Stephane Henon (Murders in Font-Romeu) discusses filming fiction at high altitude

After More beautiful life succed to Stéphane Henon. Very busy, the actor has a series of projects, including the detective fiction broadcast on France 3 this Saturday, September 23 at 9:10 p.m., Murders in Font-Romeu (our opinion), in which he plays opposite Béatrice de la Boulaye. The actor is preparing to return to the filming of More beautiful life for new episodes on TF1.

Murders in Font-Romeu : Stéphane Henon had a very precise idea of ​​his character

How did you join the big family of Murders in… ?

Hubert Besson, the creator of More beautiful life, offered me this role. I was happy to take part in this adventure, just three weeks after the end of the series. I found lots of technicians from the time, so I was like family. It was a very nice experience. Besides, we should shoot the sequel. I think we could make a good series with these two characters.

The filming conditions weren’t too harsh at high altitude?

It was sometimes complicated with the cold. It’s not easy to articulate well when your mouth is completely frozen (He laughs). But this job is my passion, so I’m always ashamed to complain. The construction workers are outside in all weathers and you can’t hear them complaining. And then for me, who is used to filming in Marseille by the sea, it was very nice to work in the mountains. It was a first for me. We filmed for a month. The first day, we had a lot of snow. It’s more restrictive for the technique but the image rendering is always superb. When we arrived it was snowing and I was very excited. But afterwards, not a single flake fell! The better things went, the less snow there was on the plans (He laughs).

What was your preparation for taking on this character?

Initially, my idea was to make him a very grumpy hermit. I had grown a huge beard and had long, messy hair. After discussing it, we preferred to make him a straight soldier. The same day, we cut everything. I like the rebellious side of this character who really thinks about his job. For me it was very interesting to play and I think a lot of people can see themselves in him. And it is also a Murders in… different in the sense that it addresses a social theme. This is one of the aspects that attracted me.

Did you perform your stunts?

The production refused. It was the first day of filming and we couldn’t risk injury. But I would have loved it. I was fed a bottle of Jean-Paul Belmondo. He’s my idol and I had the chance to work with him on Cyrano de Bergerac when I was younger. My dream was not to become an actor, but to be “Bébel”. (He’s laughing.)

Murders in Font-Romeu : Stéphane Henon has “always dreamed of being a popular actor“

Where does this passion for acting come from?

I think all kids dream of it. We get paid to play, it’s great. I went to school where I learned to sing and dance and I very quickly knew that it wasn’t for me (He laughs) but acting was a revelation. No one in my family came from this profession. With my twin brother, we decided to get started. It took perseverance, but we got there. In comedy I have fun, I’m still a big child. And I hope to continue for a long time. I think that’s what keeps me young. Laugh too. It’s a chance to go to work with a light heart. I could have continued my profession when I was doing theater, I earned a decent living, much less than now, but I made a living from my profession. And I had the chance to do More beautiful life who gave me notoriety. I never wanted to be a star, but I always dreamed of being a popular actor.

A month in the cocoon of filming, did you sometimes feel a little alone?

If I say no I will be hated by my family and if I say yes they will say that I am never happy (He laughs). In fact, we always work things out. I was able to make a few return trips to the Camargue. It’s part of the job. You have to understand that there are months when I work and that’s good! In addition, A Murders in… it cannot be refused! It’s a desire I’ve had for a long time, but it was complicated because of my schedule. It’s still great that I was offered this role at the end of More beautiful life. And it was the icing on the cake when I learned that the soap opera was going to start again on TF1.

What are your projects ?

I play a little trash in Deaths at the top, a TV movie with Laurent Gerra. I get offered a lot of villain roles. As I get older I must look like a thug. I loved it. I used to play antiheroes with Boher’s character, and it’s true that playing villains is quite exhilarating. Plus, I had a pretty nice look with slicked back hair and a mustache. It’s fun to play these kinds of roles that are very far from who we are. It’s a real outlet to be able to express things that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to afford in life.