More than a year after its second season aired, I Promise, the French adaptation of This Is Us, hosted by Camille Lou, Hugo Becker, Marilou Berry, Guillaume Labbe and Narcisse Mame, returns this Monday, April 3 on TF1. The third part of the adventures of the Gallo family.
In this case, Guillaume Labbe, the interpreter of Michael, entrusted us with the microphone about this new burst of episodes and more specifically about the evolution of his character, his history with Estelle (Sarah Martins) and the mysterious past of Paul. What will announce the season full of twists and turns.
Alocine: If we go back to the beginning of the adventure, I promise, what attracted you to the role of Michael?
Guillaume Labbe: I liked his emotional immaturity. I found it funny and very charming at the same time. I felt that behind all this there was an injured child. I liked this idea of a guy who smiles at everything, who was always the best in the eyes of others, and who in his eyes is actually a big piece of garbage. That’s what I like about it.
Michael has changed a lot since the first episode of the series. How do you see its development?
It is a very interesting development. It is well written. The psychology of the characters was very well developed in the original series. I think evolution is great. By shortening the season in France, on the other hand, we lose a little. I haven’t seen the American series, but there are times while reading that I tell myself that things are moving a little too fast and it would be nice to have another tape or two to understand the evolution.
Then it seems to be a bit slow in the American format, so we might win a bit in the end. Either way, I love Michael’s evolution, but I tell myself that sometimes it’s worth going a little deeper in certain directions.
We promise to address universal themes of family, love or grief. Do you think one of the strengths of the series is the possible identification between the characters and the audience?
Yes. I think that’s what works. This is a series about a family who love each other deeply. Still, there are issues and shouting matches, but at the end of the day, there really is a lot of brotherly love and friendship. I think that’s nice too. There is something nice about seeing so much love.
At the end of season 2, Michael met Estelle, Agnes’ cousin, who will play an important role in this season. How will this relationship develop?
It’s interesting because it starts out as a normal plan, but Michael wants it to be a little more. He wants to see her more often besides sex. Estelle, on the other hand, is not in this perspective at all. It is a conflict between the two. We sense there is a hookup, but Estelle is on the handbrake.
This is also the season when Michael finds himself questioning his desire to be a father…
Michael was never seen as a potential father by the people around him, nor did he see himself as such. With Estelle, he begins to ask himself questions. Talking to him, he will understand that he wants to be a father. He feels ready. Does he feel ready because he is in love with Estelle and wants to start a family with her, or does he really want to be a father? This is another question.
Michael is also the character Paul most wants to be like. Do you think he is trying to replicate what he had with his father?
I do not know. It’s a good question. I think Michael is the one who has the most damaged image of his father. In any case, he is the one who most quickly realizes that he was not at all the completely incredible, flawless and perfect person that he was given to see. I think Michael is a little more critical of her. She may want to be like him, but she’s willing to look beyond that image to find out the truth.
Moreover, Michael investigates his father’s mysterious past. What will he learn and how will it affect him?
He will learn a lot about his father’s past and more specifically about his brother, Alexander, his uncle. All of this will have a big impact because Paul has been lying to them all his life. They could not imagine that their father was lying. Paul is truly the image of a perfect father. Moreover, I think this story will free Michael. This will free him from the father image he started in season 2. This will relieve him a little of the need for perfection.
Michael will also learn the image his father had of him and it will hurt him deeply and then he will fall back into addiction. He’s going to have little setbacks because he’s learning really, really hard things.
The season begins with a forward to 2040. Michael, Maud and Mathis will soon be 60 years old. Did you enjoy making these scenes?
Yes. It’s always nice to have a change. This makes it easy to transition into a very different character.
How long does such a transformation take?
It’s super light. The choice here was not to go through a major transformation. These are mainly products that highlight wrinkles and light makeup. It should have been 1 hour 30 in total. We also made the choice not to put any prosthetics under the eyes or on the neck because it’s a really short sequence.
What is your best memory of filming?
My best memory is in season 2. It’s a long sequence with cuts from Maude, Matisse, Florence, and Michael. Emotions running high and we really had time to play and share. I had great emotions. It was really nice.
Was there a scene that was particularly difficult to shoot?
There’s a scene I haven’t seen anywhere else where I’m in a city courtyard. I play football drunk and drugged in the middle of the day. Originally, it was a scene that was supposed to be completely different. It should have been taken at night with a bottle of beer.
I was very afraid of this scene. I was afraid it was completely ridiculous. I didn’t know how to play. I remember getting into that drunken state gave me a lot of energy. It was hard to stay in it and give everything 1000%. In the end, I was very happy to do it.
I liked it because I felt very free, whereas I really was at first.”How am I going to do this?“Still, I was very close to telling them.”We don’t do it, it’s impossible“. This is one of the rare scenes where I was filmed by Renaud Bertrand, he helped me a lot.
Looking forward to season 4 I promise, do you have any other projects you can tell us about?
I did a series for Amazon called Escort Boys. It was extraordinary. It is directed by Ruben Alves. The action takes place in the Camargue and tells the story of boys who become escorts in spite of themselves. It is super beautiful, sensual and fun. It’s interesting because it deals with both female and male desire. I saw the episodes and it’s cool. I can’t wait for it to come out.
I also starred in a single with Muriel Robin, which is due out on TF1 soon. Directed by Clement Michel. Here I am not playing an escort, but an incestuous father who rapes his son. Very well written and very challenging.
Otherwise, I’m currently shooting in the car for the TV series Arte. It is directed by Fred Grivois. It’s quite a dark action series in which I play a soldier who is a bit crazy, a bit intellectually simple and very dangerous. I think it will be wonderful. Margot Bancilhon stars alongside Joey Starr.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
