Maxime Dumontier left the artistic world in 2021. After three difficult years punctuated by a career reorientation in cabinetmaking, the ex-actor obtained, Thursday evening, the approval that he had made the right decision through in an unusual way: by emerging as the big winner from a reality show.
Under a shower of confetti, Maxime Dumontier and Stéphanie Brodeur, his partner, won The big Rona construction site, a renovation competition broadcast on Noovo, in which couples competed to win a new, fully furnished home worth $700,000. After 10 weeks of tedious work, the pair styled the other finalist tandem at the finish line, Lisette and Dideley.
For Maxime Dumontier and Stéphanie Brodeur, who had “given up a little” on the dream of being owners, the repercussions are major. Parents of two little boys, Alban, 10 months, and Orel, almost 4 years old, they can finally breathe.
“Having a house – but no mortgage – at 35 really changes things,” comments the new carpenter in an interview. What we dreamed of, it belongs to us. We can now offer a better quality of life to our children. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NOOVO
Maxime Dumontier and Stéphanie Brodeur, after learning of their victory at Major Rona construction site
“We are happy as hell,” he continues. After everything that happened, we feel like we’ve just finished a marathon. We’re like, “At least we didn’t run all this for nothing!” We won our bet. »
On the screen
Long before The big Rona construction site, Maxime Dumontier was used to television sets. His acting career began in 1998 with Amandine Malabul, a British-Canadian children’s series. Roles followed in Fred-dy, Smash, Our summers, Detect inc. And 7e roundthen, once an adult, Unit 9, Helping Béatrice And Cerebrum.
In the cinema, his name has appeared in the credits of feature films such as Seraphim: a man and his sin, by Charles Binamé, Gas Bar Blues, by Louis Bélanger And Affective memories, by Francis Leclerc. In 2008, his performance in Everything is perfect, by Yves-Christian Fournier delighted the critics, notably allowing him to win the prize for best actor at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival, in France.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Maxime Dumontier with Chloé Bourgeois and Yves Christian Fournier at the premiere of the film Everything is perfectin 2008
His last role on the big screen dates back to 2021, in The drunken birdsby filmmaker Ivan Grbovic.
Maxime Dumontier could have persisted and continued, but his heart was no longer in it.
“Because I started young, at first I was like: “Here you go! I found what I’m going to do until I die!” But when you realize, at 30, that you no longer love what you do, it’s like a devastating blow. Towards the end, I just felt like I was picking up a check. It was impossible for me to stay, when we know how difficult it is to break into. I didn’t want to steal the place of someone who really wanted to have access. »
No regrets
Although motivated, the decision to start from scratch was not easy to make. “I had put all my eggs in one basket. It’s tough to say: “The passion I’ve had since I was a kid is no longer there. Now I have to find something else.” It’s dizzying. But it took so much weight off my shoulders. Instead of holding on, I decided to walk away. That’s all. »
Today, Maxime Dumontier claims to be “elsewhere”. When he looks back, he feels no bitterness. “I still had an incredible 20 years. I’ve been through so much stuff. I have traveled the world. I experienced some really cool things. »
“I have mourned. I have no regrets. I left in peace. I’m proud of what I’ve done… I can’t wait to show my children that their father was an actor for 20 years! “, he says, laughing.
From actor to carpenter
In recent years, Maxime Dumontier has followed training at the Montreal School of Furniture Trades. His interest in cabinetmaking is not new. As a child, he loved following his grandfather, whom he describes as “a very, very manual man, capable of building a house from A to Z”.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Maxime Dumontier
But since I was an actor very young, I put a lot of things aside. I also worked in restaurants. It took me a while to reconnect with cabinetmaking.
Maxime Dumontier
It was after seeing an advert on the internet that Maxime Dumontier and Stéphanie Brodeur submitted, last November, their candidacy for the Major Rona construction site.
The prospect of winning a house was certainly tempting, but Maxime Dumontier more or less believed in their chances of succeeding… because of the reality TV aspect of the project. Solitary by nature, the former actor feared “the whole social and strategic game”.
“Reality shows are not my bag. It’s not something I listen to. At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to be tough. Spending 24 hours a day with other people, I was like: “Oh my…” But in the end, it was easier than expected. We got closer really quickly. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Maxime Dumontier with his partner, Stéphanie Brodeur
Maxime Dumontier and Stéphanie Brodeur, who currently live in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough in Montreal, still have a lot of things to prepare before calling the movers and migrating to Sainte-Julienne, in Lanaudière, where their house costs 700,000 dollars awaits them. However, they hope to settle there before the fall.
Starting from scratch is often dizzying, but when it comes with 5 zeros followed by a money sign, it’s much more attractive.
The big Rona construction site is available as a catch-up on Crave and Noovo.ca