The resumption of Plan B by English Canada retains its Quebec essence, to the great delight of actors Karine Vanasse and François Arnaud, who play opposite roles.
Presented on Séries Plus in 2017 before being picked up by Radio-Canada, the first season of the psychological drama by authors Jean-François Asselin and Jacques Drolet recounted the journey of Philippe, an ambitious lawyer (played by Louis Morissette) who used the services of a mysterious enterprise to go back in time and save his marriage.
In the English adaptation which lands this week on CBC, the hero is defended by the Ontario actor Patrick J. Adams, who we knew in Suits. Karine Vanasse plays her spouse Évelyne, whom Magalie Lépine-Blondeau interpreted in French, and François Arnaud plays her business partner, brother-in-law and best friend Patrick, to whom Émile Proulx-Cloutier initially lent his features.
La boîte KOTV, qui était derrière l’œuvre originale, a chapeauté cette nouvelle production de six épisodes. Jean-François Asselin a repris son poste de réalisateur, qu’il a cette fois partagé avec Maxime Giroux (Norbourg) et Aisling Chin-Yee (No Ordinary Man).
En dépit du changement de langue, l’histoire est restée ancrée à Montréal, où l’ensemble du tournage s’est déroulé l’été dernier. « Pour moi, c’est une source de fierté qu’on reprenne un projet du Québec au Canada anglais et qu’il implique les mêmes créateurs, les mêmes producteurs », lance Karine Vanasse en entrevue.
On retrouve cette culture montréalaise québécoise. Je trouve ça l’fun que la CBC ait souhaité garder ça.
Karine Vanasse
Les téléspectateurs qui regarderont cette nouvelle mouture de Plan B entendront également plusieurs répliques en français. Ces phrases lancées sporadiquement seront évidemment accompagnées de sous-titres pour permettre aux unilingues anglophones de tout comprendre.
« C’était important qu’on donne une image juste de Montréal ; pas une image où tout le monde parle en anglais, indique François Arnaud. Parce que ce n’est pas vrai qu’on parle uniquement en anglais. Le français n’est pas une affaire désuète. Au contraire. »
Souvenir vivace
Karine Vanasse et François Arnaud avaient tous deux regardé la première saison de Plan B en français lorsqu’ils ont reçu l’offre d’intégrer sa distribution anglophone. La première se rappelait les émotions en montagnes russes qu’elle avait vécues comme téléspectatrice, en voyant Évelyne tournoyer en spirale au rythme des voyages temporels de Philippe.
« Au départ, quand on rencontre Évelyne, on constate que c’est une fille qui retient son souffle depuis un bon moment. Elle n’est plus bien dans leur relation, et elle décide d’y mettre un terme. Donc pour elle, ça devient encore plus mélangeant quand Philippe commence à prendre des comportements différents chaque fois qu’il remonte le temps. Elle ne sait plus à quoi s’attendre. La confusion qui s’installe chez elle… Elle perd le nord, elle perd ses repères… Comme actrice, c’était super intéressant d’explorer ça. C’était aussi vertigineux. »
PHOTO ÉRIC MYRE, FOURNIE PAR LA CBC
Karine Vanasse et Patrick J. Adams dans Plan B
Pour François Arnaud, le défi était d’« aller ailleurs », de s’éloigner du portrait qu’avait brossé Émile Proulx-Cloutier.
J’avais adoré ce qu’Émile [Proulx-Cloutier] had made character. It was very rhythmic and colorful. But I didn’t want to do what he had done again.
Francois Arnaud
“Even Émile wouldn’t have wanted to do what he had done. I didn’t want to imitate someone else’s performance. I just tried to forget it and approach the character in a different way, ”explains the actor, reached by telephone in Los Angeles.
PHOTO DANNY TAILLON, SUPPLIED BY CBC
Patrick J. Adams and François Arnaud in Plan B
With Plan BFrançois Arnaud completes what he describes as his “trilogy of financial douchebags”, after having played the fraudster Vincent Lacroix in norbourg and played in Surfacea series produced by Reese Witherspoon on Apple TV+.
“Patrick is afraid of running out of money. He makes morally questionable decisions. I don’t always agree with him, but I understand what makes him act like that. »
“As an actor, it’s often what I have the most pleasure doing, as in The Borgias, people who commit atrocities. The intellectual gymnastics that someone does to justify their horrible actions, to give them meaning… That’s what interests me the most. »
Science fiction?
Although it talks about time travel, neither Karine Vanasse nor François Arnaud describe Plan B like a science fiction series.
“Science fiction is an excuse to tell a very, very human story,” says the 37-year-old actor. This is the kind of question we ask ourselves every day. We regret something we did, and we’re like, “Ah! If only I could go back even 30 seconds!” It’s part of everyday life. It’s not something fancy. »
“Hyperrealism is not always the best way to talk about the human experience,” continues François Arnaud. What goes through my head every day is much more like the whirlwind of Plan B than a slow auteur film with lots of still shots! »
The CBC presents the first season of Plan B from Monday at 9 p.m. The series is also available for free on CBC Gem, the broadcaster’s online viewing platform.
Karine Vanasse
PHOTO SERGE GAUVIN, PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
The actress Karine Vanasse
Returning from a trip to Japan, Karine Vanasse caresses a few confidential projects in the spring. Later this year, she will shoot the second season ofBefore the crash, which will be broadcast on ICI Télé next fall. She will put on the suits of Évelyne, an investment banker with particularly high performance standards, very far from the Évelyne she embodies in Plan B. “It’s interesting to explore two extremes with two girls with the same first name. For Evelyne in Plan B, it is more difficult to assume the decisions she makes. It’s harder to get answers too. She is a girl who did not follow her dreams, who put herself aside to serve others. I can’t wait to see where [les auteurs Éric Bruneau et Kim Lévesque-Lizotte] are going to bring our characters into Before the crash, she continues. I also can’t wait to start listening to techno again when I go to work in the morning, to get in the mood. »
Francois Arnaud
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
The actor François Arnaud
From March 24, François Arnaud can be seen in Yellowjackets, an American series that chronicles the tumultuous journey of a soccer team in survival mode in the middle of the forest. The Quebec actor will play the secret lover of the coach. Airing on Showtime (and Crave in Canada) in 2021, the first season had achieved great success. “I watched the first episode, but I didn’t like it, admits François Arnaud on the phone. When they approached me for the sequel, I tried again and really got a kick out of it. I watched all the episodes in two days! The actor really enjoyed his filming experience. “Melanie Lynskey gave me a great welcome. She came to see me in makeup and she said, “We’re lucky to have you.” It was great, because I love her since I saw her in Heavenly Creatures with Kate Winslet in the mid-1990s.”