Cast members from the first hour of “L’Échappée” gathered Thursday with their castmates for seven seasons to mark the upcoming end of the TVA soap opera. Yes, it’s time for the finale, with only three episodes to go before the finale on March 27.
Since the first episode aired in September 2016, the L’Échappée center has supported a lot of young people, the educator Robin Despattes, played by Jean-Francois Nadeau. “It’s very important for me to honor educators. These are very thankless professions, professions that work hard with young people who have terrible paths,” the actor said.
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Jean-Francois Nadeau, who teaches improvisation at the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique de Montreal and believes in transfer after 21 years in the business, had the chance to “welcome” a lot of up-and-coming artists on set. It must be said that “L’Échappée” was a formidable haven for talent, with strong dramatic scores from Laurie Babin, Kelly Depeault, Sam-Éloi Girard, Éléonore Loiselle, Devon O’Connor and Noah Parker.
Joel Lemay / QMI Agency
Kelly Diebold, in particular, brings all kinds of emotions through the character of Claudie, who doesn’t have it easy as the daughter of late serial killer David Lelievre (Patrick Hivon). The young actress, who was seen on the big screen in “The Goddess of Fireflies”, these days became friends with Eleonore Loiselle, who starred in “Disobeer: Chantelle Daigle’s Choice”.
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“We’re a bunch of young people who learned together,” said Kelly, thankful to be able to shine in this first major project for him.
“Our characters were in everything, so we learned through that,” Eleanor said.
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Same coach story with Sam-Eloy Girard. He already had experience behind the scenes on youth television, but “L’Échappée” allowed him to camp and expand his playground when, in an advanced state of intoxication, he caused an accident that killed two friends. At first angry, aggressive and manipulative, Manu finds Robin a lifeline.
Photo by QMI Agency, Joel Lemay
“We see Manu’s complete journey in three years from his arrival to his exit. I got a chance to show another side of my game. It allows us to see how a center like L’Échappée can change the course of some young people. His accident will follow him for the rest of his life, just like Robin, but there is hope,” said the actor, whom we also follow in “Le bonheur”.
Many big names such as Sophie Cadieux, Rémy Girard and Chantal Fontaine have settled in Sainte-Alice in recent seasons.
“Playing a policewoman was great; How you walk and how you stand. Gisele is not attractive, she doesn’t care how she looks,” said Chantal Fontaine, an actress for 37 years. “I’m getting older and I love what I do.”
Photo by QMI Agency, Joel Lemay
Anique Lemay (Julie Perreault left the series in 2020) who played Noemi, the sister of the original heroine Brigitte, has been underrepresented in the past two seasons. “After five seasons, I asked to be released to do other projects. […] I love ending up in business because something else is going to happen. Life does not like a vacuum!
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The last word goes to lead writer Mylene Solette, who took over from Michael Allen three seasons ago. “There were a lot of threads to tie. I wanted to find a balance between the desire for light for the characters, but at the same time it doesn’t end well for everyone. I’m a huge TV ‘fan’ and I know what it’s like to say goodbye to a show, so I wrote the finale with the audience in mind.
Photo by QMI Agency, Joel Lemay
Produced by Amalga in association with Quebecor Content, “L’Échappée” airs Mondays at 8pm on TVA. The final will be held on March 27.
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