Fanny Mallette celebrated her 50th birthday a few months ago, proving that it is always possible to reinvent yourself, regardless of age. We will see her again soon in the second season ofAbout Antoine and she will also play a new character in Witches. Despite her busy schedule, she managed to find time to return to school to pursue one of her other passions: photography.
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Fanny, besides your acting career, what is keeping you busy at the moment?
I am returning to study photography part-time at the Concordia School of Fine Arts! It’s an enriching experience, because it also nourishes my work as an actress and screenwriter. I have always been inspired by photography, and I often consult books on this subject to get new ideas. I started seriously exploring this area again a few years ago because I missed it. I even started organizing exhibitions, renting galleries to present my work and to experience public reactions. For my 50th birthday, I wanted to give myself this gift.
How are you experiencing the arrival of this new decade?
I’m better than ever! I don’t know if it’s being at university where I hang out with people of all ages. Plus, it’s Concordia University’s 50th anniversary and my age is posted all over the university, as if to celebrate me too! (laughter) Seems like it keeps me young and nourishes me a lot. I need to continue to evolve, learn and push my limits and I think this decade is off to a good start!
You will be back for the second season ofSpeaking of Antoine, what can audiences expect?
We continue to explore the ties that unite the two families. There are events that will happen in their daily lives and they will have to be more united than ever. I also have a great relationship with Antoine and his family, for whom I have a lot of attachment and love. Our bond has grown even deeper this season. My partner, Claude Despins, also plays one of the doctors, and it is rare in our career that we have shared dialogue.
We will also see you soon on the series Witches, how was the filming?
I’m having a great experience with a very welcoming team, even if I was nervous at first. My character is very mysterious, rich and deep. To be honest, I don’t know the whole plot yet, because I’m getting the episodes as they come. Usually I like to see the big picture, but discovering the story through the texts is an interesting approach. My character influences the journey of other characters and appears at the same time as that of Solène, played by Marianne Fortier. At my age, it’s really gratifying that I’m still being offered this type of character.
Do you find that you are offered fewer exciting roles as you get older?
It only lasted for a period and it seems like things are slowly picking up again. Between 45 and 50 years old, after the series Lies in which I played the main role, investigator Julie Beauchemin for four years, there was the pandemic. Subsequently, I found that I played a lot of the mother, sometimes grieving, and I feared being condemned to this type of character. At the beginning of my career, I played beautiful, more varied compositional roles and I was afraid of losing this diversity. Auditioning remains challenging, even at 50, because you still have to prove yourself. Nothing is taken for granted in this profession, boundless humility is required.
Your three boys are now grown up. How do you feel as a mother watching them grow?
I really love being a mom, it’s the role I’ve been most successful in my life. Time flies extremely quickly and I now have a teenager and two beautiful adults who I admire greatly. I really liked that they encouraged me when I returned to school. I couldn’t have asked for better children.
You are surrounded by men at home with your partner Claude Despins who is also an actor. Does it present any challenges?
Doing the same job when you had young children required a sense of organization. For two people who are totally unorganized, we had to work hard! (laughs) I had to turn down contracts, but I never regretted it because I wanted to see my children grow up. In my job, we live vicarious lives with our characters, but when I came home, my children were happy to see me, it helps put things in perspective. Now that they are older, I feel like I have more room to create. I feel fulfilled and balanced in all areas of my life and it is the most beautiful time to begin a creative process.
In fact, you are also developing a feature film project!
It’s a long journey, but I’m working very hard on the project. I was inspired by the short film Love which I presented just before the pandemic and which unfortunately could not have the influence that I would have liked. As I was putting finishing touches on the film’s post-production, I felt like my characters still had things to say. So I took this premise of three sisters who find themselves in their deceased father’s apartment to empty it. We remain in a black comedy and I hope to be able to find the same actresses: Joëlle Paré-Beaulieu, Christine Beaulieu and Évelyne Rompré.
Was it a dream for you to be an actress?
Even in high school, I loved theater, but I didn’t know that you could make a career out of it. One day the actor Albert Millaire came to my school. He started pulling out props and transforming into a different character each time and that’s when I understood what being an actor was. At the same time, I also did a lot of judo and the summer I was 14, I won the Canadian championship. When I returned, I told my father that I was going to quit this sport and that for my birthday, I wanted to take theater classes. From my first class, I experienced a revelation. Even though I was very shy, when I did theater, I finally felt alive.
What would you say to young Fanny who was starting her theater lessons?
When I was young, I was often told to plan another career, but I was on fire, I never thought about it. I deplore that in my time, everything was compartmentalized. We can now be plural; we have the right to be an actress, screenwriter, director if we want. I admire today’s young people who are developing multiple talents. I would say to this Fanny that she has the right to be an artist, but to open her horizons, to go for it and give herself all the permission in the world.
