Used to playing handsome roles, Tom Lee stands out in a role against type in The Wind of the Sands (our opinion), a gripping and entertaining detective fiction to discover Saturday September 7 on France 3. The actor already seen in Almost Perfect Love or in Les Combattantes, here embodies a Sunday-best policeman, presbyopic and full of tics. Although he hardly has his sea legs, the latter investigates with Judith, his new partner, played by Marie-Josée Croze, who on the contrary, is in this environment like a little fish in water. Tom Leeb confides in this role which gave him a lot of pleasure and confides in his new projects.
The Wind of the Sands : “There was only one take!“, Tom Leeb returns to one of the most striking sequences of fiction
Télé-Loisirs: We find you in a role against type, far from the image of the “good-looking guy” that has sometimes been attributed to you. How did you end up on this project?
Tom Lee: What I like about this job is playing roles that are the opposite of who I am in life. I owe a lot to Stéphane Kappes, the director, because a producer, reading this script, might not have thought of me, but he took this gamble. I was overexcited at the idea of playing this Sunday best investigator, too tall, skinny, germaphobic and who can’t see four meters. For an actor who is supposed to play hot guys all the time, it’s really enjoyable! It was a joy to get away from who I am.
How did you build this character?
I sent him a bunch of ideas about his haircut, his glasses, his oversized suit, his swinging arms… I spent a month on a diet and doing cardio to lose a few pounds. I wanted him to look even taller and awkward. I had the image of a big oaf in my head. These details are very important, they’re what makes him endearing.
Like him, do you get seasick?
On the contrary, I have a passion for boats. When I was a child, my parents took us on vacation to the seaside, I loved it and I got my boat license as soon as I could.
There is a little ambiguity in the relationship between the two investigators, what is your opinion?
For me, there is no ambiguity between them, but, indeed, there is a scene on the boat, where we can ask ourselves the question. We shot several versions and after discussing it, we said that we would leave a doubt so that the viewer could form his own opinion. It is up to him.
There is a particularly moving scene with Marie-Josée Croze. How did the filming of this sequence go?
There was only one take! The director told us to shoot the scene as we felt it, it was almost a kind of improvisation. Marie-Josée immediately put herself in a strong emotional state and I reacted instinctively as I thought my character would have done. I have a very vivid memory of this sequence.
There is a scene where you have to dive into a lake, wasn’t the water too freezing?
It was early November, so the water was quite cool, but to be honest, I had a thin wetsuit under my costume to keep from getting cold. I have to say it was welcome, plus it was very windy that day.
The wind of the sands : “I still have this faith in myself!“, Tom Leeb shares how he got rid of the fear of tomorrow in his profession
During this shoot in Vendée, were you, like your character, able to taste the local speciality, thorn wine also called “trouspinette”?
[Il rit.] Oh no! But I was still able to enjoy the region a little. We filmed during the Indian summer in Les Sables d’Olonne and when the schedule allowed, I was able to take beautiful walks by the sea, cycle under a bright sun and surf. I started surfing last year, but the size of the waves was my height, so… [Il rit].
You share the bill with Alexandre Brasseur who plays in Tomorrow belongs to us which also stars your former show partner Kevin Levy. Does the challenge of starring in a daily soap opera appeal to you?
It’s a question I asked myself. I think it’s an admirable exercise and there are some really great actors in the daily shows. They’re talented. Afterwards, I find it a shame, and that’s the principle of soap operas, that everything has to go very quickly. Sometimes you can feel it and I think I’d be a bit frustrated. I’d also be afraid, I think, of picking up bad habits, you have to be good right away, and that creates reflexes. I’m so passionate about this job that I like to take my time to explore different acting proposals. I’m more attracted to theatre where you’re in the thick of it and where you have the direct reaction of the audience. Besides, starting on 10 September I’m making my theatre debut at the Bouffes Parisiens in The Cunning Widow a play by the Italian author Carlo Goldoni. I play the famous character of Harlequin, who is at the same time a clown, dancer, deceiver, liar, madman, singer… it’s a very pretty score. I’m a little nervous, but I’m very happy!
It’s a profession where few are chosen. Have you always believed in it?
Yes, to the extent that I told myself that I would always be in action. I remember a casting where I was not selected and where I was just told: “You are not the character”. So I try to create my own opportunities. That’s why I write a lot. I don’t want to wait for the phone to ring or depend on the desire of others. So yes, I still have this faith in myself!
You had an incredible experience at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, can you tell us about it?
Throughout the Olympic Games, Eurosport invited personalities from all walks of life, from sports, cooking, song or cinema to commentate on an event, any event and I chose tennis. They called me early enough and it fit in with my schedule. And I had the incredible chance to attend the final. And what a match! What’s more, I was next to Jean-Paul Loth, the legendary commentator who rocked my childhood and for whom it was his last and Frédéric Garnier, who has been commentating on the matches for about fifteen years now. I was like a kid. It was really crazy! I witnessed a historic moment. And these Olympic Games were truly two absolutely magical weeks.
