On the occasion of the release of Week-end Family, the first original French series from Disney+, Télé Star spoke with Annelise Hesme (Laurence) and Pierre-François Martin-Laval (the co-director of the fiction with Sophie Queen).
Wednesday February 23, Disney+ makes available to its subscribers his first French series Family weekend. Right here, Eric Judor slips into the skin of Fred, a man who had three daughters with three different women. Every weekend, he welcomes all his offspring into his home and must therefore manage the behavior of the children… but also of their mothers! To top it all, Fred wants to move in with Daphne, his new girlfriend. On the occasion of the release of this fictional event, Télé Star met Annelise Hesmewho plays one of Fred’s exes, and Pierre-Francois Martin Laval (Pef at the time of the Robins des Bois), which co-directs the project with Sophia Queen.
Télé Star: Why did you agree to participate in Family weekend ?
Pierre-Francois Martin-Laval : I only read two episodes at first and I was immediately hooked. It touched me, I think it’s because I have four daughters, I was also raised by divorced parents, I had stepmothers and a stepfather. It also made me proud that Disney was interested in having me direct one of their productions. Finally, Eric Judor being involved was the big trigger for me.
Annelise Hesme : Working with Disney makes your eyes shine! I had also worked twice with Éric, at the time of H and in Platane. I love his humor, I couldn’t miss this series. Moreover, being directed by Pef was also an ultimate joy because I am a fan!
Did you recognize yourself in any of the parent characters?
Pef: I’m not divorced but sometimes I recognized myself in Fred. He has to please everyone, and he can’t always lead life the way he would lead it. Sometimes, the character goes far… Here, I hope I’m not like him!
AH: Laurence is really super cool and I recognized myself in that side, where no man ever died! (laughs)
Did you know Eric Judor well before working with him in Family weekend ?
pef : I was his first director at the start of Éric and Ramzy, we grew up together. We were playing with Les Robins des Bois at the Splendid and they were after us. We lived through an incredible thing for three years and then we never saw each other again for twenty years. We bickered over something stupid and the fact that Eric wanted to work with me again upset me. The word is not strong, it really touched me! And it started again as before between us.
How does he behave on set?
pef : He’s the least serious guy I’ve seen in my life! He fucks up while we set up the cameras and he continues when we’re ready. When there’s the clap, he’ll pick it up and throw it across the room, he’ll keep cracking jokes while I say “Action!”…and I let him. It is for the greatest happiness of his partners, so I let him create this joy, this euphoria, because it is in these conditions and this energy that he gives the maximum. But when I talk about it, you don’t realize how unbearable it is!
ah : He is indeed a clown but he has a gift for improvisation and he is a hard worker. He always knows where he is going. I, who don’t particularly have improv skills, felt really free. He is attentive and respectful. He’s not just a good actor, he’s a good comrade and a good man actually.
Was it easy to work with children?
pef : We took formidable young actors. I adapted to each one and it was quite simple because it felt like they already had a lot of experience.
ah : This series represented for them a lot of excitement, solicitation, fatigue, joy, nervousness sometimes… I was delighted to see them each time because they are three different characters but they are each intelligent and joyful . They were our little darlings and our little pros.
Loading-widget
Subscribe to the Telestar.fr Newsletter to receive the latest news for free