Roy Dupuis, portraying Louis Riel shortly before his hanging in a Manitoba prison in 1885. He played this role in ‘Heritage Minutes’, the series of shorts filmed for Canada’s 125th anniversary. |
Not just anyone can become a friend of
Roy Dupuis. You are confronted by a barrier, mostly because of his position as the most
sought after actor in Quebec, but also because he’s extremely shy and prefers to
guard his privacy at any cost. "I’m not difficult to approach," claims
Dupuis., "but I’m very selective when it comes to choosing whom I’d like to
walk down life’s path with." Despite his burly appearance, Deano Clavet knows how to show plenty of respect for his friends. An extrovert by nature, he is patient and always lends an attentive ear to other people’s confidences. Aged 31, the ex-boxer has a very interesting career history. Though Deano Clavet gave up boxing last year to become an actor, he had in his youth forsaken acting to become a boxer. In fact after studying dramatic art, Deano branched off into boxing which he practised professionally for nine years. In 1991 he returned to his first love - the acting profession. Now more sure of his capabilities and more reflective, he has acquired an iron discipline and an unfailing persistence during his years of training as a boxer. These qualities are useful to him in his new vocation as an actor. "In Scoop 2 I have to train hard to portray my character Jimmy Fontaine well, as author Réjean Tremblay gives me scope to go as far as I can". According to him there are parallels between an actor’s job and that of a boxer. Both have to endure pain and anxiety as well as great joy. Having experienced such intense emotions allows me today to give my characters more credibility. On the film set of Scoop Deano got to know Roy Dupuis better. Rivals in the series, they became blood brothers in real life. To find out how this friendship was born, we gather round a billiard table. How did you two become close ? Deano : I ‘clicked’ with him during our first meeting. That evening in February 1991 we fought a friendly match with the Sports Artistes team in the municipality of Maniwaki. Afterwards I lost sight of Roy for a good six months until the first day of filming the scenes between my character, prison detainee Jimmy Fontaine, and his, Express journalist Michel Gagné. Again, in spite of ourselves, we found ourselves on the same set, our two characters in confrontation. Roy : Even though we aren’t alike, there are many affinities between us. Although I’ve always loved sport and competition, it was Deano, a professional in the ring, who made me appreciate particularly the delicacy and beauty of boxing. But what I like most of all about Deano is his openness. Deano is a straight guy. If I had problems tomorrow I’m certain that no matter the time of day or night he would come to give me a hand. That for me is the definition of a real friend. Is it difficult to develop a friendship between two performers? Deano : I don’t think so. I remember at the beginning of my boxing career I was very friendly with the boxer Mario Cusson. That was easy to understand because we were living the same type of life. Because we were both experiencing the same gamut of emotions from victory to defeat. Today, as I mostly mix and work with people in the artistic world, relationships with them are more natural. It’s the same in ordinary walks of life. Don’t you think a man or a woman has a tendency to become closer to a co-worker because they share the same satisfactions and pressures? Roy : It’s so much easier to make real friends in your own line of work. As there is already a lot of similarity, vibrations and the same desire to succeed, scene after scene, you get to know people more quickly. Do you feel that many people want to be your friend just because of your position as a performer? Deano : Possibly, except that I don’t value them. I know who my true friends are. Not everyone gets to enter my inner circle even though I’m pleasant to everyone.
Roy : I have never been the type to choose my friends. A friendship happens when you least expect it. On the other hand, as soon as the first words are spoken to me, from the first look, I’m instinctively able to recognise someone whom I might like to accompany on life’s path for a bit. Contrary to what certain people think, I’m not difficult to approach. But I am selective. When a girl or a guy comes up to me with a "You remember me," I know that the conversation isn’t going to last long. That this person has only come to speak to Roy Dupuis the actor, not Roy Dupuis the man. Have you lost your childhood friends? Deano : No, not at all, except that I have less chance of meeting up with them. Roy : Yes. As I spent most of my time moving house, I never had the time to remain in touch with them for very long. I’ll always remember my best childhood friend, Aubert Gringas, who still lives in Amos. Do your girl-friends get on too? (Deano throws Roy a look and decides to answer for both of them.) They met recently but that’s all… (Deano has shared his life with a girl for three years. Roy too has had someone in his life for more than three years). Are there more favourable times to meet you? (Roy in his turn answers this question alone.) As I devote myself so much to my work, when it comes to the stage of script reading or filming I have much less time to spend with my friends, and still less in public. Starting from now, and for the next six months, I will be working 15 hours a day. During that time I forget almost everyone around me. On the other hand, when I’m on holiday, I like to see my family and go out with my friends. Deano, you are often around Roy; are people well-behaved towards him when you go out in public? On the whole, I would say yes. On the other hand, there are exceptions as in all aspects of life, and I have seen people treat Roy very badly. I recall in particular a young man who came up to him in a bar asking for an autograph. Roy took the bit of paper and scribbled ‘À la vie, Roy Dupuis’. Then, believe it or not, the young man in question read the note and immediately responds with, "Hey, I wanted you to dedicate this to my girlfriend. I didn’t want this kind of message …." At the moment Roy belongs to everyone in Quebec (continues Clavet in the same breath). As he is number one in his profession, everyone wants to know everything about him. In Hollywood, it’s different. As there are lots of very famous actors, the journalists change their target every week. Here, everything that is reported in the media about Roy Dupuis is too much, too significant. In the long run this gets on the nerves and wears a man down. Deano, tell us about the Roy Dupuis that Mr Everyman doesn’t know. This guy is compassionate. A man with a very open heart. I have seen him approach children and women with great warmth and affection. Roy is not "the big bad wolf" that certain papers have reported recently. It’s a privilege to know him. Roy, where do you find your freedom? When I am out-of-doors, close to the woods and the fields. At the moment I’m looking for a piece of land in the Hemmingford area. I want an old stone house with a wooded area near to the forest. I like to work with my hands. I like to feel what I am doing. What are your professional commitments? Deano : I am putting all my energy into the start of filming Scoop 2. This television series has already opened new horizons for me. I am able to terminate contracts for commercials - one being in Mexico for Laurentide beer - and I’ve agreed to become honorary president for certain events, such as Participe-Action, at Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac on the 27th May. Roy : I’m going to be like a mad dog for the next six months. There will be Scoop 2, followed by a film for director Michel Langlois’ company Ressac, also starring Gilbert Sicotte, Andrée Lachapelle and Élise Guibault - a feature film exploring the relationships in a family, and Helena by Georges Alain Vuille, a Swiss director who has produced many films in Los Angeles. The Canadian actor Donald Sutherland will share the billing. <<Didn’t happen>> I’m busier than ever. In spite of everything, I’m going to continue to live one day at a time. To make one film after the other. Honestly, I don’t have a definite plan. For the time being everything is going well and I don’t ask anything more from life. Nothing in common, they said. However, don’t they both share a taste for healthy competition and success? And don’t they both need to associate with honest people, and aren’t they both very well-known? In the end, Deano Clavet and Roy Dupuis couldn’t help but become friends. |
