INTERVIEW
The first two episodes of season 7 of Léo Mattéï, Juvenile Brigade, will be broadcast on Thursday evening on TF1. Created by Jean-Luc Reichmann, his partner Nathalie Lecoutre and Michel Alexandre, the series features the character of Léo Mattéï, a police commander interpreted by the host of "Douze coups de midi". The second episode tells the story of a child with autism, witness to a murder. In "Culture Médias", Thursday, Jean-Luc Reichmann explains how he chose the young actor and how much shooting with a child with autism spectrum disorder moved him.
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"We took more time but that's also respect for difference and openness"
Ten children aged 8 to 12 years passed the casting to interpret the role of this child. Jean-Luc Reichmann's choice immediately fell on little Tom. "He looked real, he had a little flame in his eye," recalls the host. At the time, he didn't know that Tom was the only candidate who actually had autism spectrum disorder and had never acted.
For production, having an autistic child play represents an additional cost because "it will take more time, there may be overtime, we will have to have more patience, take a new coach", explains Jean- Luc Reichmann. "For me it was very moving. We took more time, but that's also respect for difference and openness," he said.
>> READ ALSO - Samuel Le Bihan about his autistic little girl: "I decided that his mark would be me"
"Behind the screens, the technicians were crying"
A fervent defender of the cause of children, the host with 20 years of television career, was marked by this shooting rich in emotions. He remembers a "magic moment" when he played the piano with little Tom for a scene from the episode. "We started playing the piano together. Nothing was written. The take, which lasted two minutes on the air, lasted 25 minutes," said the actor. "There was no noise on the set. I get chills when I tell you. Behind the screens, the technicians were crying. It was real life," he recalls.
>> READ ALSO - "12 Coups de Midi": "It touches me enormously", says Jean-Luc Reichmann about Paul, champion with Asperger's syndrome
Playing with an autistic child requires adaptation. Jean-Luc Reichmann remembers that one day during the filming "Tom said he didn't want to work. So we didn't work". The facilitator also explains that with an autistic person, "the first take must be the right one". "In autistic people, there is only the first degree, the second degree does not exist. So asking him to play comedy is not possible since he is in real life. He learned a text that 'he forgets,' says Jean-Luc Reichmann again.