Michel Côté is the supreme example of the chameleon actor. Rarely have I seen an artist capable of making people laugh as much as moving as he has done for 40 years. He was shocking in CRAZYhilarious in Cruising Bar And From father to coptroubling in Omertapoignant in The last tunnel and hilarious in The little life.
Michel Côté knew how to be all that and he was always superlative. Quebec today loses an actor with a capital A.
In the middle, we kindly called him “Mister Box-office”. But before ringing the cash registers, Michel Côté knew how to give substance to the characters offered to him. That’s what directors and directors wanted from him. And they were well served.
Emile Gaudreault (From father to cop, The sense of humor) has often described to me the immense pleasure felt by a director to have such a Stradivarius in his hands.
A chameleon, Michel Côté was also a chameleon in the means of expression made available to him. He burst the screen as much as he burned the boards, always with the same panache. He mastered both the art of cinema and theater, which is not given to all actors. These two forms of art have very distinct codes. Michel Côté had learned to understand and assimilate them.
This extraordinary actor has led his career without any form of snobbery. Unlike other colleagues, he never lifted his nose on comedy, “popular cinema” or “general public theatre”. This does not mean that he accepted all the proposals. But when the quality was present, he plunged into this new challenge by putting all his talent, all his passion.
Very often, we will say of an artist that he is a gentleman. Unfortunately, this label is granted too easily. But in the case of Michel Côté, this is true. Anyone who knew him can attest to that. I could also say the same of his comrades from brewMarc Messier and Marcel Gauthier.
As a young radio host in the 1990s, I had an experience that bears witness to the greatness of soul of this trio. I once welcomed on a show that I hosted a group of comedians with budding careers who were playing in a movie that was destined to be a big hit.
Since they had been doing interviews all day and I was last on the list, they arrived at my studio completely drunk. The moment was very unpleasant for me who couldn’t get them to say intelligent things. The three stooges preferred to joke among themselves, ignoring the listeners.
A few days later, I received the three actors from brew. Even though all the tickets for the scheduled performances were sold out, they were kind enough to accept my invitation. They were probably in their 600se interview about this piece that had been rolling for many years. But they talked about it like it was the first time. It sawed me in two.
Michel Côté respected those who allowed him to do his job, and that went from creators to the public, including journalists and the essential promotional machine.
Faithful in friendship, Michel Côté today leaves behind him a large number of hearts in a thousand crumbs. These friends were his buoy during the difficult ordeal he went through.
Just like his sons Charles and Maxime, as well as his wife, the charming Véronique Le Flaguais. The latter took the trouble to come to the launch of the book that I am dedicating to her good friend, Clémence DesRochers. It was March 12. She then harbored the hope of seeing the bone marrow transplant that her man had just received work.
“I have always been an optimistic person. I always told Michel that he was a warrior and that he was going to get out of it, ”she then declared to a journalist present.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Michel Côté at the tribute gala, in 2017, with his wife, Véronique Le Flaguais
Anti-star, Michel Côté had a sense of family. In an interview with Julie Snyder in 1998, it is touching to hear her talk about her two sons who have become teenagers. He says he regrets the period of hugs and games.
And you have to watch the episode of Surprise on hold shoot in 1992 (offered on YouTube) to see the sensitive dad he was. Invited to a couple of friends with his wife, Michel Côté watches on TV his son Charles participate in a (false) edition of Junior Budding Geniuses.
Right off the bat, he says he’s nervous and hot. But when he sees that his son crushes the opposing team hands down by giving all the right answers, we see then appear on his face an immense pride. At one point, he even sheds a few tears.
But in the end, discovering that all this is an invented sketch intended to trap him, he says with great humor to his son: “Oh no, that means you’re still stupid! »
This blend of sincerity, humor and emotion is what the Quebec public has always liked about Michel Côté. The “little guy from Alma” never took himself seriously. But he took very seriously this profession in which he excelled.
His warm voice will be missed. His way of smiling too. There remain his films and the many characters he has played.
For many, Michel Côté is and will always remain the archetype of the ordinary Quebec father, the endearing Gervais Beaulieu of the film CRAZY who doesn’t understand why one of his five sons is gay, but still loves him, despite everything.
This emotionally handicapped father will tell his desperate boys to wear a tuxedo on the occasion of a wedding: “We are all dressed the same and that is what is beautiful! »
On paper, this line is extremely banal. But in the mouth of Michel Côté, it takes on the importance it deserves. This is what distinguishes great actors from others.