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On the 11th March 1996, before the start of the very last game in a packed Forum, former star players of the Tricolour <<see glossary>> said farewell to the crowd. Guy Lafleur … Jean Béliveau … then Maurice Richard. The massive ovation that greeted the Rocket’s appearance in the middle of the rink disturbed Roy Dupuis deeply. “I was at home, in front of the TV, and I cried,” says the actor. “I didn’t know why. Most of the people in the Forum had never seen Maurice Richard play. Much later, I realised it was in the collective subconscious.” Because he reckons that the story has never been properly nailed, Roy agreed to complete the hat-trick and put the Rocket’s skates on again in a third production. “It’s the first time that Maurice’s story has been told by his own people …,” says the actor softly, a cigarette in his hand, with reference to previous works produced by Robert Guy Scully (in 1997 and 1999) which were financed by the famous sponsorship funds << see Maurice Richard: Histoire d’un Canadien for a brief account of this famous scandal and the resulting anti-corruption inquiry (the Gomery Commission) – viv >>. “The Heritage Minute was made very quickly. So was the TV series … as it was a hybrid between a documentary and a work of fiction. And while we were filming the TV series I felt conflicted”. Conflicted? Yes, about Maurice Richard’s reaction to the suspension imposed by Clarence Campbell in 1955 following the punch thrown at a referee, and to the subsequent riot in rue Sainte-Catherine. “People like to show Maurice as being angry at having been suspended. But I put myself in his place … Campbell’s decision certainly resulted from critical articles that Maurice had written about him in the press. So, I suppose that when the riots began, on some level he felt he had got a result.” Director Charles Binamé’s Maurice Richard stresses the importance that Maurice Richard’s exploits had on the awakening of French Canadians, necessitated by a predominantly Anglophone elite. “In becoming the best player in the world, he had become a source of pride,” believes Roy Dupuis. “He demonstrated to the little French Canadians of the time that they could be someone.” And all this in spite of himself, through scoring goals rather than talking about it. That Roy Dupuis has inherited the role of the Rocket not once but three times doesn’t, however, surprise Julie Le Breton, his co-star in Maurice Richard. “Roy was born to play Maurice,” says Julie, who plays Lucille, Maurice’s wife. “He has the same disposition as Maurice. He’s very introverted, not very extrovert.” Like the Canadiens’ famous no.9, Roy Dupuis never says one word too many. At least not during an interview. One can imagine the atmosphere when the actor met the Rocket for the first time, prior to filming the TV series … “Robert Guy Scully said to me, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t talk much. We never stopped nattering! He then came to the set. We went to watch hockey together …” Who did he turn to on the set of Binamé’s film, shot five years after the hockey star’s death (in May 2000)? “I went back to what I felt and experienced with Maurice Richard. I thought about the way he said things. I didn’t want to imitate him. I wanted rather to rechannel his energy. Otherwise, the artistic process was the same. It just wasn’t the same words … when there were any!” For not only was the Rocket not the most talkative of men, but the scenes shot on the ice were just as important as recounting the early stages of his career. Scenes that Roy insisted on doing himself, even when the goals came close to being feats of daring and the risk of injury was high. “I’m a physical person. I like to do my own stunts. This comes from the theatre where there aren’t any stunt doubles.” “The goals shown in Maurice Richard are historical,” adds Roy who has played hockey since the age of three. “The plays were rehearsed. Filming the scenes was like dancing … violently!” No facial injuries for the actor though … unlike the person he’s playing. At a time when they played without helmets, Maurice Richard found himself more than once on the ice with a bloody face. How many times did he go back to work in the factory the day after a match with his head bandaged? For Maurice Richard never signed a six-figure contract in his whole career, despite all the times he was declared highest scorer. We are talking about a time where sponsorship didn’t yet extend to ice rinks. Where members of NHL teams were athletes rather than products of marketing. But that’s another story … “Whether players are paid too much or not doesn’t interest me. I like to watch hockey from time to time. Especially these days, when the rules are enforced and talent is encouraged.” Glossary Alternative names for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team :
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