It wasn’t until noon Tuesday, just hours before the news went public, that the cast of District 31 have learned of the imminent end of the popular TV series. A news that saddened them, without surprising them.
Posted at 19:46
Vincent-Guillaume Otis, who plays Detective Sergeant Patrick Bissonnette since day 1 of the series, did not “fall from the clouds” when he heard the news. “There were clues in the text that suggested it could be the last season. But you never knew from year to year if the series was going to continue. Each new season was a gift. ”
In total, he will have done around 700 days of shooting spread over six years for this series signed Luc Dionne. A colossal job. ” District 31 will undoubtedly remain one of the biggest challenges of my career. This series transformed me as an artist, as a performer. It also represents a whole logistics, both professionally and family. I have a boy who is the age of District 31 ; I know something about it! ”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
Vincent-Guillaume Otis
“I don’t yet realize that the series is going to end,” he adds. I will settle the news during the last days of filming. For now, we are still in the action; We have 11 weeks of shooting left. In the end, it will get into me, that’s for sure. It saddens me enormously, but I have the feeling that I have accomplished my duty. ”
A feeling shared by Michel Charette. “We gave everything we had to give. We worked hard, people got on board. We leave with our heads held high. It’s perfect like that. We will not do the year too long. He was also not surprised by the announcement made on the set Tuesday. “There were rumors. Now it’s official. ”
The profession of actor is one where the bereavements are numerous, estimates Michel Charette. He knows that in his case, mourning Bruno Gagné will take him some time. “This character was important to me. It represents six years of my life. It took me to areas of play I had never been to before, especially dramatic areas where people weren’t expecting me. This role brought me recognition, it allowed me to win prizes … On the set of District 31, I also created strong friendships. ”
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Michel charette
For Catherine Proulx-Lemay, who plays Florence Guindon, the news “created a shock, even if it was not a mega surprise. “” It has become concrete and from now on, there is a small count that will start. It’s a page that will turn. I know this is going to leave a huge void in my life. It takes so much space! I think I see Catherine St-Laurent (the interpreter of Noélie St-Hilaire) more often than my own children! ”
For her part, Cynthia Wu-Maheux sees with emotion the mourning that she will have to make of her role of Da-Xia Bernard, the senior criminal intelligence analyst who knew how to breathe new life into the investigations of her colleagues.
“Over the years, Da-Xia has become like a friend. I love tweaking it; find its nuances and its smiles. It will be a mourning to do. I will also have to mourn my playing partners. Already, at the start of the season, the departure of two of them [Sébastien Delorme et Geneviève Brouillette] left traces. We must also not forget the technicians who form a large family. We have become very close over the years. I went to pick up my baby cat from one of the cameramen… ”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY AETIOS
Senior analyst Da-Xia Bernard, played by Cynthia Wu-Maheux.
For Cynthia Wu-Maheux, one of the unsuspected side effects of District 31 will have been to attract the curiosity of young people, and girls in particular, about the profession that his character practices on the screen. “Several young girls contacted me to learn more about the profession of criminal affairs analyst. It touched me a lot. ”
“I realized from the day I read the first text that this project was going to be fun », Confides Pascale Montpetit. “I don’t remember having had a long-term project like that that allowed me to play a character for so long at that frequency. It is quite unique. ”
The one who plays the prosecutor of the DPCP Sonia Blanchard adds that the teamwork on the set of District 31 is remarkable. “Everyone gives a helping hand. There is a solidarity which is really nice and which I will miss a lot. ”
Some of the strengths of the series, according to the actress? Editing of episodes and texts by Luc Dionne. “Luc succeeded with an incredible talent to keep people in suspense largely through conversations where it was necessary to follow the puck… ”
With the collaboration of Véronique Larocque, Press