The new fiction series Mea Culpa, written by Chantal Cadieux, will be broadcast on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV. Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin plays the main character of this series which delves into restorative justice.
While waiting for the publication of our interviews carried out with Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Cynthia Wu-Maheux, Mounia Zahzam, Rosalie Pépin, Catherine Simon, Kevin Raymond-Jean, Inès Defossé et Lou Thompson to the media press viewing of the series, here are our photos from the event and a previous interview conducted with Jasmine Lemée.
Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin (Bérénice)
Upcoming interview with Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin.
Bérénice Bachand, restorative justice mediator, dedicates her life to building bridges between victims and criminals to soothe and overcome trauma. She and her close friends are forever marked by the brutal attack of David Fraser, who murdered their friend Vania and left Rémi Duguay quadriplegic 25 years ago. Today she sees reconciliation as a path to healing. Eternally single and occasionally epicurean, Bérénice also hides her share of secrets.
Maxim Gaudette (David)
Upcoming interview with Maxim Gaudette.
After 23 years in prison for murder and aggravated assault, David Fraser has been free for two years and is trying to rehabilitate himself. Working in a furniture workshop, he became friends with his employers, Jean and Amina. Aspiring to a peaceful life, he wishes to sincerely apologize to Rémi and Vania’s friends, although he knows his unforgivable actions. However, his reserved temperament and his dark past raise a question: can we really believe in his rehabilitation?
Cynthia Wu-Maheux (Lysanne)
Upcoming interview with Cynthia Wu-Maheux.
Lysanne, a passionate and intense woman, is deeply affected by the loss of her best friend Vania. His anger towards David Fraser, Vania’s murderer and Rémi’s attacker, remains strong, especially since his release. Close to Marie-Dominique and Rémi, she supports them as a caregiver and computer graphic designer, creating all the visuals for their microbrewery and also getting involved in the factory. Imprisoned in her bitterness, Lysanne refuses to believe in Fraser’s rehabilitation.
Jessica Barker (Marie-Dominique)
Marie-Dominique, a strong and dedicated woman, is a brewer at the microbrewery she owns with Rémi, her partner of 25 years. Together they have a 16-year-old daughter, Zoé. Despite the challenges related to Rémi’s disability and her role as caregiver, she demonstrates inspiring resilience. The return of David Fraser into their lives causes her deep concerns, threatening, according to her, the balance of their relationship and their family life.
Dany Boudreault (Rémi)
Quadriplegic since the age of 19 after a tragic evening which also cost the life of his friend Vania, Rémi lives in a wheelchair and depends on caregivers. A former athlete and award-winning scientist, he overcame this ordeal thanks to his great resilience. Co-owner of a microbrewery with his partner Marie-Dominique, he is also the protective father of Zoé, 16 years old. Despite the challenges of his condition and the recurring nightmares, will he one day be able to forgive his attacker, David Fraser?
Sacha Charles (Sylvain)
Sylvain, a long-time colleague and friend of Bérénice, also works as a mediator in restorative justice. A deep friendship unites them, and he is aware of everything that Bérénice has experienced. When he accepts Rémi’s request, who wishes to begin a process of restorative justice with his attacker, Sylvain must set limits in his relationship with Bérénice. In a relationship with Paul, Sylvain is the father of two children, Hektor and Henriette.
Jasmine Lemée (Zoé)
Previous interview conducted with Jasmine Lemée.
Ralph Prosper (Charles)
Charles is Rémi’s best friend as well as his and Marie-Dominique’s colleague at the microbrewery. As Rémi’s right-hand man, he does all the physical work that Rémi can’t do! Recently divorced, Charles lets himself be carried away by the idea of charming Bérénice and… Marie-Do.
Mounia Zahzam (Mélanie)
Upcoming interview with Mounia Zahzam.
-Mélanie, youngest daughter of Jean and Amina, is a fiery young woman attached to her convictions. Having become an only child, she often takes time off from her teaching job to help in the furniture workshop and take care of her sick mother. She had a relationship with David, but broke it off upon discovering his criminal past. Convinced that he is dangerous, she tries to persuade her parents to fire him and cut ties with him.
Mireille Naggar (Amina)
Adam Moussamih (Samir)
Rosalie Pépin (Bérénice Bachand – 19 years old)
Introduce me to your character.
I played the role of Bérénice at 19 years old. She is a very empathetic person, she has great qualities. She can’t watch her friends get hurt. She is not capable of seeing injustice and things that people do not deserve. He is also a person with zero resentment; which can cause people to be a little against it, it makes it a little controversial for some people. There are people who don’t believe in forgiveness, and she believes in it almost too much. She is a person who shines. She has beautiful ways of thinking. She really cares about her group of friends too, although she can have a hard time showing it sometimes.
How do you see the evolution of your character?
I would say that I find Bérénice a little mysterious today. There are a lot of things going on in the background in his head. He is someone with such a big heart. She doesn’t like arguing, and she doesn’t like seeing people around her confront each other, even though they may sometimes have good reasons to do so. I think she just wants everyone to get along.
She is someone who is trying to discover herself romantically, because she too may have had romantic traumas in her younger years. I think it affects him in his love life later. She’s not able to commit, and she’s a little confused about it all. She’s having fun, but is she really having fun? I find her very interesting as a character later on and she has a lot of nuances to her personality.
Catherine Simon (Marie-Dominique Ross – 19 ans)
Introduce me to your character.
I play the role of Marie-Dominique Ross at 19 years old. She is a very sporty young girl and very enthusiastic about life, at least as she was in 1999. She is also in love with young Rémi. She finds him handsome and athletic, but she greatly lacks self-confidence. This is something that is very close to Marie-Dominique. She has difficulty asserting herself, which means that she represses a lot of things, and sometimes that can affect the course of the story.
How do you see the evolution of your character?
Marie-Dominique, at the stage she is currently at, I find her very touching. She is a caregiver, she takes care of a man who is paraplegic. It takes immense dedication, as a human being, to care for someone on that level. It arouses a lot of admiration on my part to see where she has gotten to. However, we still ask ourselves questions. Is she taking time for herself in all this? Is she really satisfied, even if she can consider herself satisfied with her current life?
Kevin Raymond-Jean (Rémi Duguay – 19 years old)
Introduce me to your character.
I play the role of Rémi at 19 years old. He’s a young man, he’s a young athlete, he’s a distinguished young scientist. He is good at everything. In fact, he has everything going for him. He has the most beautiful daughter in the world, he has the best friends in the world. Unfortunately a tragedy happens to him, he loses the ability to use his four limbs. I believe he is a very resilient young man as well, and it is through his resilience in athletics that he was able to overcome his obstacles.
How do you see the evolution of your character?
Rémi, he is beautiful, he is tender, he is resilient, he is sensitive. He is so touching like dad. I love him very much. I find that he is someone who has progressed really well in life. It feels really good. He is also very grounded, despite the challenges he faces on a daily basis. Frankly, I am speechless for Rémi. I think he has aged really well. To be able to, or at least want to, be ready to take the leap of forgiving, or at least to meet your attacker, I find that it takes a lot of courage. He is an extremely courageous person.
Inès Defossé (Lysanne Liù-Lemieux – 19 years old)
Upcoming interview with Inès Defossé.
Lou Thompson (Vania O’Connor – 19 ans)
Introduce me to your character.
This is Vania O’Connor’s character. She is a victim of femicide. She was very valuable within her group of friends. And there, that created big imbalances.
Léokim Beaumier-Lépine (David Fraser – 20 years old)
** Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Marcel Leboeuf et Anna Beaupré Moulounda were absent from the media press viewing.
Frédéric Lebeuf | Journalist & Photographer
A big fan of rock, metal, metalcore and post-hardcore music, Frédéric loves attending concerts by his favorite artists who revolve around his weekly chart. Passionate about lifestyle and television, he remains on the lookout to cover events of all kinds. His first album that he bought is Americana de The Offspring.
