Unclassifiable, curious, bright, alive, strong, wise; Pascale Montpetit does not lack words to praise her friend Kim Yaroshevskaya whom she accompanied until shortly before she took her last breath, on this cold Sunday morning of January 12.
• Also read: Fanfreluche and Grand-Mère in “Passe-Partout”: actress Kim Yaroshevskaya dies at 101
Pascale Montpetit
Archive photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
Pascale Montpetit put her voice to the words written by Kim Yaroshevskaya in My trip to America; the book in which the latter recounts her departure from Moscow to New York at the age of 10 and the adventures that led her to Montreal.
It was during the rehearsal sessions held at the house of the performer of the unforgettable Franfreluche that the two actresses sealed their friendship.
This is why Pascale Montpetit was at the bedside of the actress – who had celebrated her 101st birthday on the 1is last October – shortly before his death on Sunday morning.
“We were five friends taking turns. She died in hospital at 10am this morning. It happened the way she wanted. She was able to avoid senior centers. She walked until the end. She took care of herself. “It was a force of nature,” confides a visibly upset Pascale Montpetit.
Two weeks ago, the interpreter of the warm grandmother in the original version of Pass-Partout had a fall which landed her in the hospital. The following week, the Russian-born Canadian artist entered palliative care.
All this time, Pascale Montpetit and the neighbors from Kim Yaroshevskaya’s Sisters’ Island went to her side.
“Together, we made jokes, we philosophized, we talked about literature, we told each other what interested us, we showed each other our drawings,” remembers the 63-year-old actress.
Pascale Montpetit also highlights the moral strength and wisdom of her great friend who was an actress, author and screenwriter.
“I remember her capacity for wonder. She valued life and she always told me: “Go towards your life, go towards what you love!” She always chose the most lively avenue: that of laughing, reading, singing and dancing. She loved music,” breathes the actress who believes that it is our duty to pay tribute and perpetuate the memory of Kim Yaroshevskaya.
An exceptional career
Kim Yaroshevskaya left Russia at the age of ten to emigrate to Quebec. In the 1950s, she was part of the troupe of the Théâtre Le Grenier, where she created the character of Fanfreluche, whom she played on the small screen for around fifteen years in the shows Fafouin, The Surprise Box et Fanfreluche.
She had a brilliant career in the theater and appeared in several television series, including the legendary children’s show Pass-Partout, from 1977 to 1987. She was also part of the cast of around fifteen films.
In 1992, she received the Order of Canada and, in 2017, became a companion of arts and letters of Quebec, an honor awarded by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
