Steve Laplante in 10 outstanding roles

In a little over 25 years in the business, Steve Laplante has been able to assert himself in theatre, television and cinema. He comments for us on some notable productions in which he participated.

Marc-Andre Lussier
The Press

4 and a half (1994–2001)

Texts: Sylvie Lussier and Pierre Poirier

“I had already done a few things on television, but there, this nice neighbor character was a little more consistent, even if it was really sketchy and not very present. I’m still happy to have known the time when he was filming dramas at Radio-Canada, with those days when we were entitled to three rehearsals with old cameras. When we look at this TV as we don’t care anymore with our eyes today, it obviously seems a bit folkloric, but I keep the memory of a beautiful gang. »

Littoral (2004)

Script and production: Wajdi Mouawad

Created on stage in 1997, Wajdi Mouawad’s play was the subject of a film adaptation, directed by the playwright himself, in 2004. “The real adventure took place in the theater and it lasted four or five years pretty much everywhere in the world. It was truly remarkable because thanks to Littoral, I was no longer afraid of anything in the theater afterwards. I had to go through the whole range of emotions, I had to shoot monologues, and I had Gilles Renaud on my back for half the show ! This piece made me lose the impostor syndrome that I felt during my student years. Barely out of school, the profession was also able to return quickly because we performed this piece in all kinds of rooms and all kinds of conditions. »

The invincibles (2005–2009)

Texts: François Létourneau and Jean-François Rivard

Directed by: Jean-Francois Rivard

“I am happy to be part of François Létourneau’s universe, unique, crazy, surprising, a bit like that of Stéphane Lafleur, but in other colors, another beat. I really had a lot of fun in The invincibles, especially since I played the man who had a threesome with Patrice Robitaille and Edith Cochrane. It was very funny and completely playful. We also shot an epic scene that I have very fond memories of. This series also marked the arrival of François on television and we felt that he was bringing something new. I felt lucky to be able to witness this. »

do you love me (2012)

Texts: Frédéric Blanchette and Steve Laplante

Directed by: Podz

This single-season series earned Steve Laplante Gemini nominations for Best Writing and Best Actor in a Comedy. “Frédéric Blanchette, with whom I had already worked in the theater, called me to take part in the writing, even though I had never written anything for television before. We sent a first version of a text to the producers, following which we were assigned a script editor, Michèle Tougas. Her participation was very useful because it is thanks to her that I really learned to script. That said, we hit a wall a bit during filming and we can’t really speak of a great success. The duty even put us in the flops of the year… “

Leo (2020 — ongoing)

Texts: Fabien Cloutier, Steve Laplante, Erika Soucy and Claude Lalonde

Directed by: Jean-François Chagnon

In 2019 and 2020, Leo earned Steve Laplante two Gemini nominations for Best Writing, and one nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. “Fabien Cloutier’s shows gave me back the taste for writing, four or five years later. do you love me, which pissed me off a bit. For Leo, we had to find the right mix to see how far we could push this universe on TV. There are things from scotstown and Cranbourne which we obviously couldn’t transpose as is because no broadcaster would have agreed to put it on the air. At the same time, we didn’t want to distort the original work either. The people at TVA trusted us and really followed us, which is a great thing of luck. Leo is one of those truly life-changing projects. In five seasons, real bonds have been woven between us. »

After (2021)

Texts: François Pagé

Directed by: Louis Choquette

In 2022, After earned Steve Laplante a Gemini finalist in the category of Best Actor in a Drama Series. “Director Louis Choquette is very important to me, because he has given me real chances over the years. In particular, I did three seasons of Gentleman with him, three seasons of watchtower too. Louis entrusted me with several more comical roles, but there, for the first time, he offered me a dark, dark, mixed, gray character. It’s really fun when a director you’ve worked with often sees you in something completely different. The challenge of an actor is to always broaden his palette. When we give you the opportunity, it’s a gift. »

Baby sitter (2022)

Screenplay: Catherine Leger

Directed by: Monia Chokri

“There again, I had the chance to first create the piece on stage. Catherine Léger is also a unique author, who has her own universe, and who knows how to take us to a place where a male author could never go. I like the emergence of the words of such strong women. Rarely have I played a character with so many flaws, so full of himself, but I love playing a character like that, even being a little instrumentalized as a man to serve this word. This piece was very successful in Quebec. Monia Chokri came to see her and without knowing it, I think I auditioned for the film on stage! »

The cheaters (2022)

Screenplay and production: Louis Godbout

“That too came a bit from left field. Immediately after the first confinement, the plateaus practically all reactivated at the same time. I was called at the last minute because the actor who was supposed to play the role couldn’t do it anymore. Louis Godbout didn’t know me, but Christine Beaulieu and Benoît Gouin told him about me. And it allowed me to reconcile with golf! Filming took place in a kind of bubble, which ensured that a good team spirit was able to settle in, a beautiful collegiality. »

Pet (2022)

Texts: Simon Boulerice

Directed by: Marie-Claude Blouin and Frédéric Tétreault

“It’s an anxiety-provoking series whose outcome we know in advance, but the challenge is to show how we can get there. I like that everything is neither all white nor all black. I believe that Simon Boulerice wanted to offer a complex story based on an unhealthy situation, in the face of which we don’t really know where to place ourselves. Of course, we condemn, but the series also shows how all this can be insidious, how it can happen, how this perfect storm can form. My character is the one who is on the railway tracks and who does not hear the train coming back. Pet is also part, I think, of a desire to modernize our television. »

two golden women (2023):

Text: Catherine Leger

Director: Philippe Lambert

“We were to play the play at the Unicorn in 2020, then in January 2022, but there, if all goes well, we should finally be able to play it next spring. Catherine Léger kept the outline of Claude Fournier’s film: two bored women decide to take lovers to get bored. Then, of course, we had to transpose that to our time and Catherine tackled very current issues. I play several characters, including that of the depressed husband who considers that his marriage is fine when at least one of them is on antidepressants. I also play the repairman, the exterminator, the cable guy…”