Filmmaker Rafaël Ouellet believes that Julien Poulin gave him “a real gift” by agreeing to play a character inspired by his father in his film Truck.
“We often hear actors say that this or that role was a gift. But in this case, it was really Julien who gave me a gift, confided Monday Rafaël Ouellet, still shaken by the death of Julien Poulin.
“I could have stopped my career after Truck. I’m not saying that because the film is so successful. It’s more because I managed to make the film I wanted to make thanks to [la performance de] Julian. I approached this profession 30 years ago without imagining that I would one day have the chance to work with a monument like him. I never thought something like this could happen in my life.”
PHOTO FACEBOOK RAFAEL OUELLET
Released in 2012, Truck stars Julien Poulin as a widowed trucker who decides to abandon his job after being traumatized by a road accident. Rafaël Ouellet was inspired by his own father to write the screenplay for the film which allowed Poulin to win the Jutra prize for best actor in 2013.
While preparing and shooting the film, the filmmaker developed very strong ties with Julien Poulin. The latter also spent several hours with the filmmaker’s father (who was a truck driver for 40 years) to learn the basics of the trade.
“Julien marked my life, but also that of the people around me. I feel like I’m losing a member of my family,” says the filmmaker, who had the chance to work with the actor again on the set of his most recent film, Arsenault and sons.
“Great wisdom”
By working alongside Julien Poulin on his film sets but also outside the work environment, Rafaël Ouellet says he was marked by the wisdom and sensitivity of the interpreter of the legendary character of Elvis Gratton.
“I went to the Czech Republic [au Festival de Karlovy Vary] with him to present Truck and he told me a lot about his life and life in general. I found that he had great wisdom and tranquility within him, despite his little nervous layer.
“Even though he was capable of being a clown, I think Julien was never as good as in one-on-one relationships. He was a very accessible person, truly a man of the people. His empathy and sensitivity meant that he was also capable of expressing indignation for suffering people. The individual suffering of the other greatly affected and touched him, and he experienced all these emotions on edge. He was truly sensitive and a person open to others.”
In recent years, Rafaël Ouellet had managed to convince Julien Poulin to write his memoirs in the form of interviews.
“But the illness meant that we were unable to tackle this project,” laments the filmmaker. “I would have liked to write a book that was easy to read, clear and clear, because Julien told stories without opening up too much. He was a modest person and I would have liked us to get to know him by reading what he had to say and tell.”
