After the murder of Gaëlle, Tristan will find himself in a delicate situation this evening in “Tomorrow belongs to us”. What is he hiding? Could he be the killer the police are looking for? Mathieu Alexandre confides in the “Red Wedding” plot.
AlloCiné: You are one of the actors present since the beginning of the Tomorrow belongs to us adventure. Do you still take so much pleasure playing Tristan?
Matthew Alexander : Yes, I still enjoy playing Tristan. He’s a character that I really like. He’s always a little off, a little off, so there’s something very joyful about playing him. He’s a bit of a part of me now, after five years.
And it has evolved quite a bit, I’m happy. He went through a lot of different things. At first it was someone who was there to manage the Spoon, he was mainly there to make jokes and jokes. And it was great, I really liked it. It really defined the character in his dreamy, somewhat burlesque side.
And little by little, since he lived through more intimate, more traumatic, deeper and more moving things, we began to discover another facet of Tristan. He’s not just the airheaded guy who spills his tray on the floor, which is a bit off his push-ups. He also has a life. In five years we have been able to discover other things about him and it is always joyful for me to learn more about Tristan.
You returned to the series in January after a few months of absence. Did you ask to step away for a while, or was it purely a creative decision made by the production and the writers?
It’s a decision we made together with the production. Alongside the series, I do a lot of theatre, it’s an activity that fulfills me too. And I need to have these two activities, I have the impression that the two feed each other a lot.
But the theater is also very time-consuming, as Tomorrow belongs to us. And at some point you have to make choices, especially since on a series like Tomorrow belongs to us, it’s complicated to manage the schedules of people who are on stage in Paris, yes who are on tour all over France.
So by mutual agreement we thought it was the right time for me to take a little theatrical break and the right time to bring Tristan out. Because it was quite logical that he left some time after the hostage taking. It was good and it allowed him to come back afterwards differently.
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In 2020, the authors had imagined a family for Tristan, with the arrival of Sacha, Solenne, and Ben. Did it sadden you to have to say goodbye last year to Renaud Roussel, Artemisia Toussaint, and Antoine Cohaut?
It’s always quite surprising to have to say goodbye to your co-workers. Especially when you appreciate them (laughs). But Tomorrow belongs to us is a bit of an ephemeral place, we must not forget that. It’s a series, and in the series things have to move. Nothing is ever guaranteed, the writers have complete freedom to develop the characters as they wish.
So, yes, it pains me because I really appreciate them. And at the same time I tell myself that we could very quickly find them. Nothing is ever definitive in Tomorrow belongs to us. This is also the surprise in playing in this kind of series: we are always eager to find out who the production will bring back.
The arch around Sacha and Clementine was great. Were you surprised by the fate reserved for Sacha, or did you know from the arrival of Renaud Roussel that the plot was going to be headed towards that?
No not at all. I was really surprised that the authors left on that. But I thought it was very cool. It allowed to show another facet of the life of Tristan, and of his brother. And also to explore the dark side of my character, because of everything that was happening with Sacha.
After his separation with Justine, we thought that Tristan was going to find love again with Gaëlle. And finally, she was murdered by the Tiger Rose Killer. Do you hope that Tristan’s bad luck in love will eventually turn around?
Yes, I would (laughs). It wouldn’t be bad. I don’t know what the writers project onto me (laughs). They say to themselves that Tristan will never be able to be happy in love visibly. It would have to stop at some point because poor Tristan is really unlucky. So why not, yes, I hope he finds love with a nice person.
But it’s also very fun to play breakups. And it’s complicated to tell stories for someone who is doing well and on whom everything smiles. But it’s true that the authors were a little relentless on Tristan. I wouldn’t like to live his life (laughs).
During his interrogation by the police, Tristan lies and claims that there was nothing romantic between Gaëlle and him, which arouses Bart’s suspicions. Could Tristan be Gaëlle’s murderer? Will he end up on the list of suspects?
What I can say is that Tristan is not very smart. Chloe will soon set up an ambush with the help of the police to trap the serial killer. And the person who will pursue her in the streets of Sète is good old Tristan! I can’t say much more at the moment.
But what is certain is that he acts in a rather strange way. Afterwards, sometimes, when you are faced with a fait accompli, it’s complicated to get out of it. But Tristan has always had somewhat surprising reactions. And there it is sure that we wonder why he told the police that he had not had a relationship with Gaëlle. It’s still a bit of a mystery for now…
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Are we going to witness a real descent into hell for Tristan during this ark?
Yes, it’s going to be complicated for Tristan. He’s going to be caught in a gear of some sort.
We have the impression that it is an arch that still has many surprises in store for us. You confirm ?
Yeah, that’s a really cool arch. And quite amazing, that’s for sure.
After Gaëlle’s death, we witness an unexpected rapprochement with Vanessa, with whom the hatchet seems momentarily buried. Could a friendship be forged between them?
It is true that the relationship between these two enemies is quite nice. It starts a bit like in romantic actors: they hate each other to better appreciate each other at the end. It is sure that between them something could exist. Will it be or not? That remains to be seen. But it’s not impossible that Tristan and Vanessa can work together and enjoy each other. Even if they remain above all a duo that makes sparks.
It’s true that we love all the spat scenes between Vanessa and Tristan at the Spoon. There is a beautiful chemistry between Victoire Dauxerre and you. Were these sequences fun to shoot?
It’s awesome. Especially since Victoire is an excellent partner, very talented. She is a very good actress and a very beautiful person. So it’s always been a pleasure to work with her. And we had a lot of fun playing these childish shouting matches, and these spats. I have great memories with her.
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Are there any actors you would like to work with more?
There are plenty of actors with whom I would like to share scenes. Today, the series means that there are a lot of new faces with whom I haven’t been able to film yet because families don’t necessarily cross paths. And it’s always nice to shoot with new actors.
But I also love touring with Alexandre Brasseur and Arnaud Henriet, for example. Every time I find myself with them on set I’m very happy, so I want more scenes with them. There is a little evidence in the game between the three of us so I hope that this Alex-Sylvain-Tristan trio will continue. It’s a rather touching and rather funny friendship.
But, frankly, we are a great team. I also love shooting with Mayel Elhajaoui, Julie Debazac, Raphaële Volkoff, or Camille Genau, who are friends. It’s always nice to see them again and I would like, there again, to share more scenes with them.
Do you have any other upcoming projects that you can tell us about?
Yes, I do a lot of theater at the moment. I’m leaving for a play called Titanic, which will be performed at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris, from June to August. And then in September I will be in a play called L’invention de nos vies, by Karine Tuil, directed by Johanna Boyé, which will be performed at the Théâtre Rive Gauche in Montparnasse.
I have a fairly busy theatrical activity, it’s a joy to find the boards a little. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave Tomorrow belongs to us. This is a series that is close to my heart and in which I have many friends. It’s a sort of founding cocoon in my life as an actor.