During the first weeks of broadcast of “Plus belle la vie, encore plus belle”, viewers were able to meet Jennifer, a character played by Diane Dassigny. Meeting with the actress.
In More beautiful life, even more beautiful, Diane Dassigny plays Jennifer Maseron, the new medical secretary of the office who will come to the aid of Gabriel (Joakim Latzko), Babeth (Marie Réache) and Léa (Marie Hennerez).
A true ray of sunshine, she quickly won the hearts of the inhabitants of the place, notably Samuel (Inaki Lartigue) who does not seem insensitive to her charm. During a visit to the filming of the series last December, AlloCiné met the actress so that she could tell us about her arrival in Plus belle la vie, encore plus belle.
AlloCiné: We got to know the character of Jennifer a few weeks ago, can you introduce her to us?
Diane Dassigny : I play Jennifer Maseron, the office’s new medical secretary. So I work with Doctor Riva, and Léa and Babeth Nebout. I am a rather happy, bright and funny character. I’m going to bring a little comedy.
What did you like best about the character when you were casting for the series?
These are precisely the comedy scenes. I found them really well written and it was a joy to play them. I said to myself that it would be very nice to have a role like this in the long term.
It’s the sunny side of the character that really attracted me. She also shakes things up a bit. She brings life to life, she makes blunders, she is spontaneous and direct.
Had you already watched Plus belle la vie before joining the rest of the series?
Yes, I had seen several episodes because I had a lot of actor friends who played in them. But I never followed diligently because it is very time-consuming. As soon as a series has more than 6 episodes, I rarely embark on the adventure.
So I didn’t watch Plus belle la vie every day but, obviously, I knew about it. It’s a cult series, it’s difficult to miss. But I also find it interesting to arrive on set and not know everything.
For example, I didn’t know all the connections between the characters. I liked discovering certain elements. I wasn’t troubled by preconceptions about the characters.
Do you have a memory from your first day of filming?
It was a great day. I filmed my real first scene in the series. I was immediately able to give the reply to Joakim Latzko, Marie Hennerez and Marie Réache. So I discovered my set and the actors I was going to play with immediately. And they all made me feel very welcome. It was a recovery for them too so we were all in the same boat.
What was your background before joining Plus belle la vie?
I’ve done a lot of different things. I did theater and also musicals. I was in Mozart the Rock Opera. Before that, I had roles in Julie Lescaut and Profilage. In the cinema, I played in the film Love is better for two.
I really like going from one world to another, and since I’m also a singer, I also do concerts. I also like to move from one role to another. For example, at the moment, I am filming in the series Monsieur Parizot, in parallel with my role in Plus belle la vie.
And for this series, I play a cold and austere character, in total opposition to Jennifer’s character. That’s what I find exciting about being an actress. And what is interesting by integrating a daily soap opera is that I will be able to follow the evolution of my character over time.
So I will be able to go through a lot of different emotions while being in the shoes of the same character. It’s really interesting.
This was already the case on Profilage. I arrived in the series by playing a character in the comedy, and then I became a cop and I went through much more dramatic moments. And that’s the whole point of working on a series, whether it’s daily or not. We can really go far with the characters.
How did you adapt to the rhythm of daily life which is very intense?
At the moment, I’m not on a main arch so I’m not shooting every day. My pace is intense because I have two shoots at the same time. But I think it’s a pace to take.
There is a lot of text to memorize, but the advantage is that since the filming is in Marseille, I can work on the train. I find it almost more difficult when I shoot in Paris because I have my family life to manage at the same time.
It is therefore more complicated to find time for yourself and to work. The train becomes my work space. It’s different logistics but it suits me just fine.
Do you already have an idea of what the writers have planned for your character?
I do not know at all. I tried to probe them but they wouldn’t tell me more. I think they want to keep it a surprise, even for us. At the time of casting, they told us that we were going to discover gray areas. I tried to find out what was going to happen to me, or to learn things about the character’s past but they didn’t tell me anything.
Did you feel any pressure when joining the cast of Plus belle la vie, even plus belle? The rest of the series is indeed awaited by viewers…
There is definitely pressure. Fans are not necessarily very happy that there are new and old characters. But we try to concentrate on work and not think about it because, unfortunately, we won’t be able to do anything about it. If we don’t like it, we don’t like it… It’s part of the game. But we are proud of what we all do together. It is the most important.