And if, before leaving, not to leave your lover, as in the song by Roch Voisine, but to go to the beyond, to make the last journey, the one way trip, you had the chance to grant one last interview, would you do it? In any case, this is the idea launched by actress and host Danielle Ouimet.
The television project of these will-interviews germinated in Danielle Ouimet’s head in 2015, while she was in a waiting room at Saint-Luc hospital.
“While I was waiting, I saw Andrée Lachapelle [l’actrice] and André Melançon [le réalisateur], they held hands without speaking. I didn’t want to disturb them, but to my great surprise, they were the ones who came to see me to tell me that André had cancer. They explained to me the end of a life and I really wanted to ask them questions. How was their life? Why can we still be happy at a certain age? »
It all started from there. With the objective of “preserving the memory of the great builders of Quebec”, according to the expression of the Minister of Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe. People from the cultural sector, but also from the business sector, sport, science. Personalities who have marked the history of Quebec, who are given the opportunity to speak publicly one last time.
Since the business model is unusual – given the sporadic distribution of these 50 will interviews, Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec (BAnQ) and producer France Beaudoin (from Pamplemousse) had difficulty finding a broadcaster . It was ultimately Télé-Québec which got the ball rolling, with the help of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, which financed the project by injecting 2.8 million.
France Beaudoin did not want to identify the personalities who agreed to grant a final interview – which will be broadcast after their death – but gave examples of people they would have liked to interview. “We would have met Denise Bombardier, Hubert Reeves, Bernard Lemaire, Leonard Cohen, Michel Louvain… That gives you an idea of the range of personalities we are targeting. »
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The Minister of Culture and Communications Mathieu Lacombe, surrounded by hosts Gildor Roy and Danielle Ouimet (to his right), as well as Marie Grégoire, director of BAnQ and producer France Beaudoin (to his left).
The production team will have three years to conduct these 50 interviews (45 minutes), which are filmed in the magnificent reading room of the National Archives in Montreal. So far, three interviews have been completed.
Surprisingly, most people who were contacted agreed. A way to have the last word before leaving… “People see it as a very, very great honor. Having attended the first interviews, these were not melancholic moments, it was totally assumed. Those who refused have a difficult condition or do not want to see themselves as they are at the moment, France Beaudoin tells us. Because basically, we are creating the last archive. For reasons of dignity and respect, we are therefore not disclosing any names. »
To support Danielle Ouimet in the interviews, it was the actor and host Gildor Roy, who was contacted by France Beaudoin. With Danielle, they will share the interviews.
I immediately said yes. It’s funny because two days before France called me, I was discussing with a friend what our cold meat will be, and I said to him: will the last image that people will have of me be km/h ? (laughs!) I tell myself that it is important to give the floor one last time to the personalities of Quebec.
Gildor Roy, actor and host
We ask the question to the two hosts ofBefore leaving : will these interviews necessarily be complacent? Everyone has a dark side. Are you going to tackle more controversial topics?
“I think so,” replied Gildor Roy. When Michel Louvain died, it was the first time that people said publicly that his chum was in pain, but everyone knew it. The people we are going to interview are far enough along in their lives and are brilliant enough to tackle difficult subjects themselves. There are no prohibitions, at the same time, people know what they are getting into. »
Danielle Ouimet, who hosted the show Bla Bla Bla from 1993 to 2000 at TVA, believes that the context in which these interviewees find themselves is conducive to sharing “truths”.
“I tell them: when you come home, what makes you laugh? What brings you into the truth? Did you have easy happiness? Is there anything you would do differently? This is what I want to know, this is what I want to be left of you. So it can’t be complacent. We open doors without forcing them to confide, but they are in a state of receptivity, trust and confidence. So far anyway, they are very honest. »