Linda:
Bonjour Pierre-Marie, what was your first
reaction when you learned about our
Catherine de Montsalvy Website?
Pierre-Marie:
Very nice
souvenirs
Linda:
Had you heard of “Catherine, Il suffit d’un
amour” by Juliette Benzoni and how important
the role of Arnaud de Montsalvy” would be –
especially for the female audience ;-)?
Pierre-Marie:
I did not know
the book
Linda:
Do you remember how you got your role as
Arnaud de Montsalvy – playing the heroine
Catherine’s Love of her life?
Pierre-Marie:
after a long casting
Linda:
Now that some time has gone by, do you
remember what your feelings were? Partaking
in that most awaited tv-production directed
by Marion Sarraut after the bestseller
“Catherine, il suffit d’un amour” by author
Juliette Benzoni?
Pierre-Marie:
the impression
of a beautiful and great adventure.
Linda:
Do you have any special fond memories from
acting together with the beautiful Claudine
Ancelot (as Catherine) Gérard Chambre (as
Jean de Xaintrailles), Jean-François Poron
(as Duke Philippe), Corinne Touzet (as
Princess Zobeida), Isabelle Guiard (as
Jeanne d’Arc), Pierre Deny (as Count de
Dunois) to mention a few?
Pierre-Marie:
pleasant
souvenirs of a big artistic fraternity.
Linda:
Do you remember the reaction of the public,
press and critics – after “Catherine il
suffit d’un amour” which consisted of sixty
episodes aired in on March 1986?
Pierre-Marie:
a very good one
Linda:
Did you ever have the chance to meet your
colleagues from that period again? (Apart
from Corinne Touzet, with whom you played
very successfully together in that
marvellous serie “Une femme d’honneur) Be it
in a film, play or tv-series?
Pierre-Marie:
with Philippe
Clay, unfortunately deceased now.
Linda:
We all agree, you did NOT play Arnaud de
Montsalvy ! You were ARNAUD DE MONTSALVY
the proud and valiant knight of King Charles VII trusted chevalier. Tell
us your opinion:
Did Arnaud de Montsalvy stay forever at
Montsalvy with Catherine and their children
as we see in the last episode? Or could he
not resist the call of his friends
“Xaintrailles and La Hire to join them in
the war campaign against the English?
Pierre-Marie:
good question, but alas
without an answer...
Linda:
Did you know that the Catherine books are
still as popular as they used to be all over
the world? – that fans of the TV-series
Catherine, go to EBAY and pay thrice as
much the price as it would cost at France
Loisier (the company who sells the five
DVD’s) knowing full well, that there are no
specials, interviews, subtitles or at least
English to choose from?
Pierre-Marie:
I do not have
the DVDs from France-Loisirs and I am
pleasantly surprised that the success of
this series continues, I am very proud of
it.
Linda:
In your long career, you acted in many TV
productions and international movies. Lent
your terrific voice to Sylvain in the
fantastic science fiction Gandahar – acted
as a narrator in many acclaimed audio books.
Is there still a part you wished to play or
direct and have never been asked or there
was never the right moment for it?
Pierre-Marie:
I would like to play
the leading part of Joseph Kessel's novel
"le tour du malheur ".
Linda:
What are your plans in the near future? Can
we expect to see you soon in another
television production, see you on stage in a
play or direct a new play?
Pierre-Marie:
I have written
a very beautiful story (script) about
abandonment ...... which I would like to
direct if I find a producer worthy of the
name.
I am directing and playing "exercices de style" with the company I have
created, maybe the Swiss will welcome me,
but I have no contacts. I am going
to be
part of the next movie of Jean-Claude Missian
Linda:
If you had a wish free, which of the fictive
characters you played so far or which
personality would you like to be for a day?
Pierre-Marie:
without any
doubt, ARNAUD DE MONTSALVY