Yes, Sébastien Kfoury would have wanted to be an artist. But no, you won’t hear him tear his heart out while singing The businessman’s blues at karaoke at 2 a.m. The entrepreneur and veterinarian may be “successful in [ses] business” Since putting his love of theater on hold to pursue a career in medicine, he has been fulfilling his artistic desires in a variety of ways.
Whether as a columnist Hi good morning, Two girls in the morning Or Heading for summeror as facilitator of Hairy, Curious beasts Or AnimoSébastien Kfoury has always kept one foot in the television world since he graduated from the University of Montreal in 2000. This winter, he is strengthening his presence on the small screen by piloting What happens when…? on HERE Explora.
He thus continues to fulfill a dream that he thought he had given up on by choosing to study biology in the 1990s. A decision taken – in part – to please his father, who preferred that he pursue a “stable” profession. “.
“I am the son of an Egyptian immigrant,” says the jack-of-all-trades in an interview. I was thinking about the National Theater School when I was in CEGEP. I talked about it with my father… He made me understand that having job security was important. But I loved biology, science, medicine… I might have ended up choosing the same path, because it was a good job, a good salary, a logical choice…”
Nevertheless, as a teenager, Sébastien Kfoury loved the stage “very, very much”. Besides theater, he took singing lessons. “It’s my little narcissistic side, my little side that likes to please people,” he says with a smile.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Sébastien Kfoury
A first
Sébastien Kfoury takes an important step forward with What happens when…?. The show produced by Sphere Media (The little tannants, A zoo like no other) marks its first television foray into non-animal territory.
In this documentary series directed by Vanessa Cournoyer (An almost perfect dinner, The invisible children), Sébastien Kfoury plays guinea pigs by exploring the limits of the human body in different contexts: intense heat, stress, pollution, incessant noise, etc. In the first episode, broadcast at the beginning of January and structured around the theme of sporting endurance, we saw him suffer while passing the Léger-Boucher shuttle test, this famous progressive running test made up of a multitude of back and forth. More recently, he has even been seen suffering the effects of lack of sleep.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
Sébastien Kfoury does a cycling exercise until exhaustion on the show What happens when…?.
The adventure What happens when…? Sébastien Kfoury is visibly enthusiastic. Before even starting the interview, the star veterinarian spoke to us about productivity, quoting the neuropsychologist Sonia Lupien, whom he had met for the show.
I like it because we demystify a lot of things. I do the same thing in my everyday life as a veterinarian. People see lots of things on the internet, on Google… They arrive with a lot of preconceptions, and my role is to clarify all that.
Sébastien Kfoury
“I’m happy to host a science show other than an animal one,” he continues. I obviously love veterinary medicine, but it’s not my only favorite subject. »
Yes and no
Sébastien Kfoury says he learned a lot of things while filming What happens when…?. Among them, he points out his attention deficit disorder, a disorder which – clearly – has never prevented him from carrying out his many professional activities, including his television projects, the management of 34 hospitals and veterinary centers in Quebec and – of course – his hours of care in the clinic.
“I’m surrounded by patient people who are great at giving reminders, like, ‘Hey, did you send this email? Have you met such and such a person?” They know how to work with someone who is a little scattered, but who is not afraid to put in the time. I work 80 hours a week. »
With his busy schedule, Sébastien Kfoury no longer accepts each of the offers he receives, as was his habit at the start of his career. Until recently, he was thinking about launching his own line of pet products. The idea was eventually abandoned.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Sébastien Kfoury at the launch of the show Animoin 2011
“I have built my entire career by saying yes, yes, yes, yes,” summarizes the father.
Do you want to do this column? Yes. Do you want to work on this production? Yes. Do you want to open such and such a clinic? Yes. I have always accepted everything. That’s what got me here, but today I’m learning to say no.
Sébastien Kfoury
Would Sébastien Kfoury agree to be in charge of a non-scientific show? Absolutely, he answers without hesitation. After six seasons of the animal talk show The furry ones (the seventh season will be recorded shortly), he considers himself ready to take on any challenge.
“Yes, because animate, popularize, capture attention, give the floor to the guests, send the puck away… It’s the same mechanism in any field. »
“People think that being a scientist means being a little flat, a little antisocial, and wearing drab clothes. I think I’ve shown that it’s much more than that. »
What happens when…? is presented on ICI Explora on Fridays at 7:30 p.m.