The heroine of Tomorrow Belongs to Us invites herself into Léo Mattéï, juvenile brigade alongside her friend Jean-Luc Reichmann in an episode which deals with adoption, broadcast Thursday February 22 at 9:10 p.m. on TF1. The opportunity for sincere and moving confidences.
When Jean-Luc Reichmann asked you to play guests in the series Léo Mattéï, Did you tell him “banco” straight away?
INGRID CHAUVIN: My only condition was to be able to fit in during the school holidays so that I didn’t move away from my son (Tommy, 7 and a half years old) when he is at school. And frankly, they were great. We filmed in Marseille during the All Saints’ Day holidays.
This episode evokes, through the disappearance of a child, adoption and the desire for motherhood. A theme that is particularly close to your heart since for a time, you fought to adopt…
Indeed, Jean-Luc knows me well. When, like me, we hoped for this kind of project, and we ourselves had a lot of difficulty being a mother, the words come out naturally when we play. And I loved meeting Jean-Luc again.
You played in 2015 Hibernatus with him to the theater. You were in full mourning (his daughter Jade, who died on March 25, 2014 at 5 and a half months). Did this support seal your friendship?
I can never thank him enough for pushing me to get back on stage at that time. It put me back into a form of life. That year, the time I had on stage, between Paris and the tour, allowed me to progress.
You even found out about your pregnancy during the tour and played the piece until the end without worry…
I experienced it as a gift from Jade. As if she was telling me: “That’s it, mom, you’re ready. I can finally offer you this blonde angel who’s about to arrive.” It did me good but it was also disturbing to enter motherhood with this lack. I am traumatized for life. I’m afraid all the time. I’m an overprotective mom. What remains is the scar with all the pain inside. A range from my cosmetics brand, Mademoiselle Chauvin, is called Jade because I referenced the smells I remembered from her. This allows me to continue to make it exist here on earth.
A year ago, you published The great Escape*, a novel which told the story of a woman in the grip of a narcissistic pervert. You remained evasive on the autobiographical aspect. Recently, you wrote on your Instagram: “I thank life every day for giving me the strength to escape this hell.” One more step taken?
Indeed, when the book was released in January 2023, I really wanted to promote the novelistic aspect. But yes, I experienced that. I don’t want to give more details, but I dare to say it. I just didn’t want people to think I was complaining. I wanted to talk about a scourge that destroys families and people, to tell them that there is a way out. It took precedence over what I had been through.
What was the trigger ?
I wanted to die, and I had an instinct for survival. We endure until it’s too much.
Did this man who hurt you so much react to the book?
No. These people have a part of the need to destroy others and a large part of denial. They are in their own reality. They make others believe that they are extraordinary and do not see that they are the devil in their mirror…
2024 is a very special year, with ten years since Jade took off and your thirty years of career…
I’m getting older and, at the same time, I tell myself that it’s nice to still be here! (She laughs.) Paradoxically, I have never felt as good as I did at 50. I don’t cheat anymore. I feel free together in a joyful and respectful relationship. I am aware of my luck, and I thank life every day.
*Ed. Michel Lafon, €19.95.