After being featured in Children are kings sur Disney+, Doria Tillier is the star of a new series, Irisan offbeat Canal+ creation broadcast on the encrypted channel from November 25, 2024, every Monday at 10:00 p.m., with two episodes per evening. The series is also available this evening in its entirety on the myCANAL streaming site. Produced among others by the creator of Flambeau, Jonathan Cohen, Iris is a very personal project for the ex-partner of Nicolas Bedos, who co-wrote this comedy with Constance Verluca, directed it with Jean-Baptiste Pouilloux and in which she plays the main role. Confidences of an actress who questions the world and her art.
Iris : “People confuse disagreement with conflict“Doria Tillier attacks established practices in the series she created for Canal+
Télé-Loisirs: You are at the origin of Iris. What is your state of mind about introducing your “baby” to the public?
Doria Tillier: For me, the time spent and the work put in don't count. What matters to me is what we made: an object that I had in mind and that I like. I'm enthusiastic and excited to unveil the series and I hope people like it.
Could we say that Iris has the Cartesian side of your mathematician father and the artistic side of your painting restorer mother?
I don't like putting people in boxes. For me, mathematics is a science and an art. Being Cartesian does not prevent you from being dreamy or creative. And this is also what I want to show through Iris who, while being pragmatic, is an idealist. I find there is romanticism in all of this.
The series is not an autobiography, but a very personal project. What percentage of you is there in Iris?
If this were an autobiography, it would be a lot more boring. [Elle rit]. Iris was born from my daily frustration and my fantasy of wanting to tell more truths than I allow myself. Social codes often force us to go in the direction of the person who speaks to us and whom we rarely dare to contradict. But sometimes, these diktats do not suit us. It's not about being rebellious, but simply expressing disagreement. Iris's words are shocking when she just expresses a different opinion. However, she doesn't say anything serious or shocking.
Is there a message that you wanted to convey to the viewer through your series?
Yes, and me too. Playing Iris made me evolve in the idea that it is acceptable to disagree and to express it. People are willing to say anything to avoid any form of disagreement, but they confuse disagreement with conflict. I've noticed that if you don't get ecstatic or shocked about the same things, other people think you have a problem. But we have the right to have another opinion. We should be free to not be aligned with general thinking, and be less afraid of offending someone than of lying about who we are. It's not easy to say what you think. Iris does it, because for her, denying herself would be even more unbearable.
Iris : “Adults are formatted, Iris is not” With this heroine, Doria Tillier has fun breaking the codes of society
Women are often brought back to guilt, not Iris. Was it a choice?
I didn't make it aware like that. Perhaps women are more prone to guilt indeed, but men feel guilty too. Iris happens to be a woman, but above all she is a person. Like many people, I feel guilty about making someone uncomfortable, but that's stupid. Sometimes we embarrass ourselves with things so as not to bother others, even though it could be for the best. I wish I was less embarrassed in my life.
There is notably a very surprising break-up scene!
For me, it's a bit like my dream breakup [Elle rit.]. I pushed the envelope a bit in this scene. Iris doesn't feel guilty, because even if her partner is saddened by being left, she thinks that he is no longer in love. In life, as soon as we love someone less, at least for my part – and I have also heard from friends – we feel uncomfortable, and the other blames us for it. . When in reality, it is everyone's right!
The notion of being “normal” comes up several times in the series, does society urge us too much to be normal in your opinion?
In any case, we are made to believe that there is normality, but I don't think that it exists. What is it to be normal? I don't know what that means. It's a word that I hear often and that doesn't speak to me. Iris challenges this notion of normalcy, and she is often rejected for it. But what hurts him the most is feeling misunderstood. She needs to be taken as she is, without judging her.
Would you say that Iris has kept something from childhood?
Yes, it's not for nothing that she is a teacher and gets along so well with children. Adults are formatted, Iris is not. She knows how to enjoy small pleasures. She enjoys her mistakes, enjoys the feeling of freedom behind the wheel of a car or appreciates the simple joy of eating candy. All these little things remind him that life is beautiful and unexpected.
Did Iris bring you a measure of freedom?
I would neither say that I was free, nor that I am free today. But I think playing this character helped me be more willing to say what I think. Iris is my heroine, because she does what I would like to allow myself in life. I was once asked what my dream was with this series and I answered: “To change the world.” Of course, it was a humorous exaggeration, but… A woman who had seen and loved Iris told me that she had dared to make a remark to a waitress in a café, saying to herself: “Come on, be Iris”. And she thanked me. For me, that's the best compliment!
