Lothaire Bluteau lives with fear in his stomach. His veiled, melancholic gaze bears witness to this. His eyes mist up in an interview when he recalls a distant memory. The actor’s face is tired, his body is very thin; he looks like a marathon runner at the end of the course. But Lothaire Bluteau is an athlete of the heart.
“When I look at Lothaire’s face, I see all the marks of the projects that shaped him,” confides his playing partner in Melting ice, Christine Beaulieu. At 66 years old, Lothaire is not armored; his heart remains open. It’s a tiring job and you have to protect yourself. »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Lothaire Bluteau and Christine Beaulieu with the director of Melting iceFrançois Péloquin (center)
He rushes into the meeting with the media, in a bar in Old Montreal. At first, his voice is muffled, almost inaudible. Then its flow accelerates. His words are affirmed with gestures as soon as we approach his role… And the cinema.
His debut in the theater
Lothaire Bluteau began her career in the theater with mentors. After the Conservatory of Dramatic Art, he played with La Roulotte under the lively gaze of Paul Buissonneau. Then, he assisted André Brassard and explored Brecht, Genet, among others. In 1985, with the creation of the cult piece by René-Daniel Dubois, Being at Home with Claudehis career exploded.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE QUAT’SOUS THEATER
Lothaire Bluteau in Being at Home with Claude with Guy Thauvette, in 1985
Against all expectations, the young actor left the theater and Quebec a few years later. He moved to London, then New York and Los Angeles. He plays in international films (Black Dress, Orlando, Bent), television series (Miami Vice, 24, Law & Order), but also small independent productions in Eastern Europe. On occasion, Bluteau is called to Quebec to film with Denys Arcand (Jesus of Montreal) or Robert Lepage (The confessional).
“A camera, whether it is set up in Rome or in La Tuque, it remains the same playing technique,” he says.
I had the chance to work with talented technicians in several countries. They helped me learn my trade. They showed me the focal lengths, the framing, how to move to get into the frame. If an actor is unable to take advantage of the talents of others on set, he cannot excel on screen.
Lothaire Bluteau
He remembers filming in Poland. At the end of his rope, he was paralyzed in front of the camera: “I was unable to continue. I was panicking. Then, I felt the director of photography’s hand on my shoulder. His empathy gave me the strength to continue. »
In There melting ice, Lothaire Bluteau plays a hitman who finishes serving his prison sentence. “This criminal carries all the heavy weight of his past on his shoulders,” said his interpreter. As a child, he was abused by his father. The latter left him as a legacy of contempt and violence. »
Before offering him this role, the director asked Bluteau to audition in a “ self tape “. He was to perform a song by Safia Nolin, Ugliness. “Lothaire gave a unique and moving version of it. An imperfect interpretation, but one that immediately appealed to me, says the filmmaker. I believe that imperfection makes us more human in life. We are all made of the same wood, with our holes in our hearts. This is what I like to express through the characters in my films. »
A candid film
After The sound of the trees, a movie on father-son relationships in regional forestry worker families, Péloquin explores in his second feature film, co-written with screenwriter Sarah Lévesque, another face of the masculine condition. With the themes of social reintegration and restorative justice as a backdrop.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Christine Beaulieu
Louise Denoncourt, Chrisitine Beaulieu’s character, wants to free prisoners from the vicious circle of violence and crime. The story shows this fragile and special bond that exists between an inmate and a release agent. “Louise is determined to change the world, to create a less violent society,” says the filmmaker. She has no life outside of her work. There are limits to what this woman can do to change others. »
François Péloquin also emphasizes that his film ends on a note of hope and candor. Against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset, we see Louise, in a canoe on the river, singing The weather will be nice tomorrow, by Étienne Coppée. “I like the idea that we can transform ourselves, repair ourselves, and rebuild ourselves in life,” adds Christine Beaulieu. This character has a lot in common with me. »
In theaters March 22
Who is Lothaire Bluteau?
Born in Laval in 1957, Lothaire Bluteau is a Quebec actor who has worked all over the world.
After enormous success at the theater in Being at Home with Claudehis cinema career took off in 1987 with a first role, that of a young intellectually disabled person in Gannetsdirected by Yves Simoneau.
He has had notable roles on the big and small screen for more than 30 years in acclaimed series (OZ, The Tudors, 24 hours flat). He forever remains the intense and iconic interpreter of Jesus of Montreal, by Denys Arcand.