Michèle Laroque is an actress, director, producer, screenwriter and comedian. There were, in its beginnings, advertising films with a beautiful meeting, that with Patrice Leconte which gave rise to a first foot in the cinema with the film: The hairdresser’s Husband (1990). There was the show The Class with Pierre Palmade and Muriel Robin, which allowed him to create a couple that has become cult today and which is part of the family photo of many French people. She goes to the side of the realization with the films Brilliant in 2018 and Each home (2021).
This Wednesday, March 16, was released, at the cinema, his third film, Then we dance, with Isabelle Nanty, Antoine Duléry, Patrick Timsit, Thierry Lhermitte and herself. This is the story of a woman who realizes that her husband has been cheating on her for two years. Obviously, at first, it will be a blow and then finally, she will learn to rediscover herself.
franceinfo: Then we dance is a real look at the links, the base that is the family.
Michele Laroque: There are two things. First, knowing how to use a test instead of collapsing all of a sudden, asking questions and saying to yourself: “Well, maybe this test is there for a reason. There’s something I haven’t understood in my life and about me“. And then also, this character is in appearances. She is in a role that she plays. She is not at all from the same background as her husband. I believe that what offends and humiliates her the most “It’s because the woman he’s cheating on her is from his background, and that, she can’t fight. She’s become a perfect wife. She wanted to be a prima ballerina, but she couldn’t. she has become a “star wife.” She cannot change her social origins.
This film is based on the place we occupy. It’s a real work on yourself. At first, we are devastated because this deception kills and secondly, it saves time for the future.
But yes. I had a very serious car accident at the age of 19. I spent a year without walking, but it was thanks to this accident that I knew I wanted to be an actress. And in the first lesson I attended, following the accident, for the first time in my life, I felt completely in my place.
There are things that happen that make you wonder because I think it’s never a coincidence when a test comes.
Michele Laroqueat franceinfo
You went through the show The Class with Fabrice, on France 3, when you started and it was a real revelation. Did it also make you grow, gain a little more self-confidence because there were a lot of improvisations.
I said to myself: I will never be popular. I’m going to do theater and I’ll be very happy to do it and that’s it. And in fact, with The Class, there is mail that has arrived from all sides. The audience was saying the same things so much that I was like, “well, there is something that must be true“. I was very shy, very introverted and lo and behold, it went so well that I started to open up a bit.
I learned, not to love myself, but to understand myself better through the public gaze on me.
Michele Laroqueat franceinfo
Pierre Palmade and Muriel Robin were also obvious to you.
Yes, we have the same sense of humor, we make each other laugh and that inspires us. It goes very fast. Pierre had made the dialogues of: soft pedal and one day, he arrived on a set saying to me: “I really like the way you say my dialogues” and so he said to me: “I would like us to do something” and I thought he meant a movie and no, in fact, he meant a show. We had dinner, I remember, and I said: you know, I think we have to do on the couple. It’s because there are so many things to do. He talks about it to Muriel who says: “But me, I write with you and I direct“. And that’s it, it happened like that.
What place has this couple occupied in your life? It is part of the family photo!
We thought we were doing a show like any other at first and it was phenomenal. We found ourselves in Zéniths all over France, where people said: “Rock ! Michele!” But it was incredible, olas at the end, it was wonderful, it was rock’n’roll, what. Really, I liked it a lot. And then, I had so much fun with Pierre, he is so funny. And his favorite thing is to make me laugh. Here we go, we match! It lasted 20 years!
The role that allows the public to really discover you is: Crisis by Coline Serreau in 1992. How did you experience this ascent?
I advance step by step. Coline Serreau was incredible. I am told: “You are going to audition in front of Coline Serreau, here is the text“. It was my character’s monologue: “I’m vulgar so much the better!“I’m learning it, I’m learning it and at that time, I spoke very quickly. I’m going to audition. Coline wanted that rhythm, so it’s very lucky too. She liked it and suddenly , afterwards, when the producer said: “But no, she is completely unknown. This role is great. You have to put a name“, she yelled: “No, I want that girl!“I brought nothing, I had no career and we were all nominated for the César. It was extraordinary what happened on Crisis.
Did you make the right choices? Do you have any regrets?
I did what I could and that, suddenly, takes away all the regrets. Today, I would make other choices by revisiting the story, but I’m not the same as at that time so, as I feel really good today, I tell myself that it was worth it to go, sometimes, by bad choices. What’s on the poster is:We all have the right to a second dance“, but it’s true because if you don’t know how to forgive yourself, if you only have regrets, you don’t have the second dance. Having a second dance is just saying to yourself: “I planted myself. It’s okay, I did what I could“.