This is where it all begins: “Leonardo is a ray of sunshine”, Thomas Villani tells us all about Salome’s brother.

NEW CHARACTER ALERT This is where it all starts: viewers of the TF1 series tonight will meet Leonard Seba (Thomas Villani), one of two childhood friends that Salome (Orelie Pons) recently decided to hook up with.

Leonard, as well as Maya (Alexandra Faval), who in turn will appear on the first screen on July 17, will invite Salome to the summer internship that she intends to lead at the institute. But how will a reunion happen between a master’s student and his precious brothers and sisters, whom he promised himself he would never leave, but for whom he has given nothing since moving away from the home where they grew up?

Thomas Villani, who met a few days ago on the set of Here It All Begins, tells us more about Leonardo’s very “sunny” character, who should quickly find a place in the institution and in the hearts of the audience. And in a few words, he tells us about the actor’s career and his relationship with cooking.

AlloCiné: Can you introduce us in a few words to Leonard, who we will find on screen this Thursday, July 13th in Here It All Begins?

Thomas Villani : Simple: Leonardo is kindness incarnate. He is very sunny, he wants everyone around him to be happy, as happy as he is at least. He is a very interesting character, a bit like a ray of sunshine who wants to give his light to others. He is deeply kind, expecting nothing in return. It really is pure goodness and it feels good. Especially in the worrisome global context we are currently experiencing.

Would you say he looks a bit like you?

Yes, it seems to me in many ways. After that, I guess I haven’t known him long enough to know if he’s as nuanced as I am. Because obviously we are not one energy. And I’m very interested in what he’s hiding from us.

In the house where they grew up together, Salome and Maya became his family, right?

absolutely. Leonardo is very attached to Maya and Salome. Of course, he will later make connections with other characters, but Salome, Maya, and Leonard all have this past in common. Salome and Maya are a bit like landmarks for him, “safe places”, that is, people with whom he feels at ease, with whom he can be himself.

When he finds Salome, he immediately regains the energy he had with her at home years ago. There is no resentment in him, he is just very happy to have found her. It’s a very cool friendship and Aureli welcomed us well on the set. Our energy on set was quite natural. We didn’t pretend to find each other, it was a real meeting between Orel, Alexandra and me.

What is Leonardo’s relationship with cooking? Is he naturally gifted or does he still have things to learn?

Leonard has a passion for cooking that was born with Salome, it started when they were at home cooking together. Salome is a little older than Leonard and Maya, so I think she had a little more grit, a little more perspective on what she was doing. Whereas Leonardo considered it more of a hobby at that time.

When Salome talks to him about summer camp, he doesn’t know if she continued to cook after leaving home. But she quickly realizes that she works out every day and that cooking is what she wants to do in life. Therefore, Leonardo gladly accepts Salome’s offer to join the summer camp.

Because he’s going to convince her that it’s a good springboard after joining the Institute?

Leonard is 17 years old when he arrives in the series. In a few months, he knows he’ll have to leave home, and he’s in a dynamic where he’s thinking about what he’ll do next. And Salome’s proposal comes at the right time. So he lets himself be carried away and gradually realizes that all the stars are aligning, that he might indeed join the institute at the beginning of the school year. But can he do a summer internship and teach at the institute?

What do you think is in store for him this summer? Will it work to reconcile Salome and Maya?

When Salome left home, he promised them that he would always take care of them, but he did not keep his promise. When he finds Salome, Leonardo is so happy to find her, he moves on. As for Maya, she’s a bit of a justifiable reserve because of the lack she’s felt. Especially since when you grow up at home, you probably already have a lot of wounds related to abandonment. So it must be painful to stay with dear sister and understand Maya, I guess.

Considering that Leonardo does not like conflicts at all, it is clear that he will give everything so that Maya and Salome can be as they were before. But will he achieve it?

And during the summer course of the institute, we find out that Leonardo really has a talent for cooking, that it is quite easy for him. Together with Maya, they will work and give everything to be able to build the future. It’s a bit of fear of the uncertainty that awaits them in the next episodes.

As with most characters it all starts here, does Leonardo have secrets, gray areas or a troubled past that we will discover over time?

Of course. What’s really cool about this character is that he’s really kind, but he also has a past. He has suitcases to carry and injuries. As a result of the death of very young parents, a person does not come out completely unscathed. I can’t wait to see how the writers are going to show this wound, these more intimate emotions.

Anyway, we already feel that he is very emotionally invested. When he’s happy, he’s really happy. When he’s stressed, he’s really stressed. Which goes to show that when he’s sad, he’s really sad. I’m really interested in what we can do with that aspect of the character.

What was your background before joining here?

I was born in La Ciotat, near Marseille. I lived there for 18 years. It really is a little heaven on earth. Then I went to Paris to do the Cours Florent, I stayed there for three years and when I finished my acting training, it was Covid. Well, it’s the best time to get out of school (laughs). So, for two years, I was doing small projects left and right, and here it all started, I got my first real role on television.

Do you hear feedback from the audience about your character?

I’m not really afraid because I think I have the shoulders to deal with valid criticism. If people have a critical opinion, even negative, about the way I play, about positioning myself, it will be very interesting to work on certain things, because in any case, the public is always right in all cases.

And after that, what might destabilize me a little bit more would be seeing comments that are like gratuitous disdain for a character, because very often very happy people are bothered and people who are comfortable being bothered, and that’s a little bit. Shame on you.

When you are a minority, you really have to do it from the heart. And it’s nice to see a positive image of homosexuality on screen. So if there are unfounded criticisms, too bad, I’m ready to deal with them. Because the performance on the screen is very important.

Was your cooking before playing in the series? What is your level in real life?

I think I’m not the worst. And at the same time, I’m not the best, because there are those who are not bad at all in the cast.

I’m a vegetarian so I watch what I eat and above all I don’t miss anything to really keep my energy up. This is what led me to discover different foods, tastes and compositions. I spend a little time in the kitchen. I don’t do crazy things either, for example, I don’t have an oven. I don’t cook super fancy meals, but I have a good meal plan and I love to cook.