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Evelyne Brochu dives into the history

The actress plays in the ambitious French series Paris Police 1900

JDM, February 23, 2021

At this time last year, Evelyne Brochu was finishing the shooting of Paris Police 1900. Twelve months later, the series was finally broadcast in France. In an interview with JDM, the Quebec actress was delighted with the final result. With good reason.

After watching the first season of the French historical thriller, we see that Canal+ has pulled out the heavy artillery to put into images this great political-social fresco by Fabien Nury, which depicts the rise of anti-Semitism in France at the turn of the 20th century. The French press speaks of a budget of $24 million for eight episodes. This is enormous.

“I traveled to Paris to shoot a series of period films, and when I watch it today, I feel like I’m traveling through time,” says Evelyne Brochu, “On my iPad, I was breathless. The visual quality, the choice of shots, the editing, the music, the distribution? On the spot, I couldn’t believe it. I was like: my God! There are so many extras! So many corsets, hairstyles, costumes... It was extraordinary.”

An incredible opportunity

Evelyne Brochu knows how lucky she is to have participated in the project, which has been receiving excellent reviews in Europe since it went on air earlier this month.

“It was magical. We shot in huge castles... It’s incredible that being an actress could open so many doors. You visit places that you would never have the opportunity to visit as a tourist... You have to savor every moment.”

In Paris Police 1900, Evelyne Brochu plays Marguerite Steinheil, known as Meg, a courtesan turned spy. The former mistress of President Felix Faure, who tries to climb the ladder despite her status as a second-class citizen.

“The woman was having a hard time. No right to vote, no right to have a bank account, and as soon as someone said ‘I saw this girl, she’s a whore’, she was locked up in Saint-Lazare for three months. As the author would say, for many of them it was: how do you learn to play cards when you start with the worst hand in the group?”

Evelyne Brochu describes Meg as a woman of heart with a rascal side. “Even if she doesn't have a good deck of cards, she’s able to play the game because she sees the moves coming.”

A “modern” series

Paris Police 1900 may revisit the past, but Evelyne Brochu describes it as a modern series. Not only because it highlights strong female characters, but because it raises issues that continue to resonate in 2021, notably by taking up word for word the inflammatory speeches of Jules Guérin, a famous anti-Semitic activist and director of a weekly magazine called L’Antijuif.

“Using hate as a marketing tool... It’s very parallel to what we’ve been going through over the last four years,” says Evelyne Brochu.

Paris Police 1900 is not yet available in Quebec. Evelyne Brochu crosses her fingers that a local channel will acquire its broadcasting rights.

Given its success, the shooting of season 2 could start in January 2022. “That would give me time to get back into the corset!” jokes the actress.

A “BIG MATERNITY LEAVE”

For Evelyne Brochu, the new mother of twins, the pandemic proved to be a “great extended maternity leave”.

Contacted on the phone, the actress recounts having spent the first confinement with Laurier, her 2-year-old little boy. Then in November, the little family grew with the arrival of Camille and Matthias.

“It would have been a moment of cocooning anyway,” observes the 37-year-old actress. “But I would definitely want to introduce my children to everyone I love. I miss them.”

Sad for Montreal

Although she spent the last year with her family in a closed retreat, the Montrealer witnessed the ravages of the coronavirus on the cultural industry.

“I’m sad for my city, for the restaurateurs, for the theater shows we’re missing... Montreal is a city of outings, restaurants, theaters and cultural activities. I have the feeling that it is its soul that is affected.”

New songs

Evelyne Brochu plans to stay close to her family in the coming months. She plans to resume her acting career in August. A film project in Quebec is in the air...

On the music side, she hopes to finally be able to present her first album on stage. Entitled Objets perdus, the record released in September 2019 has never been the subject of a show tour because of the filming of Police Paris 1900 and a certain scourge called COVID-19.

In the meantime, she continues to secretly work with her long-time accomplice, songwriter Félix Dyotte, on “things that will come out”.

And every Monday, she appears in Trop, which will conclude in March after three seasons on Radio-Canada.

“It’s rare to see series about friendship, sisterhood... series that celebrate our differences,” observes the actress. “People recognize me through my mask to tell me about it, to tell me they like to watch our show.”

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