The first media appearance of Antoine Olivier Pilon took place in Duty 24 years ago. Then aged 4, the actor, known in particular for his roles in films Mommy et Major juniormade the daily headlines with his parents and sister.
Titled “The big move of a trendy family”, the article signed by Karine Fortin relates a strong moment in the Pilons’ lives: the one when they left Montreal to settle in the village of Port-Daniel, in Gaspésie. It is the father, Benoît, a long-time subscriber of the Dutywho contacted the editorial staff to tell their story.
“There was a series of articles that talked about the economic exodus in Gaspésie. I called to say that it was really interesting and that we, on the contrary, were going to settle there. We didn’t join family there and we didn’t come from there, we simply fell in love with a village and a region,” said Benoît, during an interview this week with his son, at Station W Angus cafe. He and his partner at the time, owners of a communications company, hoped to contribute to the local economy.
The photo that covers the article shows the four members of the family in the small Citroën 2 CV car which was going to take them to their Victorian house on the seaside. Antoine is quoted threatening the pirates of the Baie-des -Hearts of “sticking needles in their feet”.
« Duty took us through a whole story. This caused things to escalate in other media. - had the camera on its shoulder practically the day we arrived. There were reports on the radio and in regional newspapers,” remembers Benoît, who carefully kept three yellowed copies of this July 16, 2001 edition.
Welcomed as stars
The media hype made them known to a large number of Gaspé residents. The father of the family particularly remembers an elderly lady who came to shake their hands, calling them each by their first name, taking care to point out that she had known them by reading Duty.
Benoît believes that the local residents have been very welcoming. “We got lots of gifts: cod, a pregnant cat and even a pony, Elliot, who was lent to us all summer. The neighbors told us that it was nice to hear children playing in the yard, screaming and laughing,” says the one who describes the experience as “ trip extraordinary family.
Antoine has no memory of the move. For him, life began in Gaspésie. “It gave me space. Not just around me, but also inside me. I couldn’t have seen myself growing up anywhere else,” he says, despite the bullying he suffered at school because he came from the big city.
The young boy discovered a passion for acting while watching television and attending his summer camp, Camp Bellefeuille, about thirty kilometers from home.
“They told legends around the fire and we sang songs. I think the instructors gave me the bug to have stories told to me and to tell them myself afterwards,” says the man who also invented imaginary worlds in the immense Gaspé playground.
The adventure continues
The family returned to settle in Montreal about seven years later, for the children’s high school studies. But the Gaspé adventure of Benoît and Antoine continues today. The father still owns the house in Port-Daniel, where he operates the Bleu sur mer inn and where he lives at least six months a year. Antoine often stays there.
“After an intense shoot or promotion, my reflex is to go by car to Gaspésie to spend at least a week there. It creates a balance with work, the city and a busy social life,” explains the actor. He contributed to the design and creation of a “speakeasy” type bar in a barn adjoining his father’s inn, for its customers, inaugurated last year.
In Montreal, where he resides during the winter, Benoît continues to happily receive Duty in front of his door. He devours it with a good coffee. “When I worked in press relations, I read five daily newspapers in the morning. Duty always goes a little further, with an element of information that others do not have,” reports Benoît.
Antoine also reads Duty regularly, especially the Culture section. “My father often brings it to me. I always see a copy lying around his house, so I grew up with it The Duty. » He prefers to hold a paper journal in his hands rather than refer to digital articles, just as he prefers to touch the pages of a screenplay rather than discover it on a tablet.
Benoît found it a shame to deprive himself of his newspaper in Gaspésie, since it is not delivered to individuals there and the grocery store where he could buy it has closed its doors. But he found a solution. “I decided, for the 115e birthday of Dutyto become a merchant who sells the newspaper. I’m going to have it delivered to the inn, make propaganda and offer it to customers,” he said with a laugh, wishing long life to this daily life which marked his family at a pivotal period of its existence.
