France 2 broadcasts Monday evening the first two episodes of its new historical fiction, devoted to the youth of Voltaire.

The actor Thomas Solivérès, who plays the writer and philosopher of the Enlightenment, was the guest of Culture media on Europe 1 to present this ambitious project.

A series relating "

The adventures of young Voltaire

" at prime time: here is the ambitious bet of France 2. The public channel broadcasts Monday evening (at 9:05 pm) the first two episodes (out of four) of this historical fresco dedicated to the youth, at the beginning of the 18th century, of the most emblematic writer and philosopher of the Enlightenment.

This fiction follows the unrecognized first years of the one who was born François Marie-Arouet in 1694, before becoming the author of Zadig, Candide or even the Ingenu.

The actor Thomas Solivérès, who plays this Voltaire before Voltaire, was the guest of Europe 1 on Monday morning on the Culture media program to discuss his role and this new series.

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"Returning modernity" to Voltaire, "a man ahead of his time"

In four episodes, "

The Adventures of Young Voltaire

" aims to introduce viewers to a part largely unknown to the general public.

The tone is set from the start, with a shot of the skull of a baby who will become one of the greatest thinkers in the history of France.

"It's daring to start this series with this shot, people will be surprised to see this shot on the public service. It means the birth of someone important. At the start it is a young boy, François- Marie Arouet, who will become Voltaire ", relates Thomas Solivérès, discovered in Intouchables.

The actor, also known for his role of Edmond Rostand in the biopic devoted to the writer, is accompanied by several renowned actors, such as Valérie Bonneton or Hippolyte Girardot.

Their bet: "to restore modernity" to Voltaire.

"In his time, he was a man of his time and ahead of his time".

"He dared to say things that no one would have dared"

Quickly, François-Marie Arouet intended for a career in letters.

And very early on, he did not hesitate to be sassy with the powerful, taking big risks for the time.

"Voltaire was thrown into prison by the Regent (Philippe d'Orléans, who ensured the Regency of power after the death of Louis XIV in 1715, until 1723 when Louis XV was 13,

editor's note

). He had dared to say that the Regent had incestuous relations with his daughter, he dared to say things that no one would have dared, "says Thomas Solivérès, who assures us that" everything that is said "in this series" is true ".

To camp this young Voltaire, the actor had to take maintenance courses and learn to curtsy.

"I did a lot of stretching in the thigh," he laughs.

But he did not reread the author's classics, in agreement with the film crew, in order to arrive "virgin" of the texts that the future herald of the Enlightenment would write.

The young Voltaire, libertine and seducer

This series depicts also the seductive and libertine side of François-Marie Arouet.

"The young Voltaire really had this talent. Yet people say of him that he was a" snow lover "because the snow melts quickly", smiles Thomas Solivérès.

"He was not a very good lover, he was deceived by all his wives and accepted him. But he loved to seduce, he was a charmer who loved the pleasure of being with a woman and saying beautiful sentences. "

And the actor to sum up: "He adored pleasures and was not shy about it."

But Voltaire remains above all known for his immense influence on the Age of Enlightenment.

"He fought all his life against religious fanaticism, against obscurantism. Today the law is voted against separatism and I believe that Voltaire still resonates today", concludes Thomas Solivérès.

The third and fourth episodes of "The

Adventures of Young Voltaire

" will be broadcast next Monday, still in prime-time on France 2.