The public sees her on screen and on stage in series like Hubert and Fanny, The Simones or even Cerebrum and In the Eye of the Cyclone. In the theater, she performed in the plays Useful life, The fury of what I thinkbut also presented an acclaimed personal project I like Hydro, just as Mitis salmon.
Her versatility is known in the industry and all the roles seem suitable for showcasing her talent, while the actress ended the year by integrating the famous Bye bye 2024 in the shoes of producer Julie Bertrand, spouse of journalist Réjean Tremblay. The Nouvelliste spoke with the artist that directors are fighting for.
Q Christine, we’ve seen you in the credits of multiple TV projects for two decades now, but also in the theater. How have your game and your personality evolved since your debut?
R As a young graduate of CEGEP in Saint-Hyacinthe, I was able to make a living from my two passions: theater and travel. I traveled a lot with the youth theater company Le Clou throughout Quebec, but also around the world in France, Spain, Sweden, Moscow. It was a dream for me to do a tour like that and I took the opportunity to travel between work blocks. The pleasant thing is that the theater has never left me. I make one or two pieces per year! There were small roles on the small and big screen, but it all really came to a head in my thirties: Mirage, I like Hydro, This is not a thrillerthe meeting with Roy (The actor Roy Dupuis has shared his life for more than ten years). I think at one point I had more confidence in myself. We have more capabilities, more playing possibilities at a certain point. It’s as if we get to know ourselves better and be able to take on more imposing roles and invest ourselves in leading a film or series.
Q So this means that there was a period of “maturity” necessary to ensure future success?
R I think a lot of it has been accepting who I am and not wanting to try to be someone else. Just to place myself and with I like HydroI expressed myself, I spoke in my own way. I think I chose the right medium to do this. I knew where I wanted to go and I was lucky enough to have complete freedom to do exactly what I wanted. Then the rest came. It opened doors for me and I felt legitimate afterwards!
“You can tackle anything in this profession, once you are comfortable with who you are!”
— Christine Beaulieu, actress
Q How do you juggle between this charisma that we perceive in front of the screen and this part of vulnerability that also inhabits you?
R Ah! I think we have to constantly juggle between the two. When you go on stage, you have to open your heart, you reveal yourself and you have to be generous. For me, our job involves a large part of self-sacrifice. Gift of my interiority, of my emotions, of my intimacy, of my essence. It’s fragile to do that. It’s less so when we can leave our protective barrier everywhere we go, but to be a good actor, I think that barrier must fall. And that necessarily puts us in a position of vulnerability. Then you have to figure out how to protect yourself so that you don’t wear out and it hurts too much.
Q And how does Christine Beaulieu protect herself?
R For me, that sometimes means not working and hiding, a little. You need real breaks where no one knows where you are and expects nothing from you. You don’t have to answer to anyone! A moment when there is no gift from you and you close the door a little to regenerate yourself. I have seen colleagues fall into burn out…At some point, you have to hide! In any case, I need that (laughs).
“I’m going to Japan for two months with Roy and it’s very important for me these stops where I have no interviews, no need to be seen by anyone, poster business, etc.”
— Christine Beaulieu
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Q When you are in the visible world, you demonstrate a great versatility of play which allows you to embody characters who are polar opposites of each other. Where do you find these different inspirations in everyday life?
R I think that’s precisely why I wanted to be an actress. I am someone who has difficulty making choices, defining myself. It’s like I’m resisting being a defined person. People around me could tell you that. At the same time, I find that it gives me an opening for just about everything! I think of Karine in Simple like SylvainI feel like I know her and I love her without judgment. As much as I love Simone, my character in Cerebrum which is in a completely different universe.
“I think I resist being defined. When I was little, I didn’t have a favorite color or food. I’m a bit nowhere and everywhere!”
— Christine Beaulieu
Q Am I wrong or all these possibilities make everything interesting for Christine? Do you find it easy to say “no” to proposals?
R Yes, it’s a challenge for me! I’m used to things happening in my life and embracing them. Then there’s a void and that’s good. I’m not someone who wants to rush things, I don’t have that in me, so it seems like I’ve had this reflex for a long time to accept what comes my way. Except that, when too many things come up: I can’t say yes to everything. Yes, I have the desire, but I don’t have the capacity, the time and the energy… I think it would harm me and not respect me. But yes: it’s hard! It’s also been a challenge with my agency for several years (laughs). It is all the more difficult because in my opinion, each project is important, whether it is a request from a secondary school student from the Chavigny school who wants an interview or a proposal from a personality like Patrick Huard, For example!
“In the industry, everyone knows that I come from Trois-Rivières and they tease me with my accent. But I am proud of my roots, I like coming from a region and I love Trois-Rivières and my region, really very much!”
— Christine Beaulieu
Christine Beaulieu’s mother, Michelle, died last March. “In front of her, with her, I was always in touch with what really matters,” emphasizes her daughter. (Instagram)
Q Your hometown is Trois-Rivières, more specifically Pointe-du-Lac. You have thus become a proud ambassador for Tourisme Trois-Rivières for eight years already. Can you share with us some of your favorites?
R Our family chalet in Mékinac is one of my favorite places with Route 155 which runs along the Saint-Maurice: it is the most beautiful road in Quebec! Le Kinipi is an annual spa meeting with my sisters, the restaurant Le Grec which has a unique atmosphere and tasty pizza, I was fed Greek during my childhood (laughs). There is also the Auberge du lac St-Pierre, otherwise Les Jardins Dugré where I worked for several years and the Ferme Gagnon. Let’s face it: THE best corn is in Trois-Rivières. I like to stop at the Sea Shack in the summer to eat shrimp and the binerie (bakery) Guay is a must in my village with friendly staff: I often go there with my family after visiting my mother at the cemetery , which is right next door…
Q Your mother Michelle died last spring. How did the loss of this female role model who was at the heart of your life change your journey?
R My mother was a very happy person and I tend towards this joy, which allows me to get closer to her. People often tell me that I look like him. I try to approach life with a little less seriousness and move towards a candor, a joy in simple pleasures, far from the superficial like her. I align myself with that and that way I feel like I’m keeping it alive. My mother truly lived to enjoy life, I always respected her vision and I find that she was a unique, admirable person.
