Vincent Leclerc uses the term “strange” to describe his experience on Plan B. Three years after playing an abusive spouse in the Quebec original, the actor reprises his role in the English adaptation, which has a budget three times higher.
Met during our visit to the film set of the psychological drama at the beginning of the month in Longueuil, Vincent Leclerc admits to having a strong feeling of déjà vu. ” Every minute. Some costumes are identical. Some filming locations too. It’s very strange. »
In this KOTV production (Zenith, The eye of the storm) intended for the CBC network, Vincent Leclerc returns to the character of the possessive and aggressive man that he defended in 2021 alongside Anne-Élisabeth Bossé, who played a police officer determined to prevent a family tragedy by going back in time. Again and again.
Patrick Emmanuel Abellard, who played the agent’s teammate at the center of the action, also reprises his role.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Director Jean-François Asselin and actor Vincent Leclerc during the filming of Plan B in Longueuil
Vincent Leclerc and Patrick Emmanuel Abellard are part of a select group of Quebec actors to defend the same characters in two languages on the small screen. Apart from Benz Antoine, the interpreter of the alcoholic patrolman Tyler in 19-2 (and its English counterpart of the same title), examples are rather rare. In the early 2000s, Vincent Leclerc starred in two Quebec miniseries translated into English, The last chapter (2003) and Rein (2006), but since the versions were shot simultaneously (“We did the scene in French, then in English”), the situation was different.
I have never been a method actor [système Stanislavski, qui consiste à rester dans son personnage même hors tournage]but I left the Plan B in scratched French. It was a first for me. Today I feel tired. I play theater at the same time, and my little acting brain is used. But I feel like I’ve found a certain balance.
Vincent Leclerc, actor
After witnessing the filming of a particularly intense scene of domestic violence during which Vincent Leclerc had to brutally grab his partner (Sarah Booth) and force her against the wall, we understand why this kind of sequence can color the daily life of an actor.
“At least this time I know the way.” It’s long and dark, but I know where to go. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The filming of the English adaptation of Plan B took place in two stages: a first last fall, from September 4 to November 11, then a second this winter, from January 18 to February 6.
Although he is perfectly bilingual and played the character of the aggressive and disturbed father of the family for the first time, Vincent Leclerc still had to fight to participate in the English-language revival of Plan B. The actor passed two auditions before obtaining (again) the role of Paul Whitman (in French, Bruno Bernier), for which he had nevertheless won a selection at the Gémeaux in 2022. “At the start, quite honestly, my ego was like: “Well there…” But I understand. It’s often a question of chemistry. »
$2.3 million per episode
Besides Vincent Leclerc, the English-Canadian adaptation of Plan B marks the return of another key member: Jean-François Asselin. The co-writer (with Jacques Drolet) and director of the first four seasons in French has returned to his position behind the camera. And like Vincent Leclerc, he finds the experience “special”.
“It’s really weird, because I’ve done it before. The version with Anne-Éli [Anne-Élisabeth Bossé], I turned it, I edited it. So it’s hard to get rid of it. The images are imbued. I really have a plan B again.”
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Toronto actress Vinessa Antoine takes on the policewoman character played by Anne-Élisabeth Bossé in the Quebec original. “Vinessa had this hardness and this sensitivity that we were looking for,” director Jean-François Asselin tells us.
Asselin and Drolet did not make many changes to the script of the English-language version, which remains virtually identical to the original. However, the budget per episode has tripled. Or almost. We’re talking about $2.3 million, compared to $800,000 for the original, specifies Jean-François Asselin.
We can take the time to do things. We don’t have any more special effects, but we can take the time to refine the scenes with the actor. For me, that changes everything. I have a lot more fun. When I shoot in Quebec, I’m always afraid of running out of time. When I finish a season, I’m like: “I just lost 30 lives I was so stressed!” It’s crazy how different it is.
Jean-François Asselin, co-writer and director
“It’s fun to have a suitable work rhythm,” adds Vincent Leclerc. I don’t feel like I have a gun to my head. I embarked on this project delighted, and I came out conquered. »
Filming of Plan B
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Filming of a scene in a residential area of Longueuil. Despite the mild weather (-6 degrees, sunny skies), outdoor filming in winter always adds a degree of difficulty. In the shade, fingers freeze within minutes.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The actors Vincent Leclerc and Sarah Booth (Heartland, Three Pines) rehearse the choreography of a scene of domestic violence that they are preparing to shoot, while Jean-François Asselin watches over the final preparations.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Crowded into a small bungalow in Longueuil, around twenty technicians prepare the filming of a scene. The team behind Plan B is predominantly French-speaking. Several English-speaking actors also speak French, such as Rossif Sutherland and Sarah Booth.
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French-speaking team
This adaptation of Plan B Although it is intended for the CBC network, its set hums in French. As its technical team is made up of a large majority of French speakers, the only words in English that we hear are “Two, one, action!” » before each take.
“For our first season in English, as it was a market we knew little about, we hired more people who were doing American productions, but we found it to be cumbersome,” explains director Jean-François Asselin. When you have more money, you have more resources, but sometimes it is less effective. This year, we said to ourselves that we were going to try to find the right balance with a Quebec team. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The co-creator, co-writer and director of Plan B, Jean-François Asselin, directs and supervises the English adaptation. He also serves as executive producer with Louis Morissette, president of KOTV, the company behind the series.
This is a second season for Plan B in English Canada. Starring Ontario actor Patrick J. Adams (Suits), Karine Vanasse and François Arnaud, the premiere attracted 227,000 viewers on CBC on Monday evenings, in February, March and April 2023, according to confirmed data from Numeris. In Quebec, the last two editions attracted 676,000 (fall 2021) and 482,000 people (fall 2023) on ICI Télé, figures provided by Radio-Canada reveal.
This new English season of Plan B will increase its number of adaptations outside Quebec. So far, there have been revivals in Germany (ZDF), France (TF1) and Belgium (STREAMZ). The series is distributed internationally by Red Arrow Studios International.