From the age of 15, Théo Bertrand appeared on film sets playing in La Guerre des Boutons by Yann Samuell, the fourth film adaptation of the eponymous novel by Louis Pergaud.
Five years later, he was revealed to the general public thanks to Plus belle la vie, where he played Kevin Belesta, the son of Laetitia (Caroline Riou) and Jérôme (Laurent Orry). Introduced as a rather lazy high school student, the latter becomes friends with Baptiste Riva-Marci (Bryan Trésor).
After an initial failure, he obtained his Baccalaureate and followed training as a security assistant, joining the Mistral police station. He then experiences a love story with Émilie (Laurie Bordesoules), the daughter-in-law of Commander Nebout (Jérôme Bertin).
Having become a peacekeeper, Kevin Belesta then formed a relationship with Alexandra Duval (Meryl Bie), a young transgender woman, whom he married in the last episode of the France 3 soap opera.
A stop experienced as a betrayal
In November 2022, after 18 seasons and 4,665 episodes, France 3 is putting an end to Plus belle la vie. A little over a year after the broadcast of its final episode, the daily is reborn from its ashes for an unexpected sequel… on TF1. La Une created a surprise by deciding to produce a new version of the soap opera: Plus belle la vie, even plus belle. “It will not be a simple sequel, but a new creation“said Vincent Meslet, the general director of Newen France.
If Laurent Kerusoré (Thomas), Sylvie Flepp (Mirta Torrès), Léa François (Barbara Evenot), Stéphane Hénon (Jean-Paul Boher) or even Cécilia Hornus (Blanche Marci) are back, this is not the case for all the actors. Like Caroline Riou, who played her mother on screen for almost 8 years, Théo Bertrand is ousted from this new adventure. Following this announcement, fans of the Belesta family unleashed their anger.
Two years later, the actor spoke about this production decision, in a long post on Instagram: “No, leaving the show was never my choice. When I was called back to offer the new series, I said yes without hesitation. My mother let out a big “phew” of relief when I told her. And it was “this false hope” that I gave him that really brought me down. Of course, the fact that productions cannot keep their commitments to actors happens every day in our profession. Only, the fact that it was me who was obliged to call them back and insist that they tell me that ultimately, I was no longer part of the casting, I experienced that as a betrayal.“.
Bouncing back after Plus belle la vie
Alongside Plus belle la vie, viewers were able to find Théo Bertrand in episodes of Profilage, La Stagiaire, Léo Matteï, Brigade des minieurs and L’Archer noir, but also on the poster for the film Budapest in the role of a zealous intern alongside Manu Payet, Jonathan Cohen and Alice Belaïdi.
Following the cessation of the daily, the actor participated, in 2021, in a unit of the France 3 police collection, Le Voyageur, then appeared two years later in an episode of season 3 of the successful series of TF1 worn by Audrey Fleurot, HPI.
In the cinema, Théo Bertrand landed a role in Les Déguns 2. Directed by Cyrille Droux and Claude Zidi Jr., the film follows Nordine Salhi and Karim Jebli, alias Karim and Nono, after their setbacks and their adventures in the first opus. Determined to achieve success, the two acolytes decide to start rapping.
This sequel to Déguns also brings together many big names in rap, YouTube and the stage: the rappers Sofiane Zermani and Soprano, the Marseille YouTuber Mohamed Henedi, the comedians Hakim Jemili and Titoff and the singer Zaho to name but a few. ‘them.
And it’s probably no coincidence that Théo Bertrand took part in this particular film…
Rap as therapy for depression
Indeed, the young man is a rapper in his spare time! In 2022, he co-wrote the title “Jean Lassalle” with the collaboration of rapper KAIKOH. The eponymous former MP also makes an appearance in the clip which has more than 400,000 views on YouTube.
Subsequently, Théo Bertrand draws inspiration from his experiences to compose more personal pieces. The 27-year-old actor actually shared his fight against depression following the end of Plus belle la vie in an Instagram post: “At the time, I was going through depression due to personal issues and I thought this event would have “finished me off.” Finally, I managed to turn it into a strength. And thanks to my friends, my family and also thanks to myself I did not fall into hatred or self-pity. I found small jobs, I put things into perspective by telling myself that my life was incredible. (…) I waited to hit rock bottom in my depression before I could come back up. And while slowly going back up I had this idea. What if I left?“.
Thanks to therapy, as well as a trip from his native Vercors to Tahiti by hitchhiking boat, Théo Bertrand was able to recover from this ordeal. “I have rarely felt so good in my head. I’m glad you listened to me“, he testified on social networks.
As for his experience on Plus belle la vie, he concludes on a positive note: “Know that I still have a lot of friends in the series that I love very much, I am happy for them and I support them very much. Besides, they too were sad and fought for my return. I don’t blame anyone, that’s how it is“.
Launched into a musical career, Théo Bertrand announces to his fans the release of his album “Today I’m better”, available on all platforms.
Original article published on AlloCiné
