This fall, Karine Vanasse is returning to TV hosting by taking over the Traitors, 25 years after holding the reins of a certain scientific youth magazine. When we visit the set of the show and she arrives dressed in a tartan corselet-puffy white blouse combo, we know that we are far from the Resourceful.
As we place our phone in front of the actress to record the interview, we mention her elegant outfit, which is difficult to go unnoticed. “You should see my other outfits… It’s nothing compared to the rest,” she replies, smirking.
“I’ve never had so many looks,” she continues. All things I would never have thought of for red carpets! »
This rags-to-riches conversation may seem incidental, but it allows us to tame the world of Traitors and, above all, to understand why Karine Vanasse agreed to dive into it.
The actress approached her role as host as she approaches any fictional character: by trying to find her color.
In the Quebec adaptation – and the English-Canadian one (because she pilots both versions) – of the Dutch format, Karine Vanasse plays a sort of modern-day baroness who welcomes 20 strangers into her immense home. The latter will have to cooperate to accomplish missions, in the hope of pocketing a common prize pool which could reach $100,000. But be careful: within the group there are traitors who will try to sabotage collective efforts and “murder” a faithful person every day, just to keep the loot for themselves.
“For me, it’s a suspense series with people from the public,” says Karine Vanasse.
Visit to the plateau Traitors
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The filming of Traitors took place at the Rouville-Campbell manor in Mont-Saint-Hilaire.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The production team wanted to create an “Agatha Christie” style setting.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The manor gardens border the Richelieu River, in Montérégie.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The players meet regularly around an imposing round table built especially for the show.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The English-Canadian and Quebec versions were shot in turn.
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PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Wallpaper, canvases, wall ornaments… Animals are part of the decor.
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Murder and mystery
The first season of Traitors is produced by Francis Côté. Filming took place last summer, partly at the Rouville-Campbell mansion in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, 40 minutes from Montreal. For the occasion, the Tudor-inspired neo-Gothic building was transformed into a setting seemingly straight out of an Agatha Christie novel, thanks to wallpapers, canvases, trinkets and animal-themed wall ornaments such as ‘a deer’s head suspended above the fireplace.
Karine Vanasse helps to nourish this atmosphere of murder and mystery tinged with danger.
“We wanted to go all out and take advantage of the fact that I am an actress,” she explains. I wanted people to believe in my character. I didn’t want to be a caricature. For me, it’s a way of imposing a sort of authority over competitors. When everyone is seated and I come in with my costumes, my hairstyles… It creates something oppressive. It creates a special climate. »
An unexpected choice
Karine Vanasse admits to having thought about what people would say before accepting the offer from Bell Media and Entourage. How was this career choice going to be perceived, coming from a serious actress?
The 39-year-old young woman is ultimately “really, really happy” to have dared. “I would have blamed myself for letting myself slow down. It’s a nice trip. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Karine Vanasse
I could have said to myself that it didn’t really fit into a logical trajectory. But in any job, it’s fun when you continue to have fun.
Karine Vanasse
“I had just finished the second season ofBefore the crash When I started Traitors, she continues. I’m spoiled with the film and series projects I’m involved in, but I was happy to watch people react. I was happy to come into direct contact with them. »
The English-Canadian version of Traitorstitled The Traitors: Canada, takes the air on CTV this Monday evening. Its Quebec counterpart will land on Noovo in the winter. In an interview, Karine Vanasse prefers to talk about a reality game than a reality show. It was after taking a look at the American and British versions that she was convinced.
“Reality TV, normally, is not something that appeals to me a lot,” admits the host. I had already been offered to host one, but the formats interested me less. The participants of the Traitors are different. They are here to win, but above all they are here to play. They’re here because they were having Werewolf parties in Zoom with their friends during the pandemic, and they feel like they’re going to be able to experience it in real life. »
“It plays hard”
Speaking of the participants, those that we can follow in the Quebec adaptation of the Traitors did not pass any auditions. They were instead recruited by the production team of the weekly meeting. The first vintage will notably be composed of a hairdresser, a former spy, a police officer, a former customs officer, a clairvoyant, a soldier, an Olympic athlete and a lawyer . No influencer on the program, nor public figure, unlike the Canadian-English counterpart, which brings together, among others, a drag queen, a former MuchMusic VJ and a few reality TV winners (Survivor, The Amazing Race Canada, MasterChef Canada).
“We wanted people who are capable of reading others,” explains Nathalie Brigitte Bustos, director of development, fiction, feature films and documentaries at Entourage.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Nathalie Brigitte Bustos, producer at Entourage
And for those who believe that in Quebec, competitors will not dare to deceive and betray to end up at the top, think again. “It’s tough,” says Mathieu Ouellet, director of TV development at Entourage. The cast was hungry. It was beautiful to see. »
Karine Vanasse hosts The Traitors: Canada on CTV Mondays at 10 p.m. Noovo will present Quebec’s adaptation to winter. ICI Télé presents the second season ofBefore the crash Mondays at 9 p.m.