scared, that’s for sure. Every time I lose my job or a show doesn’t come back, I’m scared. We’re self-employed and we’re always wondering if we’re going to audition, if there are roles for us, or if people are tired of seeing us. I think my exit from District caused such a stir that it gave me a lot of exposure to finally take on another project. In the end it was the best thing that could have happened to me.
• Also read: Sébastien Delorme answers our burning questions
Have you always had difficulty dealing with job insecurity?
This is the career I chose and my parents asked me how I was going to make a living and told me it wasn’t safe. This job brought with it uncertainty, but I decided to go for it. They were atypical hours, but also the opportunity to meet different people and be directed by several directors and directors. That was what motivated me, and it still is.
Do you feel the love the audience has for you through your characters?
Yes… I do this job to get to know people, be it other actors or directors and of course the public. Since I’m a shy person, this job made a lot of things easier for me, including the difficulties I had in approaching people. When you do this job, it’s the people who take the first steps, which scared me as a child. I found it very hard. The hardest part was done when people took the first steps. Afterwards it was a pleasure to get in touch with them. Ultimately, it’s really good that I chose this career.
Did it take time to overcome your shyness?
Such! I went somewhat unnoticed in high school. I started doing theater at CEGEP and it helped me come out of my shell, my embarrassment, my safety zone. I wondered what people would think of me. In the end there was no danger, it was me who wasn’t worried about anything.
Working on two such popular daily newspapers one after the other is something special!
Yes, but how many other series have I done that didn’t stick? And how many theater performances have I done that were not successful? So it looks great, but there were a few things that didn’t work. I’ve always done my job as best as I can, but whether it works depends on a lot of things – airtime, for example – and that means sometimes it doesn’t work. There are series that I got stuck on and then disappeared again after a year, even though I would have been happy to see a sequel. Like The 7th Round (on air in 2006). It was fun and also I was with my friend Patrice (Godin). I would have liked a second season, but oh well. There was also A Dead Man (also on air in 2006). I would have liked to know what happened next and what happened next. I believe it was the last series to be shot on film. Can you imagine what it costs to shoot on film for an hour? The world changed because the following year everyone went digital. It is very difficult to achieve one success after another in a career.
Of the twenty or so characters you’ve played on television, is there one that was more difficult than the other?
Good question! I would say that boxer Karl Tozzi was physically tough in the 7th round due to training. In the United States, an actor who is supposed to play the role of a world boxing champion has a year to prepare with specialists and fitness trainers. For us it was in four months: we had to lose our baby fat, build muscle mass and learn to box! That was hard. I shot, trained, dieted and all the fights had to be choreographed. It was a tough shoot, I was pretty tired by the time it was over.
Would you say you are currently experiencing one of the best phases of your career?
Yes definitely. I love being where I am and I enjoy it to the fullest. I’m having a great time and hope it lasts as long as possible.
• Also read: After difficult times, Sébastien Delorme was able to get back on his feet
Are you ensuring younger people benefit from your experience?
When we perform every day, we have to reassure the people who come to play roles and who are not used to working on this show format. I try to reassure them and remind them that they have the right to make mistakes, even if we change things quickly. Sometimes I even intentionally make a mistake in front of them so that they see that there is a possibility that I will have to take the stage again. It relaxes the atmosphere. Personally, it took me a while to come to terms with this and you have to calm down with the desire to be perfect. I would say that imperfection calms me down.
What qualities do you need to have in order to be able to work on it every day? Untenable?
You need to be disciplined, be prepared in advance, which means knowing your pace of learning. For this you have to spend a lot of time and try to sleep well. It’s certain that I won’t celebrate if I have to film for four days. It’s more of a monk’s life, but it’s exciting. I’m really lucky to be able to focus on my work for nine months. It’s 150 days of filming, we do the equivalent of I don’t know how many films in a year! It is certain that the people around me feel a little less present, although over the years I have managed to improve a lot and feel a certain detachment.
Was this discipline innate to you?
NO. There are two places where I learned to deal with this. When I was in high school, I first studied at Collège Notre-DAme, which required a lot of work. Afterwards it was much more relaxed at CEGEP, but not at the theater school, where it was super demanding.
Do you still have time for yourself while filming?
Yes, but I cycle less. I work in the morning and try to be there for my family afterwards.
Do you still have the same partner, Pénélope Cordeau?
Yes, always, and it goes very well.
Is she your tutor and does she help you learn your texts?
No, I have so many texts to learn! I have a phone with a recorder and I play the role. I repeat myself. I walk with my phone and headphones and talk to myself while I listen to the lines and go over my lines. I look a little strange when I walk down the street or round a park bench, like I’m pleading in court. (laughs) It’s lucky that Richard and Izabel are there because it gives the project credibility. I like it when there is strictness, support and stability. We defend the rights of our clients; everyone has the right to a comprehensive defense. Was the interrogation carried out well? Did we give him false promises? Was he pressured to incriminate himself? That’s what I focus on when I play the role of the lion.
Has your view of lawyers changed since you took office?
I had more of an idea of Crown lawyers, and now I often say that everyone has the right to a second chance. It is now part of my vocabulary and way of thinking, completely tied to the defender I play. Let’s say I believe in rehabilitating people because there can be times when chaos takes over your life and you do stupid things. You can live a very orderly life and one day bad luck happens and they want to lock you up for 25 years. In this series, we dive directly into the lives and cases of the defendants. We don’t just see it, we feel it on an emotional level, we experience the situation they were in to make decisions and that creates a very different implication for the viewer in terms of the causes portrayed. You can even build a bond with the characters.
What awaits Léo in this second season?
A lot happened to him in every way last year and he will try to gain perspective and put his values back in the right place, including family values. His father’s stroke will mean that he has to take this step back. But Leo is such a careerist! He is so thirsty for work, for reasons, it is the passion that lies within him. Will he be able to be so disciplined? We’ll see…
UntenableMonday to Thursday at 7 p.m., on TVA.