For several months, Hugues Martel has been playing what is surely his most sincere role: that of a friendly retiree who lives to the rhythm of the seasons and rediscovers simple things. A walk on the banks of the Bélon, a trip to the Riec market on Saturday morning, or even a trip to the cinema at Kerfany in Moëlan-sur-Mer, the answer can be summed up in a few words: “Let yourself be carried away by the events”. No stress, after 25 years living in a Parisian apartment and twelve years in a boat cabin, between the ports of Vannes and Locmiquélic, the actor begins a new life in the countryside and discovers, at 66, the riches of the countryside and the great Breton spaces.
The obvious: Riec-sur-Bélon
We find the actor, “completely under the spell” of a small hamlet of Riec-sur-Bélon, where his new house is located: Ti Hugues, a stone building which he acquired in May 2024. On the kitchen table, a collection of poems, a bit of philosophy and a thriller which sit next to a life notebook. A bible weighing several kilograms, which collects more than 50 years of memories. Hugues Martel sharing the stage with Philippe Clévenot, winner of the first Molière in history, opposite Isabelle Huppert in “Elle”, present on the set of “Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu” and “Under the same roof” or even in dubbing studios: the photos bear witness to a career that took him from one end of French cinema to the other.
Today, he fills new pages of his book, far from the stage and the spotlight. “I stepped foot into forgiveness for the first time in my life. Suddenly, I felt like I was really part of the hamlet, of the region.” In addition to a grilled pig and a few games of Breton boules, at the Saint-Léger chapel in Riec-sur-Bélon, the actor lets himself be carried away by the enthusiasm of the high tides of the Quimperlois region and its kilometers of coastline. “Bélon is the right mix between the charm and tranquility of the countryside and seaside life.”
Gifted at adaptation
“I’ve been hooked on Brittany since I was little. Moving to this region was an obvious choice.” As a child, Hugues Martel spent all his summers on the Crozon peninsula with his parents. As a teenager, he made the headlines in the newspapers of the Briochin region because a hook slipped in his right hand, the fault of a somewhat clumsy fisherman. Beautiful irony, when years later, here he is back in the region, Brittany in his skin. After only five months in his new neighborhoods, the adopted Riécois can boast of knowing several trails of the GR 34, schools of fish, as well as being able to recite the program of the cultural season of the country of Quimperlé. As for its adaptation: “Here, we are not neighbors of pontoons or apartments. You have to knock on doors and find associations to get to know each other. Luckily, the region is dynamic and the people are friendly,” explains the retiree.
Never completely settled, the actor continues to appear in small projects, such as “Enquête en famille”, the latest series by Dominique Farrugia, and says he is open to the idea of joining a local theater troupe.
