Prometheus on TF1: ‘A Kind of French Foreign Thing’ by Fantine Hardouin, Series Announced

TF1 broadcasts the first two episodes of Prometheus tonight, its new developments with Camille Lou, Odile Vuillemin and Thomas Juanet. But the real star of this detective thriller, which successfully crosses over into fantasy, is undoubtedly Fantine Hardwin, the mysteriously amnesiac teenager gifted with superhuman powers, the translator who lends her name to the series.

Seen on television in Engrenages, Ennemi public and L’Absente, Fantine Hardouin also made a name for herself in film with leading roles in Le Voyage de Fanny, Adoration by Fabrice Du Welz and Happy End’s Michael Haneke. Answered by Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trinignan, and Mathieu Kasowitz. Only this.

From the age of 18, this young Belgian actor bursts onto the screen in Prometheus, which skillfully combines crime fiction, fantasy, drama and coming-of-age stories. At the La Rochelle festival last September, where the series was previewed, he talks about this bold bet, in addition to the French TV fantasy offer, his special character and his love for genre cinema. Dario Argento to Pascal Lagier.

AlloCiné: Fantasy series are very rare in France. Is that what immediately interested you when you were offered the script for Prometheus?

Fantine Hardwin: What I initially look for in a script is first and foremost the story: is it interesting? does it stand out Is it a challenge for me? Can I do anything with the character that isn’t easy? And I think that we are not at all easy with Prometheus (laughs). It’s a really different series and I obviously liked it right away.

I am a big fan of genre cinema. And also French genre cinema. So when I heard that a genre series was being prepared for TF1, a channel with a fairly large audience that was not particularly used to this type of proposal, I told myself that it was a big challenge to get this audience going.

And then, beyond wanting to go genre-wise, I immediately saw that I could do a lot with this Prometheus character. It has many aspects, I felt I could have fun. It is very rare to be offered such a role in France. I really couldn’t say no.

As the season progresses, the more Prometheus veers into the fantastical, which is why it’s not just in small touches in the story. Do you understand community acceptance?

The series is very daring, that’s for sure. This is not the first French genre series, we have seen several in recent years. I’m especially thinking of Para//èles on Disney+. But it’s rare that a channel like TF1 leaves so much room for the fantastic and the weird.

I’d say make it or break it. Or society as a whole will protect and love Prometheus. And it will be able to open the door to other series in this genre, which will be good. Or there will be a complete rejection of the viewer, since it is different from what we generally see. Which obviously we don’t want (laughs).

Fortunately, there’s still a polarizing aspect, especially at the beginning, that might make the public want to get caught up in the story…

It is correct. It was necessary to know how to find a balance between what society knows and appreciates and what is more amazing and surprising. And I think we did that pretty well.

Mention gender. What is your favorite series and genre of movies?

I really like Stranger Things and Dark. And we are a little bit with Prometheus. The screenwriters wanted a kind of French Stranger Things, combining teenage stories, parental intrigue and fantasy. There’s also Misfits, which I really like.

But I’m more into genre cinema. I’m a big fan of Dario Argento. I love Jialo, it’s very interesting, just in the image and cinematography, which is great. I can also mention, in terms of French cinema, Pascal Lager, whose Martyrs I loved. Alexander Aja, who went to the United States, where it is easier to have sex. And Julia Ducournau, recently, whose work I really like. Although I preferred Grave to Titan.

Want to go a little more spooky with your next projects?

Of course, I really want to do horror movies. When I was little, I said I wanted to play a monster in a horror movie. Not a monster with lots of makeup or special effects, but a monster in his own person, a killer or a psychopath. Or, for example, like the ring girl, a mysterious scary character. I think we’re having a lot of fun playing it.

Isn’t Prometheus, in a way, the first step towards that? After all, he is a very strange, very mysterious character who causes concern and about whom nothing is known except that he has strange powers…

True, but it’s hard to approach the weirdness and “monster” side of Prometheus without spoiling the series. I really don’t want to say too much. But it’s a character that veers more and more towards fantasy over the course of the series anyway. We’re going to discover a lot about him and about himself because he doesn’t know who he is. He has power, but there’s a whole world and narrative around him that brings a lot of surprises to the audience.

Prometheus is surrounded by some very strong female characters played by Camille Lou, Odile Vuillemin and Marie-José Croze, all this is very important in this story. Are these women really there to help him, or should Prometheus be wary of those around him?

All of these women have a real desire to help Prometheus, there’s something quite maternal about it. Protecting it at any cost. They find themselves face to face with a completely lost girl who no longer knows who she is, and this awakens a kind of sympathy in them. And then, Caroline, the character played by Marie-José Croze, has lost her daughter, so Prometheus must fill the gap in her. This maternal aspect is very important in the series.

The Powers of Prometheus produces successful special effects and several stunt scenes. How did you experience this sequence of actions?

The shooting was amazing. It’s a real challenge because we’re stepping out of our comfort zone, but it’s a lot of fun to do. After that, it’s not always easy. I had a small problem at the beginning of the filming of the series. My arm hurt badly, I was immobilized for two weeks, and it happened on the very first shot of the series. Basically, from day one, I fall and break my arm (laughs).

He scared a lot of people. We had to stop shooting and revise the work plan. But I bounced back and continued to bounce while my arm hurt. Moreover, this was a real issue on this shoot, as Odile also broke her hand before the shoot.

The series features a very beautiful group of teenagers, which Prometheus will gradually become a part of. Was there an immediate bond between you and your co-stars on set?

yes right now I get the impression that pretty strong bonds are generally formed on set anyway. But there on Prometheus, I don’t know what happened, we became very, very good friends with Margot Hackman, Aymeric Fougeron, and Anthony Goffey, who play Vanessa, Hugo, and William.

We see each other almost every week, we went on vacation together, a real friendship was created and continued after filming, which is quite rare. Prometheus was really a pretty crazy human adventure, right from the start. This was the case with everyone from the actors to the technicians, including Christophe Campos, our director. It was really great.

We imagine you’re ready to return for a second season?

completely. I would love to and we are leaving the possibility for the second season. There is a cliffhanger, everything is done to open up to the sequel. We’ll see if that happens, but we all hope so.

You are only 18 years old, you already have a good filmography, having worked with Isabelle Hooper, Mathieu Kasowitz, Romain Dury and Clotilde Curau. Have you wanted to be an actor since childhood?

Actually, I started very young, at the age of seven, so I didn’t know what acting was, I didn’t even know it existed. I entered this world a bit by accident, and after trying cinema, I realized that it was really what I wanted to do.

Obviously, I know it’s a very uncertain profession, especially as an actor. We can be in a great situation with ten shots a year and then all of a sudden it’s all over and we have no more calls. I know it might end one day, so now I’m taking full advantage of what’s happening to me.

But even if my acting career is over, I know that I want to stay in the world of cinema, be it as a director, screenwriter or manager. I want to be in this world, I feel like this is what I’m supposed to do. This is a true calling.

Do you have any other upcoming projects you can talk about?

I shot the Belgian film C’est de famille with Olivier Gourmand and Alain Vincent, which should be released soon. And I’m also going to make a short film very soon, which is like Giallo, a bit creepy, I can’t wait.