Roy Dupuis took great pleasure in playing a heroic and seductive Canadian prime minister in Rumoursa crazy political satire in which he co-stars with Cate Blanchett, Denis Ménochet and Alicia Vikander.
• Also read: Now free from all professional obligations, here is what awaits Roy Dupuis
• Also read: Mariana Mazza admitted to Roy Dupuis that she found him “delicious” and here is how he reacted
Unveiled last May at the Cannes and Toronto Festivals, this new film by Canadian directors Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin features the leaders of the G7 countries during an annual summit with the German Chancellor, played by Cate Blanchett.
The meeting will turn into a nightmare when the Chancellor and her six guests get lost in the forest while trying to draft a provisional declaration. They will soon be threatened by undead and a strange giant brain.
Let’s immediately resolve the question that burns on the lips of all readers: no, the character of Maxime (Roy Dupuis), Canadian Prime Minister who looks like an eternal teenager, is not a parody of Justin Trudeau.
“I always get asked if I was inspired by a particular politician. The answer is no, said Roy Dupuis in an interview with Journal Wednesday.
• Also read: Roy Dupuis no longer wants to play in series
“I said [à la conférence de presse du Festival de Cannes] that I had a soft spot for Pierre-Elliott Trudeau because he was really quite a character, a very charismatic man who had a superstar side. It also seems that it is because of him that Canada found itself in the G7. But I didn’t really take inspiration from him for the role.”
Roy Dupuis describes his character Maxime as “a lover” and “a ladies’ man.”
“He’s a bit like the teenager of the gang,” summarizes the 61-year-old Quebec actor. But he’s also the most heroic of the group. He’s the one who tries to save others when things start to go wrong. It was intentional on the part of the directors that it was him who played the hero while Canada is the country with the least weight in the G7.
“He’s a character who is very emotional, but I didn’t try to caricature the emotions. I went deep into what the character was going through. Even if we are into absurd humor, it was clear from the start that we had to play it as truthfully as possible.”
ENTRACT FILMS
• Also read: Roy Dupuis wows in Cannes and Christine Beaulieu is very proud
“Great encounters”
Co-produced by Canada and Germany, Rumours was filmed last year in Budapest and its surroundings. In addition to Cate Blanchett who plays the German Chancellor, Rumours brings together on screen Denis Ménochet in the skin of the French president, Charles Dance in the guise of his American counterpart and Alicia Vikander as president of the European Union – and former flame of Maxime…
“It was some great encounters,” says Roy Dupuis about his famous playing partners.
“Cate, everyone knows her, Charles too. He has so many stories to tell… What was fun was that they were all there for the right reasons, that is to say to tell a good, well-written story. There were always seven of us on set together, shooting at night for 20 consecutive days. It created a kind of bubble and a beautiful family spirit between us.”
Rumours will be presented on October 10 at the Festival du nouveau cinéma before being released in theaters on October 18.
