In “Seul”, an event TV film from France 2, Samuel Le Bihan slips into the shoes of a navigator with an extraordinary destiny.
Alone is a France 2 TV film, offered on Monday November 4, 2024, from 9:05 p.m. Carried by Samuel Le Bihan, the 1h40 biopic is based on the true story of navigator Yves Parlier, entered in the Vendée Globe in 2000. At the time when this experienced sailor embarks on the solo sailing race around the world , he then realizes the dream of a lifetime. But this will nevertheless turn into a nightmare when Parlier breaks his mast in the open sea. An incredible fight will then begin for him to finish the legendary race despite everything, thanks to unfailing determination.
Alonedirected by Pierre Isoard, offers Samuel Le Bihan one of the most intense roles of his career in the role of Yves Parlier. To give the actor a reply, we find in particular Anne Suarez (Cain) who plays the navigator's wife, but also the revelation Clément Bresson (Visions) and Anaël Guez. Together, they bring to life the incredible destiny of an extraordinary character facing the unleashed elements, but above all facing himself.
Samuel Le Bihan threw himself body and soul into the role. Far from the bucolic landscapes ofAlex Hugo in the Alps, it blended into the immensity, but also the hostility of the ocean. A filming setting that pushed the actor to his limits, as he confided during the presentation of the film at the last Monte-Carlo Television Festival.
Samuel Le Bihan explained that this unique project had required heavy physical and mental preparation. For almost a month and a half, from April to May 2023, the actor performed a series of grueling scenes, filmed mainly in Brittany and Pays de la Loire, as close as possible to the ocean. A real challenge for the man who himself admits to having been in a “daze” several times during filming.
“It was very tiring!”, revealed Samuel Le Bihan to Télé Loisirs. “First, I lost 10 kilos for the role, and I was in a state of extreme fatigue which nourished the character. I was so invested in the game that I was nothing more than that.” This total immersion was not without consequences on the actor's health. For the needs of the role, Samuel Le Bihan pushed his body to its limits. His drastic weight loss was combined with physical and mental exhaustion in order to best convey the distress and solitude experienced by Parlier during his journey.
Further proof of his unfailing investment in AloneSamuel Le Bihan appears transformed in the first images revealed by France 2. Shaggy beard and emaciated face, the scars of this superhuman effort, the actor seems as if inhabited by his character. The actor also recognizes that it took him time to recover from this particularly trying role, which echoes that of Alex Hugo, just as free, solitary and determined. And just as demanding for the actor, who assured to take “more and more risks” at high altitude for this character.
