“I didn’t expect to still be working so much at 56”: Pascale Bussières, starring in the new detective series “Corbeaux”, has been lighting up our screens for four decades

Few actresses in Quebec can boast, like her, of having crossed four decades by multiplying major roles on the small and big screen. At 56, Pascale Bussières herself marvels at how far she has come since she was revealed in 1984 in the film Sonatine. “I sometimes find it hard to believe it because I still approach each new project as if it were the first,” she confides in an interview.

Even though she has been on film sets for over 40 years, Pascale Bussières considers that everything has to be done again each time. She cites the example of a film (Cap Farewell) that she went to film in Belgium earlier this year.

“I didn’t know anyone on the set,” she says. It was like I was arriving in a new destination that I don’t know.”

But as is always the case, his years of experience allowed him to quickly find his bearings.

“It is certain that I have acquired [au fil des années] a certain ease on the sets, because I know how filming works. It doesn’t take me any time to be on. My muscle is well trained. But I admit that I didn’t expect to still work so much at 56 years old. I’m quite delighted with that. I am delighted to still have this energy and this desire to work. It won’t let me go!”

Inspired by Columbo!

In the last year, Pascale Bussières has appeared in two films and two TV series, including the police thriller Crows which will land on illico+ on December 5.

In this six-episode series, written by Pierre-Louis Sanschagrin (Counter offer) and produced by Stéphane Lapointe (Before the crash), the actress plays an experienced investigator who must team up with a new young colleague (Mylène Mackay) to get her hands on a possible serial killer who commits his murders by leaving crow bones in the throat of his victims.

“I played a policewoman in the series Chaos and in a film shot in Luxembourg (Justice on the internet), but being in the investigative mode, I must say that I really like it, underlines Pascale Bussières.

His inspiration for his role in Crows? None other than the detective played by Peter Falk in the famous detective series Columbo.

“It seems old-fashioned like that, but I was really inspired by Columbo and his somewhat dubious side where there is humor that percolates through the horror of the crime scenes. He is an old wolf who always seems candid and naive, but who ultimately is one step ahead. Like him, my character in Crows is an old roadster who has seen others and who does not let herself be discouraged by a slightly sordid scene.

The formula of the police tandem formed by a veteran and a young recruit has already been exploited many times in cinema and television. But the series Crows is distinguished by the fact that it is carried by two female characters who each have their own complexity. After devoting her life to the profession of investigator, Clémence Bernier (Pascale Bussières) feels pressure from those around her to retire. At the other end of the spectrum, young Gabrielle Blanchette (Mylène Mackay) tries to prove herself in her new position in Quebec.

“These are characters at the crossroads who are faced with their own contradictions,” observes Pascale Bussières.

“Clémence feels that she is being pushed towards retirement. But her work is part of who she is. The prospect of not doing that anymore is like losing a part of yourself.”

“I feel pampered”

In the TV and film industry, it is often said that the older a woman gets, the fewer offers she receives in front of the cameras. Pascale Bussières is delighted to see that this reality does not affect her for the moment.

“I find that we are very lucky, actresses, in Quebec, because there are many women producers, directors and screenwriters who will inevitably write for women of all ages. There are several actresses my age who still work a lot, like Maude Guérin, Suzanne Clément, Élise Guilbault, Anne-Marie Cadieux and Guylaine Tremblay, among others. I think we are very fortunate. In any case, I feel extremely pampered.”

• The detective series Crows will be broadcast on the illico+ platform from December 5.

Pascale Bussières in six notable roles

Since Micheline Lanctôt entrusted him with the main role of Sonatinein the early 1980s, Pascale Bussières played in around forty films and around thirty TV series. To mark your 40th^e career anniversary, the actress looks back on six of her most memorable roles on the small and big screen.

Sonatineby Micheline Lanctôt (1984)

“I actually watched the film again last year with Micheline [Lanctôt] sitting next to me. Sonatinefor me, it’s the epiphany, the revelation of a parallel world. It was during this shoot that I realized that I could do this for a living. I put myself back in the shoes of the 13-year-old Pascale that I was at the time, a fairly shy child. I think that if I hadn’t had this opportunity to film, I wouldn’t be [dans ce métier-là] Today. It really sculpted me.”

Blancheby Charles Binamé (1993)

“Filming this series was a great joy and a great privilege for me. That time [les années 1990]it was a bit like the golden age of TV series in Quebec. Unlike today, we had a lot of time to shoot: a year for 11 episodes! It was grandiose.”

Eldoradoby Charles Binamé (1995)

“I watched the film twice recently because it was restored by Éléphant and it looks like it was shot yesterday because the image is so beautiful and luminous. Eldoradofor me, it’s the “rave nation”, the Montreal of the 1990s.”

August 32 on earth, by Denis Villeneuve (1997)

“I don’t mind bragging [d’avoir] played in Denis Villeneuve’s first feature film. That too was a great moment of freedom. It was ecstatic. We were all young. I still have photos of Denis and André Turpin (the cinematographer) in the dunes of Nevada trying to frame a shot. They were so beautiful! Denis was very focused and at the same time, we were very aware of what we were going through. What a beautiful film. It’s great poetry. Denis hasn’t lost that.”

The blue butterflyby Léa Pool (2004)

“It was an epic filming adventure, with Léa [Pool] et [l’acteur américain] William Hurt, who was in good spirits, even if it was demanding for him. We filmed in the Rainforest in Costa Rica. Nice meeting with the Bribris Indians. I was pregnant with my second child, and my first celebrated his first birthday there. We were supposed to be there for two months, but it ended up lasting three months, because there was a flood and a landslide. It was quite dangerous. And there were a lot of snakes too [rires]!»

My life in cinemascope by Denise Filiatrault (2004)

“It was a big challenge In my opinion [d’incarner Alys Robi]because it was very far from my palette and I had to look for it inside myself. But Denise [Filiatrault] helped me a lot by telling me: well yes, you are capable! I loved this experience.”