INTERVIEW
Four films in which he played are currently available on VOD. L'Esprit de famille , Let's dance , Place des Victoires and Roxane . But which of his experiences marked him the most? Which of these films does Guillaume de Tonquédec prefer? Guest of L'Équipée sauvage, Thursday on Europe 1, the actor revealed to the general public in the role of Renaud Lepic in the television series Fais pas ci, fais pas ça , in 2007, notably explained with humor why Roxane particularly marked his mind.
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16,000 extraneous hens, "it was extraordinary!"
If he says he adores these four films and was particularly upset by The Family Spirit , the Roxane hen also stung his heart. "The script thrilled me because it's full of poetry," he says. "It's about a small farmer who risks losing his laying hen business, and who will decide to take over social networks to try to make videos by staging his hens so that people come to buy his eggs, and not those of the large distribution ".
In this film, Guillaume de Tonquédec embodies the person of Raymond, a Breton farmer who, to make his hens happy, recites tirades from Cyrano de Bergerac. "Playing with real hens was extraordinary," he says. "They are very good actresses!". For this film, 16,000 extraneous hens joined the cast, "the biggest budget of French cinema in figuration", laughs Guillaume de Tonquédec. Proof of his attachment for this film and for Roxane, the white hen with whom he shares the poster lives today with him. "I adopted her, she is in my garden and she is laying eggs".
Fear of being perceived as "Tonquédec disguised as a peasant"
In addition, Guillaume de Tonquédec remained attached to the character of Raymond. "He always hid this talent and love of literature because he didn't go to school very long and was ashamed of this thing hidden in him." A role that echoes his own life. "It touched me a lot because I had a lot of trouble reading and writing myself, and today I work with words every day."
Originally, Guillaume de Tonquédec was a board man. After several years at the theater, he made himself known to the general public thanks to the series Fais pas ci, fais pas ça (2007), then the film The First Name (2012). "When popularity fell on me, I was able to choose the roles I wanted," he explains. "I've been told a lot no, and now I'm the one who says no."
The actor nonetheless remained someone who doubted, constantly. For his role in Roxane , Guillaume de Tonquédec said he was very afraid of being perceived as "Tonquédec disguised as a peasant". "The subject touched me a lot. I met farmers who told me about their difficulties. All of a sudden, it becomes real and you become a little bit their spokesperson," he said. "I had to respect them: I did not want us to see a Parisian actor disguised as a Breton peasant, it would have been an insult to them".