Christian Bégin has been shaken up by life for a little over a year. But the one who will host the fourth on Monday Night of depression begins the year with an appetite for life as great as ever, and the desire to continue to deploy in several types of projects.
During the broadcast Live from New Year’s Day broadcast on December 31, Christian Bégin was presented as “the resurrected man of the year”. This made the host and actor laugh, who had a “non-malignant, but misplaced” brain tumor removed urgently last spring: even if it was dangerous for his life, it is not at all how he feels.
“I didn’t fight cancer. I experienced something worrying, but occasional. Now that the tumor is removed, at least in part, I have no after-effects and everything suggests that I will not have to go through this again. It’s an event that I don’t wish on anyone and that I would have liked to avoid, but which is behind me. »
In short, there is no before and after, except a perhaps a little more acute awareness that life is fragile, and the desire to savor every moment of it. “But at the same time, it was already part of my nature. I’ve always been someone who enjoys life anyway. »
For many people, this type of event would also have been an opportunity to change jobs, move or retire. But there was no question of changing anything in his existence, since she fulfilled him and still fulfills him perfectly.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Christian Bégin
I love my life. And life is still generous to me. So I’m going to stay on the train until someone takes me and throws me down.
Christian Bégin
Learning
Christian Bégin has no after-effects from the procedure, but the first two months were difficult. He suffered from strabismus (a deviation of the visual axes) and dizziness, which forced him to abandon the tour of his show The 8 deadly sins undertaken in October 2022.
An inevitable decision, but heartbreaking, since this third one-man show, which arrived 25 years after its previous one, had taken its course after chaotic beginnings – read: reactions that were quite unanimously negative.
“It took a long time, but ultimately it was a show that worked well and that I was proud of. There will always be a feeling of coitus interruptus with this show. I don’t know if I’ll do another one. Not sure. »
We recognize in his responses the honest and complete Christian Bégin. He doesn’t hide it and he’s said it several times already: he cried his life reading the reviews. But rather than curl up in a corner, he decided to rework his show.
I had overestimated my sympathy capital, that people would accept my clumsiness. I had worked less than I should have. But after telling your girlfriend that you don’t want to go on the internship, you roll up your sleeves. Because it’s your job.
Christian Bégin, about his show The 8 deadly sins
The shock was all the greater as it was the first time in his career that he had been criticized by critics – at 60, a nice reminder of reality! “It’s important to say, but my boy, nothing is ever taken for granted! » Especially since a few months later, he was confronted with the fact that he could have died. ” Quite. It’s been a…very educational year. »
Galvanizing evening
Christian Bégin does not know if he will rewrite a comedy show. However, the author has started writing his fourth play – “But I won’t play in it” – and there is a project in the air with his band of Eternal Freelancers. The host was also able to resume recordings of Curious Begin and of There are people at massand this winter, he will regularly participate in Marc Labrèche’s show I am coming to you. As for the actor, we can see him in Indefensible And The candidateand he will soon be appearing in the web series The mediator.
PHOTO ÉVA-MAUDE TC, TAKEN FROM THE SHOW’S FACEBOOK PAGE
Christian Bégin to There are people at mass
“I have the same thirst, the same desire to deploy myself on several playing fields.” And the year begins well with The night of depressionwhich he has been hosting with the greatest joy for four years.
“It’s the most exhilarating evening I can imagine. » During the first presentation in January 2020, it was difficult to convince the artists to participate, he recalls. “They didn’t understand the nature of the show, but now it’s the opposite, we have to refuse people! »
The result is a diverse lineup of around twenty people, ranging from Klô Pelgag to Laurent Paquin, including Anne Dorval and Guylaine Tanguay. All these beautiful people will sing and talk about depression while wallowing in it.
“As much as we laugh a lot in an evening like this, we are deeply touched. As a comedic process, the accumulation of numbers that revolve around depression creates a cathartic effect, an incredible outlet. People come out of there pissed, and me too! »
In this context of ambient gloom “with the scent of the end of the world”, this unique evening can do a lot of good, believes Christian Bégin, who remains convinced that art and culture save when “life has been adverse and is still many. »
Review the system
The teachers’ strike, the cost of living, access to property: the future is worrying, notes Christian Bégin, and this is also the case in the television industry. He sees his chance of working for long-running shows, while many people in the industry are looking for work.
It’s screwed up. Everyone is developing projects. In fiction, broadcasters call for projects, we write 3-4 episodes, we get paid, but not one will see the light of day. This is very questionable.
Christian Bégin
What does he wish for him, on TV, precisely?
“Let us unite. I don’t know much about it, but the only response we can have to the inevitable phenomenon of large platforms is to stop atomizing and cannibalizing each other. In agriculture we call that an integrator: it’s someone who takes the whole chain, who breeds, slaughters, transforms and sells. »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Christian Bégin
Not only does competition between networks and platforms serve no one, it can no longer work.
The whole system [télévisuel] needs to be rethought. And to say that it’s impossible because it’s always been like that, that’s no longer an argument.
Christian Bégin
The impetus must come as much from people in the community as from the authorities, believes Christian Bégin, who adds that to unite, you must have the wisdom to give up. “Let the common interest come before individual interests. This is called self-sacrifice. »
If everyone was grouped under the same banner “while keeping their identity and sharing the cake, it would give them leverage in the face of the “omnipotence” of Netflix, Crave and HBO”. Because that is the issue, in the continuity of this French-speaking culture in North America.
“Whatever we do, young people are not going to go on TV like they are seeing at the moment. We must live our times and change our way of doing things, otherwise we will disappear culturally. It’s not magic to continue living, we are already a historical aberration. If we’re not careful…”
The night of depressionat Espace St-Denis on January 22, 7:30 p.m.