In Marilyn Castonguay’s career, there is a front. And one after.
Before playing Huguette Delisle, the endearing criminal of the favorite series This is how I love you, Marilyn was one of the most sought-after actresses in Quebec. The critics loved it. The directors and directors, too. Not for nothing has she obtained nearly 50 roles, both in cinema, theater and television.
But since she was seen shooting rifles wearing dishwashing gloves, her popularity has reached a new stratosphere. She’s on the front page of fashion magazines. She gets recognized in the street. “I feel like I’m in a little mafia,” she confides. People stop me and ask: eye of the tiger? » Reference to his character, who shoots with precision. “They approach me a little secretly. I love that ! »
We are seated at the edge of a window at Café Monk, in the Côte-Saint-Paul district, near her home, in Montreal. She arrived 45 minutes early, and has already completed the first stretch. “I’m preparing for my next shoot,” she said, showing me a notebook. She orders a second coffee. I accompany it with a hot chocolate.
It’s been a few weeks since the third and final season of This is how I love you is offered on Extra ICI Tou.tv. A huge critical success, which fills Marilyn Castonguay with pride. She worked very hard to bring to life this complex, sensitive, authentic Huguette, capable of both empathy and extreme violence.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Marilyn Castonguay
Playing Huguette was special. I would even say esoteric. It’s as if the character and I have followed each other for the last five years.
Marilyn Castonguay
“Before filming the first season, I was experiencing a lot of performance stress. At one point it all came out at once. It fit with Huguette. She released her stress by shooting her rifle. In the second season, Huguette had just given birth. Me too. I understood his depressed state. His fatigue. In the last season, I was more rested. I had regained my composure. Her too. I feel like I’ve grown old with her. It’s difficult to let go of a significant character like that. »
Does she appreciate this greater notoriety?
“Yes, because what motivates me is touching people. It’s about showing an era, a life to which we will never have access. It’s about experiencing emotions that you wouldn’t experience otherwise. But I don’t want to be famous just for the sake of being famous. I don’t do this job for that. I come from the theater. I studied there. That’s not where you become famous. That’s not my engine. Besides, I’m not on social networks. »
An exception in an industry where image, reach and notoriety are traded very well.
“Sometimes I wonder, should I be [sur les réseaux sociaux] ? Would it be more professional? More respectful? Someone already told me they would like to have access to what I do. It could be an anchor point. I could promote my projects. At the same time, production teams are already doing it. I insist: I do not judge the people who are on this. I’m not above that either. If I had taken that path, I would have been swallowed up, like everyone else. It’s confronting. I also do it a little to protect myself. »
Afterwards, she emphasizes, “if I don’t work because I’m not present on it, then we don’t focus on the good business. It would make me better known, but not a better actress.”
During the discussion, a man in his forties opens the cafe door and walks directly towards the friendly actress. “Excuse me,” he says.
Does he want a photo? Autograph ? Is he coming to congratulate her on the new season?
“Are you the daughter of Marc Labrèche who plays on TV?
– Léane Labrèche-Dor? No sorry.
– Shit. I bet $50 with my girlfriend. »
Behind the window, his lover wants to know if she was right. Marilyn, amused, mimes an ATM that spits out banknotes.
“Don’t worry, sir. This often happens to me. »
Lonely in front of the TV
As popular as it is This is how I love youits ratings are not those of the series from the 1990s, when Caleb’s daughters frequently exceeded three million viewers.
At the time, French-speaking Quebecers all shared the same cultural references. This is not the case today. Would she have liked to experience this golden age as an actress?
” Obviously. The projects had more scope because there was only one way to look at them. There, we get lost in 1000 ways of consuming. It individualizes us. It makes us solitary in our consumption. Is this a good or bad thing? I do not know. »
“On the one hand, we can consult a lot of content that we didn’t have access to before. It allows us to see extraordinary foreign series. But afterwards, this solitude makes me really unhappy. Are we spreading ourselves too thin, which means that we are no longer able to be together? Before, we were all together. We watched TV as a family. There was a spirit of community. »
Whereas today, she laments, “there is one on her tablet. The other on his phone. The other in front of the TV. We are together, without really being. It divides human beings, while opening new horizons. How to navigate this? It’s hard to go against the grain. Everything, everything, everything pulls you towards something else. »
The future of Quebec culture worries him.
It’s not going so well. Even I, who live from culture, have to force my child to listen to a Quebec children’s show. It’s sad.
Marilyn Castonguay
If there were more money invested in Quebec culture, could we really turn the tide? Or is it a lost cause?
” I do not know. But as adults, we really need to get young people interested in Quebec culture. Because they won’t go right away. Because there is something stronger. There are lots of good shows produced here, but when young people are in groups, they don’t watch The world of worlds. They go to YouTube. They’re already absorbed in it. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Marilyn Castonguay
She herself lets herself be seduced by major foreign productions. She is particularly a fan of the series The Crown. “Opening up to the world does not mean abandoning what we have. Even though I am 100% for the French language, that doesn’t mean I can’t speak English, or learn Spanish. You have to be open to the world. But we also need to know who we are. […] For me, it’s super important to see what’s being done here. »
From the heart to the work
Marilyn Castonguay considers herself pampered. Since leaving the National Theater School in 2010, the stimulating projects have continued. His job brings him great satisfaction.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Marilyn Castonguay
What interests me is creating a human being. It’s a job, doing that. Behind a shoot, there is a lot of work. Unfortunately, even in our own circles, there are people who do not understand this.
Marilyn Castonguay
That’s to say ?
“I was already told, during a salary negotiation, that I deserved less because I would have short days. Only a scene or two. Now, what am I doing in the scene? I speak. Or I play an instrument. Or I do this, I do that. In this society where everything moves quickly, we are asked to achieve the scene in two takes. At the same time, you want to leave a good impression. As actors, we often feel like we’re just our last role. If I’m put forward, I want it to be perfect. It is the preparation time, at home, that will save us. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Marilyn Castonguay
You should know that the working conditions on Quebec sets are far from being the same as those of the works against which they are in competition. “We have developed incredible expertise in Quebec. A $#?@*& system. » The former top of the class immediately apologizes. “Sorry, I can’t think of any other words. Here, the heart is times a thousand. No one works in this industry if they don’t have a heart for it. If he is not passionate. We have a way of solving problems that don’t exist elsewhere. »
“When you have a lot of money, you extend it, and it’s settled. When you don’t have one, you make do. We get put in these situations, and then we still manage to create extraordinary businesses. » This is how I love youfor example, which perfectly reproduces the universe of the 1970s.
“Imagine what we could do if we had wings. »
Questionnaire without filter
Coffee and me : I adore. I take too much. I take two small ones lying down in the morning. I hold back so as not to take a third. Often another one after dinner.
A memorable journey : Iceland. It’s larger than life. That’s when you understand that you are nothing. That you won’t win. It was extraordinary.
A person, living or dead, with whom I would like to have dinner :Marilyn Monroe. My first name led me to read a lot about her. I would like to understand who she is. I would like to form my own opinion of her. She is fascinating.
Who is Marilyn Castonguay?
- 39-year-old actress who grew up in L’Isle-aux-Coudres
- Winner, in 2013, of the Jutra and Canadian Screen Awards for best actress for her role in The Dumont affair
- Often a finalist for the Gémeaux awards for roles in children’s series
- Since 2019, she has played the character of Huguette Delisle in the series This is how I love you.
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