Georges’ life is about to be turned upside down forever. Between his unwanted paternity and those around him in shock at the news, Mayel Elhajaoui spoke to our microphone about what the future holds for Georges in Tomorrow Belongs to Us.
The life of Georges (Mayel Elhajaoui) is about to be turned upside down forever in Tomorrow Belongs to Us.
If the police officer did not expect to see Vanessa (Victoire Dauxerre) again anytime soon, he imagined even less that she would return with a big surprise. In fact, the tiger rose killer is pregnant with him!
While the arrival of a child is always an upheaval in one’s life, it is even more so for Georges who had never really considered having a baby and even less so with a murderer.
Between unwanted paternity and those around him in shock at the news, the coming weeks promise to be dizzying for the head of the PTS.
Met on the occasion of this narrative arc full of surprises, Mayel Elhajaoui, the interpreter of Georges, spoke to Allociné about what awaits us during the next episodes of the TF1 daily soap opera.
Allociné: We didn’t see it coming: Vanessa is pregnant. Were you surprised when you read the script?
Mayel Elhajaoui : Extremely surprised but that’s what makes the beauty of a daily. The writers have such freedom of imagination that even actors who have been there for a while are picked off. When you are a spectator or an actor, the most beautiful thing is to be surprised. So yes, I was.
I imagine it was a shock to discover that George was going to be a father?
I didn’t see it coming. So I took it like someone who learns that they are going to have a child in real life. But on top of that, it’s with a serial killer. In general, we don’t plan too much with this type of person to have a child (laughs).
What state of mind is he in when faced with this ultimately unwanted fatherhood?
He’s quite dizzy. It is not at all in the classical understanding of things. He endures the situation. He wonders what he should do and if he is having a nightmare. The character gave me real feelings as a person that I even said to myself: “It’s not possible !“.
Despite everything, we feel that George is starting to realize that he is going to be a father and that he is worried about the future of this baby. Is he already getting used to the idea of raising this child alone or is he not in that process at all?
Before planning, he will have to accept the situation. In real life, we don’t plan ahead until we accept things rationally.
So it’s going to be a long road for Georges?
It’s going to be a bit long actually. In any case, I take my hat off to the authors and to TF1 because they are really trying to do something credible and realistic.
It’s a whole new side of Georges that we’re discovering at the moment. Do you enjoy continuing to explore new aspects of your character?
Yes ! It’s incredible to be surprised at that point. Even after several years in the series, we discover things and we go in new directions. It’s exciting for an actor to play all that.
Even if Georges had already broken his shell a little, we really have the impression that he is being stripped bare with this arch…
Completely ! It’s not sadomasochism but it’s still very pleasant to indulge and to have the ingredients to be able to give the spectators something new.
This arch marks your reunion with Victoire Dauxerre. I imagine it’s always a pleasure to see her on set?
It’s a real joy. He is a very pleasant and humanly magnificent person. What’s funny is that she is the complete opposite of what she projects on screen.
If Georges was shocked to learn that he was going to be a father, Mona (Catherine Benguigui) and Victory (Solène Hébert) didn’t really take the news well. Will they end up being a support for Georges or will it be complicated?
Victoire was still kidnapped by Vanessa and almost died because of her. Mona knows she’s a psychopath. She never loved him. And when Mona has someone in trouble, they usually rarely come out unscathed. Given Vanessa’s pedigree, they will do like all real families. They will try to help Georges but they will not understand and will try to make him react in a way that is sometimes a little brutal.
Could Vanessa’s pregnancy be an obstacle to the reunion between Georges and Victoire? Viewers are still hoping they get back together…
Everyone hopes that Victoire and Georges end up together. Is this going to be a hindrance? In any case, it won’t make things easier. In real life, if you’re madly in love with someone and you tell them, “Listen, I’m coming back but I have a kid coming“, honestly, I think he will answer: “Well, we’ll have some herbal tea and then we’ll talk about it again in three years.“(laughs).
So no, it’s not going to make things easier, but love is still one of the rare things that is uncontrollable and unmanageable. And love is what can surprise you on all levels. Will this bring them closer? Will this permanently separate them? We’ll see, but the authors have quite a few ideas. In any case, I can confirm that you will be extremely surprised!
Georges is going to trap Vanessa but it is not going to go as planned because of Bart (Hector Langevin). What can we expect in the next episodes?
Bart felt betrayed by Georges. He is someone who lost his wife because of Vanessa and he would like to kill her for revenge. The feeling of revenge is always violent. There’s going to be a real big mess. The revenge will be impressive.
So tensions are to be expected between Georges and Bart?
Georges and Bart will have to explain things and try to understand things. But it is certain that these are relationships which are hardly compatible since Bart lost his wife because of the woman that Georges loved. It’s extremely violent and complicated to accept.
Are the tensions between Bart and Georges likely to impact Mona who works at the Spoon?
I think Mona is quite empathetic. She understands Bart’s reaction while George remains her son whatever happens. Despite everything, she is not going to say that her son is right in front of Bart. She will understand that Bart has resentments that are completely credible.
Will she play a bit of a buffer role between the two?
She’s going to play the buffer a little and at the same time, she completely understands Bart. She understands Georges a little less well.
So it might be complicated between Georges and Mona in the future too?
Georges remains Mona’s son but there is a chance that their relationship will change or deteriorate a little. But Mona remains his mother. It remains an unbreakable bond.
Usually, you are in a much more comic register with Catherine Benguigui. I imagine it’s interesting to play a more tense relationship with her?
It’s extremely interesting because there is a lot of credibility and realism in this relationship. There is a lot of misunderstanding and friction in mother-son relationships but love always remains stronger than anything. We cannot say that a child will never have disagreements with his parents. There will therefore be normal relations between a son and his mother.
Vanessa will end up being arrested. Is there any satisfaction that she’s finally behind bars?
Yes ! Georges’ fear as a dad is that she will be shot because there is the baby. Georges always remains true to his personality. He’s a nice guy who wants a lot of good around him. He doesn’t want the baby to be a collateral victim. He wants her to be arrested and go to prison so that he can not only preserve the life of this child but also be able to answer for his actions in court.
When becoming a father, Georges will surely be particularly anxious. Who will he be able to count on? Given that Sara (Camille Genau) and Roxane (Raphaële Volkoff) have a young baby, could he ask them for advice?
There are Sara and Roxane but there are other friendly possibilities. But yes, he is going to ask Sara and Roxane for some advice. There is Karim (Samy Gharbi) and Commander Constant (Franck Monsigny) who also have children and who know the problems caused by being a dad.
What do you think, Georges papa?
It’s the roller coaster (laughs)! He has a cane and will have a kid in the other hand. It’s going to be folkloric. But I think he’s going to be extremely attentive. He will be very sweet and caring. With Mona behind, it’s going to be very funny too. She might want to repeat some of the things she did with George, telling him that it worked well when he was little.
What awaits Georges in the coming weeks?
He will work on other investigations. There’s a big arch coming and we’re just finishing filming. There are quite a few things awaiting Georges. And then there is the continuity of this story. There is potentially a meeting and perhaps a love story. We need to give this Georges a little pep again after so much suffering and anxiety (laughs).
Should we understand that your character will be concerned by the investigation which begins on Monday with the discovery of Vince’s body?
Yes. I shot quite a few sequences on this arch. Work and life continue for Georges. He can’t stop living because Vanessa is in the hospital.
At the same time, you are performing your show “Mayel en vérité”. Can you tell us a few words about this show?
The idea for the title came because a lot of people I meet in the street tell me: “It’s funny, I didn’t see you like that in real life.” Or “It’s funny, I saw you smaller, bigger, less tall, less beautiful, less strong in real life“. Not everyone says that, obviously, but it’s true that I needed to return to my first loves: the stage, comedy, humor and stand-up. I felt the need to say to the people who I am in reality.
In real life, I’m bad at computers, even zero. I’ve had people stop me on the street and ask me to fix problems on their phones because they were glitching. I told them : “Guys, the only help I can give you is to go to Google and type in the problem. You will see there are tutorials“. And that’s extraordinary! I’m terrible at computers and I’m terrible with new technologies while they make me a computer genius on television. So it’s funny.
With this show, I needed to say “No it’s not that. I’m a little guy, I was born in Picardy in Amiens. I have ten brothers and sisters, I am of Moroccan origin“. I needed to say a little about who I was, to tell my story and to say that in fact my life was not just about Georges. It’s very rewarding because Georges gave me a notoriety and a good image. When you love someone, it’s also good to know a little more about them. I needed to tell them that Mayel, in real life, is that. I’m happy because that people come out of the show saying “It’s funny, I didn’t know that at all” Or “It’s funny, we see you differently now“.
I’m starting the show again in mid-October. I start with Belgium and return to France at the end of the year. Dates will be announced soon.
Do you have other projects on television or in the cinema?
I played in A l’instinct for France 2. I also have a small role in a film which is being confirmed.