This winter, Benoît Gouin lends his face to Larry, an ex-police infiltrator determined to carry out his investigation. The actor talks to us about this demanding role and his projects.
• Also read: Benoît Gouin is instrumental in the filming of Larry, a new detective series
At 35 years in business, Benoît Gouin feels very fortunate to be able to bring the character Larry to life in the series of the same name. “Larry Bergeron is a hawk, a hardhead, a real action guy, both selfish and manipulative, but lovable nonetheless. It was a challenge from the start to play such a character who isn’t easy to like at first glance.
Before landing this role, the 61-year-old actor fell in love with the screenplay for this thriller, signed by Stéphane Bourguignon and directed by Patrice Sauvé. “What I love most about this series is seeing a man in his 60’s immerse himself in an adventure that allows him to be reborn. After being disowned by his fellow cops, who suspect him of being involved with organized crime, Larry finds his way to redemption. While his wife (Monique Spaziani), the victim of a stray bullet, finds herself in the hospital, he decides to work with the police to conduct his investigation alone. So he rushes into action and tries by all means to regain his worth among his peers and family.
EXEMPLARY STRENGTH
In order to portray Larry, Benoît Gouin had to change his lifestyle. “I dedicated six months to this project. I quit drinking and exercised. I wanted to be sure I knew my lines well because I was in almost every scene. I was present on this set 62 out of 64 days. It was an extremely demanding challenge back then, but I’m very happy with the result.
The actor isn’t closing the door on the idea of bringing Larry back to life. “The series really caused a stir last summer when it went live exclusively on Tou.tv Extra. It quickly became the most listened to show on the platform. I know people in the audience would like a sequel. For my part, I’m already imagining Larry in new adventures. However, the final decision rests with the broadcaster, which is Radio-Canada.” Additionally, it should be noted that the Larry series benefits from a solid cast consisting of Macha Limonchik, Naïla Louidort, Monique Spaziani, Irdens Exantus, Anglesh Major, Simon Lacroix , Germain Houde and many others.
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IN TWO UPCOMING MOVIES
Away from the small screen, Benoît Gouin will return to cinema in the psychodrama Crépuscule pour un tueur by director Raymond St-Jean, which hits theaters in Quebec on March 10th. The action of this film, loosely inspired by the life of hitman Donald Lavoie (Éric Bruneau), takes place in the midst of organized crime in the late 1970s: “In this production, I take on the role of Claude Dubois, who was then the boss of the underworld, for the Donald Lavoie worked. Struck by paranoia, Lavoie will come to betray the Dubois clan by becoming the first person in Quebec to use the whistleblower protection program. It’s really a very good film that also stars Sylvain Marcel and Rose-Marie Perreault.”
Finally, Benoît Gouin says he is very happy to have worked in My Mother’s Men last year, Anik Jean’s first feature film due out this year. “I will play one of the five ex-spouses of the main character’s mother, played by Léane Labrèche-Dor. It’s really a very nice screenplay with excellent actors including Patrick Huard, Colm Feore, Benoît Brière and many others. I really enjoyed working on it with Anik Jean, a great designer,” he concludes.
Don’t miss Larry, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Radio Canada.