At the heart of the plot in “Here everything begins”, Julie Sassoust tells us more about the professional and romantic future of Anaïs, after her breakup with Lisandro and her confrontation with Teyssier. And about his budding friendship with Jasmine.
AlloCiné: After a little over a year and a half spent in the skin of Anaïs, do you still take as much pleasure in embodying this character in Here it all begins?
Julie Sassoust : Yes, still the same. I’m very happy with all the subjects that the screenwriters tackle with the character of Anaïs. From the start, it has always been a pleasure. There’s a lot to claim with this character so it’s really neat.
Since the departure of Clément Rémiens, you now appear at the very beginning of the credits of the series with Aurélie Pons and Azize Diabate. Do you take this as a nice recognition of the importance of your characters and your work?
It’s something I didn’t really realize at first, because it’s already great to be in the credits. But it’s true that it’s a chance to be in the foreground. It’s a great recognition of our work and the investment we’ve been putting into the series for almost two years. And it’s great to be with Aurélie and Azize because the three of us have been together since the very beginning. It’s a bit like the original trio.
We felt early on that Anaïs had character, that she had strong convictions. At the moment, these convictions are at the center of the plot since Anaïs has joined forces with Jasmine, Kelly, and Lionel to shake things up at the institute and impose a vegetarian menu at the Double A several days a month. Was it a common desire with the authors that you had to bring out this aspect of Anaïs’ personality? Did you discuss it?
No, we hadn’t talked about it. But I think that there is always a perpetual evolution of the character, it is the advantage of a daily series like Here everything begins. And the character of Anaïs asserted itself from arch to arch. So the scriptwriters wanted to take this fold and continue in this evolution to manage to set up this vegan ark.
This is a subject that generates a lot of debate, because there are people in favor and others who are against it. And you have to have character, in fiction anyway, to be able to affirm these ideas and make them understood by the public.
Today, eating less meat is at the heart of the concerns of many French people. Do you find it important that it be tackled head-on in a series like Here it all begins, beyond the presence of a character like that of Chef Listrac?
Absolutely. It’s nice because the debate continues beyond the fiction. I often see people’s opinions on social networks, and even between them it’s discussed. Sometimes they don’t have the same opinions at all (laughs). And I imagine that if it’s happening on social networks, it’s because it also raises debates in homes, and that’s great. This is the strength of a daily fiction like this: opening up dialogue within families.
This plot gave you the opportunity to share a lot of stage with Zoï Séverin and Lucien Belves, with whom you hadn’t worked that much before. Was it a pleasure to discover new playing partners?
Yes, it’s great because they are really personalities that match well together. Between Lionel, Jasmine, and Anaïs, we see a real segmentation, and a hierarchy too. There is Jasmine who can’t stand meat, can’t even look at it anymore and reacts to the emotions she feels. Lionel who is more in the direct claim with his teachers and who is not afraid. And Anaïs who comes a little to try to calm everything down, while being just as invested as her comrades.
They complement each other well and it’s a real pleasure to work with Zoï and Lucien because it allows you to play something different and get out of your way. Even if it’s obviously a pleasure to shoot with Augstin, Aurélie, or Azize with whom I’ve done a lot of scenes since the beginning of the series.
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A beautiful friendship is being formed between Anaïs and Jasmine. Will this continue in future episodes?
Anaïs is totally taken with compassion and empathy for Jasmine, also in relation to her story with Naël. Greg and Eliott also take part in this whole story elsewhere. But it’s true that Anaïs shows a lot of maturity towards Jasmine. Even if it means putting herself in danger, and endangering her future and her place at the institute.
There was a confrontation with Teyssier, who told him he was going to jeopardize his future. But Anaïs does not let go, and does not share her doubts with Jasmine. She puts aside her personal emotions, regarding the way Jasmine interfered in her relationship with Lisandro, and really does everything to help him. I find it interesting that she doesn’t hold it against her and that she completely supports her in the face of Teyssier.
So yes, it leads to a beautiful friendship. Jasmine is often with Greg and Eliott in the series, so we can consider that Anaïs is her real first friend at the institute, on whom she can count. And indeed, it will last in time.
Precisely, were these scenes of confrontation with Teyssier fun to shoot?
Yes, it’s always great to work with Benjamin Baroche. And the relationship between the two characters is quite special and very interesting. They don’t like each other very much, communication is complicated, there are a lot of negotiations and friction, but deep down Teyssier knows that Anaïs is a good student, who is capable of doing a lot of things. And Anaïs knows that Teyssier thinks that of her. It is a very interesting report. In the end, they don’t hate each other. But they do not hesitate to confront each other. It’s like a game for them.
Teyssier seems determined to endanger Anaïs’ professional future. How will this situation evolve?
That, we will see in the following episodes. But it’s something that will last, that’s for sure. The situation will not be resolved immediately. Lauren Belvaux, who was to recruit Anaïs for a position at Sybarite, will be very undecided about all this. And there will still be many twists and turns before we discover the purpose of this story.
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After almost a year of relationship, Lisandro and Anaïs separated. Were you surprised with Agustin Galiana?
Yes and no, because reading the episode sequencers we immediately thought that the way the writers handled this plot was interesting and quite logical in the end. Regarding the debate it raises. They are not from the same generation, they did not have the same way of seeing things when they got together. And the debate on veganism confirms all this.
It also shows that our generation does not hesitate to go there, to create debate, and is not afraid. Whereas for the generation before, it’s a whole new debate, and sometimes complicated to understand in its entirety. So I found it well brought and it didn’t surprise me that much.
However, we were able to see a spoiler extract recently in which Anaïs and Lisandro manage to calm their ardor and discuss more quietly both. When he defends Jasmine to everyone. So it will settle down little by little.
Anaïs and Lisandro are therefore going to get back together?
Ah, I can’t say that (laughs). No need to spoiler. But what I can say is that they’ve been through so much together, they’ve faced so many obstacles, that they’ve developed a love for each other that just overpowers. Will it force them to change each other’s minds? I leave the surprise to the viewers.
Over the course of the arks, we met the family and parents of many characters. Do you know if Anaïs’ past will soon be discussed?
For the moment no, it is not relevant. But it would be really great, because I think there are things to write and play that could be really great for Anaïs and her family.
At the end of the school year, Anaïs will theoretically be a graduate. Are the authors of Here it all begins already discussing with Aurélie Pons, Azize Diabate, Sarah Fitri, Pola Petrenko, and you the future of third-year students?
No, they are not telling us about it at the moment. It’s always a bit of a surprise for us. And that’s why everything we have to play is quite spontaneous, because we don’t have access to what’s going to happen next. But indeed, many questions arise because many characters are in their third year. What will be the future of each student? I think they will necessarily take different paths.
It is hard to imagine them all repeating in any case…
That’s for sure (laughs). Afterwards, when we see the click and collect at the salt marshes for example, we say to ourselves that there are things that can possibly be created later for the characters. New decor maybe. We will see what will also happen in relation to the Sybarite. And will Anaïs and Lisandro stay together? If they stay together, what will happen to them? There are a lot of possibilities.