Back in “Tomorrow Belongs to Us”, Amanda is determined to attack all those she considers responsible for the death of Ulysses. How far will she go? Marion Christmann tells us all about her comeback in the TF1 soap opera.
Allociné: After a year of absence, Amanda has returned to Sète. Was it a surprise when the production of Tomorrow belongs to us asked you to come back?
Marion Christmann: Yes, completely. It had been a year since I left the series and the character was in Martinique. I did not expect that. And when the production called my agent to propose and narrate the pitch, I said yes for that pitch. If it was just to come back and play everyday, I’m not sure if I would have said yes. But there, the pitch made me want to.
I imagine that you also had the feeling that there were still things to tell with this character?
There are always things to tell. And there will still be some even after this end. I was surprised and at the same time I said to myself that it was logical.
If we go back, how did you experience the departure of Amanda in 2021?
As far as I’m concerned personally, it wasn’t difficult to live with. What I love about our job is being able to do projects and have some people stop so that others can start. I took it as a door that closes so that another opens behind. So for me, it was awesome. It meant that other adventures were about to begin.
But, indeed, when Tomorrow belongs to us reminds us a year later to come back and say hello, we are delighted. It’s a bit like a kind of family that we find with pleasure.
How did you react when you found out that Amanda was going to spin and start killing people to avenge Odysseus?
I had never played a slayer before so I thought it was a great opportunity. For me, it was really a gift to offer myself this palette that I had never experienced before. That’s what’s great about series like Tomorrow belongs to us: in three years I’ve tried things that I might never have experienced in a classic career as an actress.
Regarding the psychology of the character, do you find it logical that Amanda could have come to this?
It’s obviously surprising since not everyone spins like that. Fortunately (laughs). But Amanda has always been emotionally fragile. She still poisoned Victoire (Solène Hébert). We have known her in things with a little heightened emotions. It may be a little pushed, but finally I understand it.
He is a character who has suffered a lot and who has experienced great drama. So if we push the neuroses of the character, we can achieve that. For me, that’s the logical continuation of his neuroses if you push them to the limit.
We feel, with the theme of the inseparable, that Ulysse (Sébastien Capgras) was Amanda’s great love and that the wound cannot be closed…
Yes, completely. She doesn’t become a psychopath, it’s still Amanda. She can’t manage her grief and her pain. And so she spins. However, we still remain on the same character who is in pain and emotionally very fragile.
Screenshot/TF1
Amanda wears a wig and dark glasses during her acts of revenge. Was it fun to shoot with this look?
It was fun because there was a transformation so it was awesome. On the other hand, it was still very restrictive because I shot in the heat wave, in the middle of August (laughs). There were one or two times when it was really very complicated and when I was really on the verge of discomfort. I remember that the costume designers stripped me naked and put my feet in the water with fans. There were very hard days in full sun but I don’t regret it, it was great.
Amanda also has a funny signature: she spits on her victims. Was it your idea or was it written in the script from the start?
It was a bit of both. The first spat with Sophie was written. And besides, I thank Carole Bianic because she wanted me to spit on her. Lots of actors could have refused because it’s true that it’s not very pleasant. But I wanted to do it. This scene was very funny to do.
I shot the iPad scene a few days later. So I asked the director to spit on the iPad. He told me “I’m not sure it’s okay but let’s do it”. And indeed, I saw that he had kept it. Amanda the spitter from Sète (laughs).
After Sophie, Martin (Franck Monsigny) will be Amanda’s next victim. What can you tease about the rest of the plot?
Amanda will want to go after Martin since he is the one who managed the hostage taking. And he mismanaged it according to her. We really shot something pretty cool with Franck Monsigny. We had a stuntman. It was really fun to do. Inevitably, it could end badly.