It’s been a few months that I wanted to have a coffee with the most prolific Quebec author of the hour, Marie-Andrée Labbé. The problem ? Exactly, she was too busy. She had to finish writing STATthe most popular fiction series of the past year.
STAT, there are 35 pages of text per episode, or 140 pages per week. Heavy. “Writing a daily newspaper is like running a marathon, with little sprints all the time,” she says.
And how many coffees a day does it take to get there?
” None. I prefer tea! »
That’s why she gave me an appointment at the Salon de thé Cardinal, on boulevard Saint-Laurent, in Montreal. The room is dark. Felt. Surprising. Nothing seems to have changed for 100 years. Marie-Andrée Labbé orders tea. “Sorry, answers the waitress, tea service is only offered on weekends. A little disappointed, the author falls back on a homemade lemonade, which she sips very slowly.
We are here to talk about his passion: television. As far as she can remember, the small screen has always occupied an important place in her life. “As a kid, I was a huge fan of Natalie’s village. My mother loved comedians. Every week, we received all the artistic magazines at home. My mother even kept the Weekly TV. »
At the same time, the beauty of the villages of Saint-Siméon and L’Anse-Saint-Jean, where she grew up, encouraged her to dream.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Marie-Andree Labbe
It was clear that I was in a world apart. Creation, the imagination, it was part of me very early in my life. I’ve always had a knack for writing. I knew I could tell a story that stood up. I always wrote, without knowing what it was going to become later.
Marie-Andree Labbe
The Quebec series of the 1990s introduced her to an urban reality different from the one she knew in Saguenay. This world intrigues him. At 17, she moved to Montreal. “One of the first things I did when I got here was attend the taping of the J-fist, with Julie Snyder. That too, I was a complete fan. »
After studying communications, Marie-Andrée Labbé approached the artistic industry. First as a blogger for a site specializing in television, then as a screenwriter for comedian Valérie Blais. Contracts followed for a program by Pierre Brassard, the series The parents and galas. Notoriety comes with Too And Without an appointment, two popular series. But STAT, that’s in another league. More than 1.5 million viewers per evening. The kind of project that changes a career – and a life.
To meet tight deadlines, Marie-Andrée Labbé has no choice. She must lead a Spartan life. ” It is special. I have to rush to write AND have a long-term vision. Fortunately, it’s easy for me to immerse myself in a world other than reality. Once I put on my headphones and block out outside sounds, I can stay in that universe for a long time. I love that. That’s where I’m best. It’s my favorite thing in life. But hey, I also like having a weekend off. »
“Did you have any during the winter?”
– Not really. But I aspire to that for season 2…”
She describes her life as “very selfish”. “Everything is organized around me. I have no children. I have no one to take care of. I just have to write the best series of which I am able, within the required deadlines. Yes, it is demanding. But it’s also very selfish. »
That could change soon. Its producer, Fabienne Larouche, told the Showbizz.net site that she saw her succeed him at the head of her company. “I see her taking my place at Aetios, clearly. She wants this. She has an elation. She is passionate. »
Marie-Andrée Labbé does not hide it, she has great ambitions. She knows it can upset people. “When you are a woman, you have to be careful how you present it. You always have to be modest, grateful, have gratitude. It must above all be said: I don’t know if I will be good. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Marie-Andree Labbe
But me, when I’m proud of my work, I’m able to say it. And when it’s bad, it’s between me and me. I am my own judge. My own boss.
Marie-Andree Labbe
She also prefers to write alone, rather than in a group, as is sometimes done on other shows. It allows him to keep control over his universe and his stories. Now, if she becomes the leader of a production company, inevitably, selfishness will have to give way to another dynamic: that of being responsible for the happiness of others.
This is already somewhat the case STAT.
For what ?
Because in a movie, or a short series like Without an appointment, the actors know the whole plot in advance. They know what to expect. In a daily? Less. Marie-Andrée Labbé’s decisions have an impact on their schedule, on their annual salary, on their very career. Remember the actors who had difficulty accepting the disappearance of their character, in District 31among others.
“I am aware that I have the right of life or death over the characters and that the year of the actors depends on my texts. It is a gradual learning process. It’s fascinating. I really like the actors. I have an easy bond with them. We look like. We communicate with our emotions. When they are worried, I feel it. They definitely want to know if their character is going to die. »
I point out to her that she hasn’t killed any main characters yet. There is even one who miraculously woke up from a deep coma at the end of the season.
“It will come,” she said.
She adds that actors also tend to want to protect their characters. So she met them to tell them that their characters were all going to make a mistake at some point. “If everyone protects themselves, it’s not good for the show. The characters have to make a mistake, or do something that you, as a human, will not agree with. It sure is insecure. I am aware of this when I write. »
“Are you dreading the moment when you have to tell an actor that their character is dead?
“I’m hypersensitive. I consider it an asset, especially in creation. When you’re hypersensitive, you feel stuff. People associate it with instability. On the contrary, it is sharpness. I perceive things. I will find a way to express my point. But it is certain that there are things that await me, in the future, and which appear to me as an immense challenge. »
About future challenges, American screenwriters went on strike in May. Among their concerns is that of being replaced by artificial intelligence software.
Marie-Andrée Labbé’s spouse, journalist Judith Lussier, tried an experiment last winter. “She asked software to write a scene between a doctor and a nurse, about a specific case. It was badly written. Except it was true and consistent. »
Marie-Andrée Labbé has never used artificial intelligence to write her series. She sees it as a threat to her profession. “People keep using it for fun. But the more we use it, the more we strengthen it. It has to stop ! »
Does it scare him? No.
If artificial intelligence [s’impose], I will do something else. I will find another solution. But it will be a pity. I don’t think that will happen in my lifetime. Or rather, I think that in my lifetime, it will interfere in our work. Afterwards, will it replace the screenwriters? Will it deprive us of salary? No.
Marie-Andree Labbe
“In television, she adds, all the stories have been told. There will always be room to redo what has already been done and that, I believe that artificial intelligence will be able to do. Afterwards, it’s the unique way of telling things and the feelings that make one author stand out from another. »
Questionnaire without filter
1. Coffee and me: I don’t drink it. I prefer tea.
2. A city I love: London. That’s wonderful. I am in my place. There’s something sweet about this town.
3. A series that I would have liked to write: Six Feet Under. For the complex relationships between people and the theme of death that keeps coming back. There is nothing more alive than talking about death. It’s a brilliant idea, executed in a grandiose way, with humor. It’s perfection.
Who is Marie-Andrée Labbé?
- Born 40 years ago in Charlevoix
- She first got noticed by writing humorous sketches for Valérie Blais’ show, the series The parentsthe emission Today’s Live Armband as well as for galas.
- She then scripted the series Too And Without an appointment.
- She is now the author of STATthe most watched fiction series in Quebec.