Michèle Laroque is a comedian, actress, director, producer and screenwriter. It was on television that she learned her skills, on France 3, through humorous sketches with Fabrice. Then there were the pubs, the cinema with The hairdresser’s Husband by Patrice Leconte (1990), A great time by Gérard Jugnot (1991), or even soft pedal by Gabriel Aghion (1996). And there was this couple that she formed with Pierre Palmade, who became a friend and/or a member of most French families. She is also and above all a director with three films: Brilliant (2018), Each home and the youngest: Then we dance ? in 2021, three looks at life. This Wednesday, October 19, 2022, Michèle Laroque is starring in Pierre Coré’s film, Belle and Sébastien: New generation.
franceinfo: Belle and Sébastien: New generation or the indestructible relationship between a child and an animal and above all, I have the impression, between a child and his elders.
Michele Laroque: That is to say that he finds himself a little forced to have a vacation with his grandmother, in nature. She doesn’t want him there at all. This little one will heal the whole family thanks to his relationship with Belle whom he will meet. There is a real story of friendship between him and this dog. Then, this dog will make him evolve vis-à-vis nature, vis-à-vis the behaviors to have.
Sebastian is brave. He will defend and protect this dog, Belle, and defend and protect his family too.
Michele Laroqueat franceinfo
It’s a big symbol to tackle Belle and Sebastian. Belle and Sebastian has long been a television series of 13 episodes of 26 minutes, in black and white, written and directed by Cécile Aubry, broadcast in 1965. In 1965, you were five years old. It’s crazy because it refers to childhood, to the family. Does that speak to you?
Ah yes, yes, the family. Sometimes it feels like it’s not important because we don’t get along. Yes, it is very necessary to keep strong ties and to understand why we are part of this family, even when things are going badly.
Through this film, we realize that a child needs to dream, needs to look ahead, to project himself. What did you dream of as a child?
I dreamed a lot, a lot. I read a lot. But yes, I was daydreaming and the things I couldn’t always do, well, I dreamed them.
I have the impression that you were quite introverted.
I was sulky. I sulked because I could never do what I wanted, actually. So I learned to do things quietly. I learned to make efforts also because I was forced to do other things and that made me very strong in life.
It’s a bit of a summary of your life. It took a serious car accident for you to realize that from there, you had to be able to take charge of your life. Is this a huge turning point in your life?
Huge, because until now, I had always done what I wanted to do on the sly, but also what my parents wanted me to do.
I was not on my way and this accident, indeed, allowed me to be on my way.
Michele Laroqueat franceinfo
It is rare for parents to say to a child:you are going to be an actress“. We don’t say that. So I said to myself, at some point.
You also have a strength, it is to never finally show these flaws, this suffering that you have experienced.
There is also something, it is that I don’t have a bad memory. That is to say that I was very surrounded by the hospital staff. It moved me. And then I got to know myself during all that time in the hospital. So yes, operations were tough. The pain was hard, but it led to such a wonderful life. And since then, I’ve been doing this job that I love so much that if unfortunately I had to go through this accident, it can’t be a bad memory.
We have never felt you as well as today. In your movie Then we dance ?, you were talking about freedom and liberation too. It’s a bit like Belle and Sebastian, there is a question of freedom. So, without spoiling the end of the film, there is a real question of release at some point.
Exactly. Yes, because in this Belle and Sebastian which is happening nowadays. There are also all the problems of farmers today.
The awareness also that we must have vis-à-vis animals.
Exactly. And the financial problems that farmers may encounter, or even the problem of predators, etc… There is a whole problem that is very real and it is good, I think, to see how we can get out of it, how can we, because we are also a family, ask ourselves the right questions. In fact, everything is a question, I believe, of questioning.
Do you feel this letting go yourself?
More and more, yes.
Less than before ? When you stopped this “diabolical” couple, we wondered how the one and the other would manage to build themselves. Today, Michèle Laroque is the director and actress adopted by the French. Does it affect you?
A lot. They are really very nice to me. I am very spoiled. And this exchange between the public and an artist is beautiful.
What is the result of your desires, of your dreams?
Continue to be happy in this profession. When we are happy, that is where we make others happy. This is where we can give even more. I think I have 45 feature films as an actress, plus the same in TV movies, but I feel like I’m at the start, that I haven’t done anything. So there are still surely things that will surprise me, that I will discover and that I will want to do.