Un Si Grand Soleil: “It May Be Painful” … Hubert Benhamdin’s Revelations About Christophe’s Future

Christophe Lemaire (Hubert Benhamdin) has become the most emblematic character of Un si grand soleil. A character as terrifying as it is endearing, which would be nothing without the work of the screenwriters and the incredible performance of Hubert Benhamdin. Over the seasons, the actress has really managed to make her character one of the most charming daily soap operas in France 2.

It must be said that in the background of a gentle and caring man, Kristoff is actually a ruthless serial killer. its purpose? Change the world by punishing evildoers!

While his hunting list continues to grow, his recent encounter with Father Silvio (Marcel Gonzalez) shatters all his convictions. If we first believed that the one we nicknamed the flower boy was going to finally confess his crimes in order to make amends, in the end the opposite happened.

Feeling that he is now on a divine mission, Kristoff soon descends back into his murderous madness. And this time nothing could stop him…

Hubert Benhamdin told the microphone of Allocine what awaits his character during the next episodes of Un si grand soleil.

Alocine: We were talking a few months ago when Kristoff had just killed Patrice and Eva. Then you said you weren’t sure Kristoff would become a serial killer. Eight months later, your character has two new victims on his board. Finally, do you think this trajectory was inevitable?

Hubert Benhamdin : This already proves that I have a very good intuition (laughs). Even if I didn’t know anything about it, I want to say yes. I don’t believe in randomness in life, I think we have to go through certain trials that can’t really be avoided. Indeed, this thing was a bit programmed into Kristoff. Admittedly, this sober side he embodies in his crazy adventures is something he already had. Finally, as we follow his journey, he approaches the posture of a fast-paced vigilante who wants to fix the world and punish evil. It’s not that crazy compared to his trajectory.

We know that the reason behind Christoph’s dark side was Johanna’s infidelity (Aurore Delplace). However, do the writers plan to explore a little more of Kristoff’s past to better understand his psychology?

I have this desire. It would be really interesting to go and retrieve things from his past. It can be very powerful. But as you already know, once or twice a year we are given some trends about the future of the characters. I can’t tell you about this topic, because no one has said anything in this direction.

There is some fascination around various facts and the subject of serial killers. Just look at the number of series, docuseries and specialty programs that are flourishing on channels and streaming platforms to see for yourself. Are the screenwriters inspired by Kristoff?

I imagine so. This is an artistic ant. I think they are looking for all the new influences and all the quality programs. They really control the audiovisual creation. Then Dexter’s reference was often made about my character. It is proven in a sense. Other than that, I’m very happy with it because I really like this series. Everything is considered. I won’t pretend to be Dexter, but either way it’s a real influence.

Christoph recently met Father Silvio. An encounter that shatters all of his beliefs, to the point that at one point we thought he was going to confess his guilt in order to find the beginnings of redemption. In the end, it is quite the opposite that happens, and Christophe is now convinced that he is invested with a divine mission. What can we expect in the next episodes?

I really enjoyed this little narrative twist. I firmly believed in Christophe’s redemption. No (laughs). But this proves his bipolarity. He is definitely a character with a dual aspect. It’s definitely heads or tails. And finally this is the difference with Dexter’s character. Dexter was a psychopath, he had no empathy. He constantly had to fight and pretend to be human. Christopher, it’s not. It definitely has moments of tenderness, love of animals, love of family. I really think he’s sincere about it. At the same time, he has his dark side, which regularly comes to harass and capture him.

It happened again and the coin landed incorrectly. Now he thinks he has the maximum legitimacy to justify his behavior. What stopped him in a way was that he was cut off. He rejected this dark side and was very tortured. And there, as if he managed to understand why he was like that and find meaning. It might hurt.

Christophe will soon be on the trail of Pedro Morel, a former Chilean militiaman with a history of violence. what to expect

He will kill her.

This duality between good and evil is interesting in the current Ark. Through his choices and actions, Kristoff is ultimately a character that makes us question our own morality. Do you think it charms and delights your character?

Yes. I was a bit confused. From the moment my character started killing, he became much more popular. really. It’s amazing. Then I thought a little. I think the thirst for justice fascinates the audience. There are many who tell me “What you are doing is not good“or”I say, it’s still very dark“But at the same time, some people think the opposite. One day, I was filming in front of the Palace of Justice in Montpellier. There were policemen there, real policemen. And here’s a gentleman standing at the gate of the Palace of Justice and shouting.”Keep going! Let’s keep it! Kill them all!“Real policemen next to me, it was a bit awkward (laughs).

We will say that everything is not working well in justice in general and in our country in particular. True, there are difficulties, delays, procedural problems. I’m not saying this is my personal opinion, but in any case, we can have that reflection there when we listen to certain stories. I think particularly of the journey of rape victims, which is the Way of the Cross. The percentage of complaints that lead to lawsuits is absolutely ridiculous. It’s still scary. I think it fuels people’s need for justice and perhaps the fantasy of a masked avenging figure that looks a bit like Batman. In a way, Kristoff is against impunity. There is something like that.

What is interesting about Christophe is that he is traveling in a somewhat obscure country, somewhat like a Greek tragedy. I’m not saying that Un si grand soleil is a Greek tragedy, but sometimes it is a bit. What it works through, what it stirs through, is this somewhat cathartic dimension. What this character goes through is sometimes very difficult, the audience also experiences a little. If it opens a little window into everyone’s dark side, it might be interesting. But hey, I’m not going to pretend it is. But I think maybe that’s a small reason why it stirs or causes challenges.

If the police drop the florist’s investigation due to lack of evidence, Hugo (Bibi thong) remains fascinated by this serial killer and does not give up on the subject. Is it possible to get closer to the truth?

So far, he’s the only one with the right intuition. But will it be the one who finds out? I do not know. Me, I don’t want Kristoff to get caught because we all know what that could mean for the character and his future (laughs). At the same time, we almost want the Hugo to be awarded. He is still insightful, in addition to being very friendly.

It is certain that in the company of a judge, a forensic doctor and a policeman, Kristof really does not make his job easy…

Kristoff’s big problem is when he’s in danger. When he gets in the hot seat, it gets dangerous because he can get away with almost anything. Lying, manipulating, whatever he can do. From the moment it’s his wife, it’s going to be a bit of a moment of truth. He is really facing a conflict between his two aspects. Between his human, loving side and his dark side. From what I’ve been told, it might go a long way in what he might consider getting out of it. I think the next arc, which we’re shooting in August, is going to be pretty scary.

We had a theory at Allociné. It was believed that Charles (Nicholas Lancelin) would be the first to discover that Kristof was a serial killer and that he would be the first victim of his entourage.

He is a good leader. Besides, Charles has all the elements to understand. He is probably the one who has seen the most compromises. For a moment I thought it would go away, and finally I see that their relationship is normalized again. There is a beautiful relationship between them, a form of transmission. I thought anything was possible. And I told myself that he would become her Robin, her apprentice assassin. This will also be very good (laughs). As far as I know, we are not going there.

You mentioned earlier the cinematic aspect that was created around Kristoff. Do you just enjoy exploring it with the show’s creative team?

It’s amazing! I’m a huge fan of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks series. This series was a bit revolutionary when it arrived. It’s a series that had a bit of a soapy component and at the same time it was a genre side, horror and fantasy side. There was Dale Cooper, the main character, who ended up being possessed by some kind of demon and became a double being. It reminds me a lot of Kristoff’s trajectory. There were many experiments in which we were always between two worlds. There were already games with mirrors.

I think it’s great because on Un si grand soleil, we experiment with things like that. Kristof starts talking to Jesus almost as if he is his double. This is completely insane. It goes a long way but I love it. It was as if they put him in a straight jacket in a coffin, it was incredible. We were completely in genre cinema. These are very powerful symbols. I think these things catch the unconscious. These are the images that capture and move us. This experiment, this cinema, I like the most. This is what made me love my job. I like it not because of the excitement, because that’s not my style at all, but because everything teaches us about ourselves.

Do you have any other projects outside of the series that you can tell us about?

I don’t have anything solid yet. I am currently working on writing the screenplay. In addition, I photographed Yorgos Lanthimos in Poor Things. I had a chance to play a sectional with Emma Stone. I was playing a priest by accident. It’s still funny. I feel like I’m being followed (laughs). This priest goes to a brothel, falls in love with Emma Stone and tells her about her curse. This is not an important role, but a sequence. Playing with Emma Stone was an experience. We are already a little curious about what we are doing there. He was very charming and very open. We spent a day together naked talking to each other and managed to bond. He was a very good child, very good and very friendly. Nothing was really awkward. After all, it was quite nice to meet a Hollywood star and have an easy and pleasant relationship.