In the credits this Saturday evening of the new TV movie “Le Secret de la cave” on France 3, Samy Gharbi (“Tomorrow belongs to us”) tells us all about the “complicated” filming of this surprising thriller and about his collaboration with Elodie Varlet.
Tomorrow’s flagship face has belonged to us for almost six years now, Samy Gharbi is being unfaithful to TF1 this evening since he plays one of the two main roles in the TV movie The Secret of the Cave on France 3 alongside Elodie Varlet ( More beautiful life).
The plot of this thriller directed by Christelle Raynal begins with the death of a local figure in the town of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, found murdered on the banks of the Ardèche river. The murder weapon is a carved stone dating back more than 40,000 years, a period corresponding to the presence of men in the rock cave in the region.
Gendarmerie captain Riad Lekcir, played by Samy Gharbi, must then team up with his counterpart in the research section, Manon Ferret-Duval, in order to solve this thorny affair. A collaboration that promises to be complicated since a painful past binds the two gendarmes. And, of course, this past will soon reappear unexpectedly and turn the lives of the heroes upside down.
Samy Gharbi, who had already distinguished himself in Meurtres à Grasse a few years ago on France 3, confided in our microphone on this new role of investigator very different from Karim in Tomorrow belongs to us, on his partnership with Elodie Varlet, and on the complicated shooting of the TV movie.
AlloCiné: What seduced you in Le Secret de la cave and in the role of Riad when you were offered the script?
Samy Gharbi: Everything about the past in this investigation appealed to me. It’s a case that affects the families of the two characters, and I found it very interesting and very touching.
There is obviously this thriller side, as in almost all France 3 TV movies such as “Meurtres à…”, but there is also a really dramatic, really intimate touch, with this past which resurfaces, and all the dramas that go with it. . And then there is also action and comedy, because Manon and Riad launch a lot of spades at the start of the investigation and look for each other quite a bit.
And then, in what it says, I didn’t know the Chauvet cave specifically. I didn’t know it was the oldest cave in France, or even in the world. Minus 36,000 years is something anyway (laughs).
The Secret of the Cave offers you your first “first role” in a bonus fiction. We imagine that this is a nice accomplishment for you…
Exactly, it’s my first time in a leading role, so yes, it’s great. It was done thanks to the production, with whom I had already filmed Mise à nu a year and a half earlier. I played Julie de Bona’s lawyer and I got along very well with the producers.
They liked my work, I loved their way of working and their way of thinking. And it happened like that. They offered me The Secret of the Cave which caught my attention as soon as I read it. I knew I was going to have some pretty palettes to play with. That it wasn’t going to be just the very “poker face”, very detective cop. I knew there were deeper things behind it.
When you are asked to play an investigator on screen, do you first look at where you can take the character so that he is completely different from Karim, whom you play in Tomorrow belongs to us?
You understood everything (laughs). Yes, of course, embodying a second Karim would not be of interest. So playing an investigator in other fictions doesn’t worry me, but it has to be different. And there, as I was saying, there was a real depth to Riad that interested me. On a personal level, he has nothing to do with Karim. So I hope it’s successful and that viewers will see that I’m offering something else with this role.
Fabien MALOT – FTV – ADRENALINE
One of the strengths of the TV movie lies in your chemistry with Elodie Varlet. Did you know each other before shooting together?
We have friends in common so when I found out that I was going to play with Elodie I was delighted. I knew I was going to be well surrounded. And from the first day we got along really well, so that’s great because it’s important to have a good playing partner.
But, really, the entire cast of the TV movie is great. I loved the scenes I share with my fictional daughters. There was a great bond between us. I said to Lilou Siauvaud, who plays Rose, my character’s eldest daughter, “You’re the star, you shot with Camille Cottin And Matt Damon (In Stillwatereditor’s note), it’s me who comes after, it’s me who has the pressure”. We couldn’t stop laughing with that, it was kind of our running gag on set. I laughed with her and told her “How do you think I should interpret this scene? What would Matt Damon have told you?” (laughs).
Anyway, when there’s such good chemistry on set, everything goes well. And I think it’s also up to the main actors and the director to give a shot on set and to create a good atmosphere. If we manage to laugh between takes and everyone gets on well, we inevitably have the impression of being on vacation, even if we work a lot, so it’s super positive.
I believe that the filming was a bit complicated due to the weather conditions, can you confirm?
I totally confirm. Eric Guichard, our cinematographer, did a real job on the lighting, and what they managed to do in color grading is amazing. Because we had a really bad time and it doesn’t show on the screen. It was cold almost all the time, it rained a lot, it was windy. It was complicated but sometimes in adversity we manage to do great things (laughs).
Fabien MALOT – FTV – ADRENALINE
Were you able to enjoy a bit of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc and the region during filming?
I stayed a weekend there over the whole month of filming. I visited a bit. I obviously went to visit the cave. The surroundings, Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. But I quickly went around because we were working. We had big shooting days.
Tomorrow belongs to us will celebrate its sixth anniversary this summer. Do you still take so much pleasure in playing Karim?
Yes really. I’m very lucky with what authors write to me, I have a lot of drama, thrillers. Really interesting stories to defend.
Do you have any other projects you can talk about?
There may be a project for Netflix, but it’s not confirmed yet, so I can’t say more. It is the law of the trade. We pass castings, we wait for answers. But at the moment I’m very focused on Tomorrow belongs to us, I’m shooting quite well, so I have nothing to complain about.