The death of actor Michel Côté, which occurred on Monday, shook the artistic community and the Quebec public. Here are some reactions from artists.
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Emile Gaudreault
Director Émile Gaudreault, who directed Michel Côté several times in the cinema, notably in From father to copwas in shock when The newspaper joined him on Monday morning.
“It’s truly sad. The last time I saw him, he had just learned that he was going to have his transplant. He was hopeful and he was in a good mood. I laughed with him, I cried. It was a beautiful moment.”
“What I remember from Michel is the constant doubt and questioning he had about his performance and what we were doing. He was someone who asked a lot of questions and who listened. He was aware that he was gifted, but there was also a part of him that didn’t trust him. It’s a funny paradox, but at the same time, it’s this tension in him that made him such an exceptional and touching actor. He was someone we loved and wanted to see happy. And that is the mark of the greats.
Louis-Jose Houde
“Michel, it’s a big meeting in my life. He was a basically nice guy who was impossible to argue with. I had the chance to spend a lot of time with him and to know him well.
“In terms of comedy, Michel was of international caliber. It’s the creme de la creme. He had perfect, innate comedic timing. It was truly a godsend to be able to make my film debut alongside him. [dans la comédie De père en flic]. He was a laughing machine. It was very easy to play with him and be good to him.
Luc Picard
“It’s a big loss. Michel is a monument, an actor of incredible composition. He had this ability to transform himself to compose characters who were not so close to him. He was in love with his country, his job, his family. He had respect for others and for himself as well. I think we’ve all connected with him at one point or another.”
COURTESY PHOTO/Radio-Canada
Remy Girard
“We both had big roles together and he was an incredible actor. Play Monsieur Pointu, in Broue, you have to do it. But what Michel had understood as an actor and which is very important, is to find the humanity of the character. He was a very generous man and it showed in the characters he played, both on stage and on screen. He wasn’t afraid to invest himself physically and mentally in his characters and it never felt like a trick. It was always very true”.
Guylaine Tremblay
Pierre-Luc Brilliant
“I met Michel on the film life after love. I was a very young actor and he was a kind of father figure, in addition to being a monument of cinema. He had encouraged me to go to theater school, to continue in the profession.
“He was above all a pleasant company, always positive and very funny. He was serious in his work, but always managed to be comical. He was very unifying and never had negative comments. He was super positive, brought that positivity everywhere he went. Everyone loved working with him, he was appreciated wherever he went.
- Listen to director Émile Gaudreault pay tribute to Michel Côté, available as a podcast via :
“On the set of the film CRAZY, we had a huge giggle in a wedding scene, we couldn’t catch our breath. Even before the dramatic scenes, he was able to make jokes, then he was able to dive right after into the drama.
“I remember above all a wonderful human being, a warm being, who always cared about how others were doing. A boyfriend, a dramatic actor and a great comedian who created an embodied truth in his characters, even the funniest.
Pierre Seguin
Patrice Coquereau
Leane Labreche-Dor
“Michel Côté was one of the great people we had in the cultural field, and I would also say, in life, period. He was generous, sensitive and funny. He was the kind of man we all wanted to have with us at Christmas, at our parties. Thank you for everything Michael!”
Martin Small
Guy A Lepage
Marina Orsini
Denis Trudel
Joselito Michaud
Simon Boulérice
Stephane Laporte
Louis Morissette
Nathalie Simard
Erik Canuel
Marie-Claude Barrette
Mario Tessier
Isabelle Boulay
“I admired him very much! As a student, when the film Cruising Bar came out, I knew which hotel he was staying in so I went to wait for him to tell him that I loved him. He had been attentive and kind. He intimidated me a lot. He was a great actor, capable of moving us and making us laugh, which is what great actors do. He was also one of the most handsome men known in Quebec. I think a lot of his family. It’s a great loss for the Quebec community, he was a beautiful artist with a lot of dignity and a lot of playfulness in his eye.
marjo
“He was part of everyone’s life, especially with the series The little life. He was so friendly. Everyone loved him. It’s a great loss, he was a giant.”