• Since May 3, France.tv Slash has been broadcasting the eighth season of

    Skam France

    .

  • Initially centered on Bilal's story, the series is now also interested in Jo, a teenager with HIV.

  • "Some people told me that it was cool to finally broach the subject, especially on a straight female character," explains actress Louise Malek to 

    20 Minutes

    .

A mystery surrounded Jo at the start of season 8 of

Skam France

.

What secret could she hide from Mif, her group of friends?

The doubts of fans of the series were dispelled in the fourth episode, where we learn that this character, always exuberant and unrestrained, is infected with HIV.

For Louise Malek, the actress who lends her features to Jo, it was necessary to change register, move from comedy to more dramatic tones.

She tells

20 Minutes

how she approached the new facet of her role.

What was your reaction when you learned that your character was going to be entitled to such a scenario?

At the very beginning, I was super happy because I had just seen the Freddie Mercury biopic,

Bohemian Rhapsody

, and since I had overdone it, I told myself that it touched on a theme that had really touched me.

I was very enthusiastic about the idea of ​​tackling this theme.

We imagine that you inquired about the subject before starting filming?

I did research, I watched films, short films, testimonials from HIV positive people.

In fact, I kind of typed "HIV" on the internet to see what it was all about.

And then there is a speaker who came to talk to Khalil [Ben Gharbia, main actor of the season] and me.

He told us his story, told us about the association he created called Séropotes.

It really enlightened us.

At the very beginning, we didn't even know there was a difference between AIDS and HIV and when we came out we were aware of even the slightest potential symptom.

The series is intended to be educational on the subject.

Is it a heavy mission to take on?

Completely, I have pressure on it.

I even almost panicked a little bit because I thought that Jo's character was I-don't care, so I didn't want the topic to slip away.

I tried to make sure I put that part of unconsciousness aside and focused on something more important, more serious.

As an actress, what has the drama that befalls your character brought you?

I found it pretty awesome because it allows me to go even further than before.

I hadn't explored all of this, I had really stayed on the surface.

It allowed me to go deeper into what she had inside her, what she was hiding under this daily joy of living.

Was it difficult to connect the comic scenes and the more dramatic scenes?

It's true that sometimes there were days when we had very funny scenes and then dramatic scenes.

But Shirley Monsarrat [the director] managed to get us back into the mix, to refocus us.

There is someone who really helped me, it's Jean-Denis, the costume designer.

He gave me lots of advice on how to go from comedy to drama.

For the infirmary scene, I couldn't cry at first so I was panicking and even less able to cry.

He told me to think about my breathing and made me let go a bit.

Are

Skam

fans

approaching you to discuss HIV?

No, as there are no projections, it's complicated to meet them.

In the messages I receive, most of the time, I am told that I am very funny.

But some people told me it was cool to finally bring it up, especially on a straight female character.

A lot of fans were clamoring for a season centered around your character.

Can we say that this is somewhat the case?

Yeah, I'm super happy because with a season on my shoulders, I think I would have freaked out a bit.

But I'm so happy to share this with Khalil even though this season is originally more about the character of Bilal.

I think it's great that our stories can intertwine, I'm so grateful to the authors, to Shirley for giving me this place because it comes out of the funny little Jo.

What will HIV change in the relationship between Jo and Bilal?

The two find themselves facing adult issues.

They really find themselves in the same problems, in the sense that they have loads on their shoulders.

Jo is going to have to undergo treatment as she goes all over the place.

Bilal, he has his brother in charge.

They will bond, support and protect each other.

I think it will bind them together and give them a protective relationship.

As these are two characters who are very much in appearance, Bilal with his clothes, Jo with his permanent smile, they will finally be able to be themselves thanks to these two issues.

Where can we find you once season 8 is over?

We shot in a movie with Flavie Delangle,

Stella is in love

, where we play two best friends.

It's directed by Sylvie Verheyde and should be released early next year, I think.

And I made another Laurent Tirard film in which I play a nun.

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