We already knew him professional football player, doctor, but now Laurent Duvernay-Tardif slips into the shoes of a host. In the new documentary series I have a question, he goes in search of answers to social issues that affect him personally.
“I love being a top professional athlete and will be for as long as I can. But ultimately, the Laurent who asks a lot of questions and who is a little hyperactive is the one I am on a daily basis, ”he argued at a press conference on Tuesday, presenting this new project“ 100% to [son] picture “.
Questions, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif actually has tons that burn his lips every day. For this first season, however, he had to restrict his curiosity and dig only four subjects that challenge him. The four 60-minute episodes, available on the Crave platform starting Wednesday, will focus on sports doping, obesity, food independence and the impact of technology on sport.
To satisfy his thirst for knowledge, to confront or confirm his opinion, but above all to inform Quebecers who will watch his documentary series, the athlete went to meet many stakeholders to collect both testimonies and the opinion of experts and activists. .
“In a way, it’s primary prevention [que je fais]. From a public health point of view, it is giving information to people so that they can build their own opinion objectively, ”he said, stressing that he had for his part“ learned a lot ”.
Hands in the earth
He also chose to embody his subjects on the screen. He is seen going through a battery of tests to see if he should be concerned about his health, from the top of his 315 pounds. We accompany him to the grocery store, where a nutritionist guides him in his food choices. We also see him pass an anti-doping test or put his hands in the earth to plant strawberries in a field.
Through these various experiences and numerous encounters, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif also confides in his concerns, his doubts, his past and his future. “I wasn’t 100% comfortable all the time, but […] to be authentic, I had to sacrifice in a certain way a little of my private life, ”he says, not regretting having revealed himself so much. Did he like being in the role of the interviewer rather than the interviewee? “What I learned from the experience is that you have to be in the present moment. It is really a job that takes your full attention if you want to be good. And I’m glad the show isn’t live, it would have been something else, ”he admits.
On the other hand, he believes that his experience and his status as an athlete have helped him in his role as an interviewer, giving him easier access to certain confidences. During the first episode, for example, he notably obtains the testimonies of the ex-cyclist Geneviève Jeanson and the ex-player of the Carabins of the University of Montreal, Olivier Renière, who were both sanctioned for doping during their career.
And finally, are there still questions? “Millions”, replies Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who has a whole notebook filled with ideas of subjects to explore.
“We do not yet know if there will be a second season, it is not confirmed. We will therefore keep the subjects in the bank, ”simply commented Mélanie Bhérer, General Manager, Variety, Lifestyle and Documentary at Bell Media.