Patrick Puydebat recently spoke about his very first casting for “Hélène et les Garçons”. An amazing experience for the essential Nicolas of the cult series.
In nearly 300 episodes of Hélène and the boys, actor Patrick Puydebat played the character of Nicolas. An essential face of the cult sitcom to which he still lends the features today in The Mysteries of Love.
Guest last April of the France 2 program It starts today, dedicated for the occasion to the outstanding figures of the 90s, Patrick Puydebat evoked his very first casting for the role of Nicolas, which could have been held by a star of Plus belle la vie. And the least we can say is that it was quite acadabrantesque.
Patrick Puydebat had signed up for the casting of Hélène and the boys, but when the time came, he no longer had this professional meeting in mind. “I had forgotten and I was at a party at Le Bourget”says the actor in remarks reported by our colleagues from Télé Loisirs. “It’s ok, it was on the way. It was techno parties, wild raves which were not authorized. I was not fresh! So I was with friends in the car and we cross the Plaine-Saint- Denis where AB studios were at the time.”
“I’m told, ‘Isn’t that your casting tomorrow?'”he continues. “I’m like, ‘Guys, have you seen the time? We’re tomorrow”. I didn’t want to go because I wasn’t ready and then they said to me, “Go, go, they insisted”. I went. And the next day, the casting director said to me on my little cassette answering machine at the time, “Listen, we’d like to see you again but you don’t want to wash your hair?'” I had danced for 12 hours so…”
The next day, Patrick Puydebat will go to this famous second casting, but under totally different conditions, “in Sunday best, white collar, black jacket”. We know the rest of the story…
Our interview with Patrick Puydebat for “The Mysteries of Love”: