Three years ago, the career of Melanie Maudran has taken a whole new turn. While she chained the supporting roles in various films and TV series, the wife of Thierry Ascione accepts a role that will turn her life upside down: that of Claire Estrela in Such a great sun sure France 2. A proposal that comes at the right time since the actress, now aged forty-one, has just come out of a long break granted to her two young children. Exclusively for Current wife, Mélanie Maudran, alias Sandrine in season 14 of Research Section whose last episode airs Thursday, March 11, 2021, confides behind the scenes of her life as an actress. Between family moments in the south of France and TV series shoots, Melanie Maudran is on all fronts. A challenge that she takes up brilliantly!
Femme Actuelle: what is your assessment of your experience in Research Section?
Melanie Maudran : So far, the toll was mostly human … But since the start of the broadcast, it is much more concrete and the audiences are auspicious, satisfactory and encouraging for a sequel that I hope. A year ago, when I finished filming, I came out very happy with the wonderful encounters I had. Humanly above all, with Fabienne Carat but also the rest of the team. I was a bit of the new kid, too! It allowed me to play a character who took me completely out of what we have seen so far with Such a great sun. The character of Sandrine has grown in strength over the episodes. She has a very surprising face especially in the last two episodes … It was very challenging and exciting.
How was your collaboration with Fabienne Carat?
M.M: The complicity was immediate. When it happens like that, it's ideal, whether it's on the set or on a personal level. There was a real fusion between the two of us, it was enough to work with Fabienne Carat in this sense. She and I were on the same page … We saw the story and the connection between our two characters in the same way. We worked in a great atmosphere. We had a lot of fun between takes!
The last episode of Research Section is a cross over with Alice Nevers. A return to your roots since your appearance in the series in 2013 …
M.M: 2013? I didn't have the exact date! Time flies. It was a great experience. And then, I must say that I was super happy to work with Jean-Michel Tinivelli, who is for me one of the funniest people I know! (laughs) It's true that we had a really good laugh, it was great to see each other again after all this time. We felt there was a kind of joy to meet again, everyone was happy to be there. It was a real pleasure to do this crossover.
How does your role in everyday life Such a great sun changed your family life?
M.M: When I took on this role, I quickly realized that I had to be omnipresent. I was responsible for the launch, everyone had bet a lot on this program. I couldn't go back and forth with my toddlers, so the matter was quickly settled … Everyone followed me on that one. But it was not without fear. My children were really small, my absolute fear was to disturb their balance. Ultimately, when parents are happy, children are happy. We managed to restore a balance in another environment, the south of France. It allowed us to open up to other horizons. Today everyone is very happy in my family, me first.
How did your husband Thierry Ascione react? Was he afraid that your family would be turned upside down?
My husband immediately said to me: 'Of course we are going. He followed me and encouraged me. On the contrary, it was almost me who feared the most about it! (laughs) Because I am a very mother above all and I know what it means to turn in a daily, I had lived it before … I knew it would be a lot of work and hours of filming. As hard as it is, my goal has always been to combine the two. That's why I stopped at one point to devote myself to my little ones, being available all the time was very important.
How does one manage to manage the double hat of mother and actress of a daily newspaper?
M.M: My children are my property anyway … When I was filming in Montpellier, I could regularly bring them to school. Every night, I was there for dinner, bedtime … What was important for my husband and I was to be all united in the same place, that we continue to do things the way we do. has always done. I love my job but I think you shouldn't mix it up, compartmentalize and keep a family balance above all. You must not believe, my children evolve in a more than normal environment. Good after, honestly … my little ones barely know what I'm really doing! (laughs)
After four feature films, Such a great sun, Research Section and soon Murders in Mulhouse … What do you dream of for the future?
M.M: For the moment, nothing prevents me from going on other adventures, I do not feel locked in the series Such a great sun. But it's true that … I would really like to return a period movie! I had the opportunity to do it with Jean De La Fontaine, the challenge by Daniel Vigne and Land of light by Stéphane Kurk, where I played the epic of a woman over several years of life. We toured in Morocco for six months, it was great … I really want to remake a period film, to tell you the truth, it's a real desire that I have. This feeling of being immediately transported to clothes, period costumes, sets… It's grandiose. It’s quite a unique feeling! I am open to the most beautiful scenarios …
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