Jean-Pierre Foucault Tries Something New with “Murders on the Blue Coast” – His Insights!

France 3 welcomes viewers to watch the acting debut of TF1’s presenter Jean-Pierre Foucault in the new TV movie, “Murders on the Blue Coast,” airing Saturday, October 12th at 9:10 PM. Speaking with AlloCiné, the entertainment star from the leading channel shares his thoughts on this entirely new experience within his impressive career…

AlloCiné: Why did you agree to act in this TV movie?

Jean-Pierre Foucault: I hesitated initially when Christophe Koszarek [the producer] suggested it over lunch. At first, I was intrigued, then concerned, and after a few days of thinking it over, I said “Yes“… And after saying “Yes“, I thought, “What have you done?!” (…) I don’t regret trying it now, but at the moment, I must admit it really threw me off.

Did filming close to where you live reassure you in this first acting experience?

I’ve played myself a couple of times, which is a role I know quite well… But actually playing someone else, with the ability to go home each evening, indeed made it quite pleasant. Plus, filming in a natural setting that is familiar to me was hugely comforting. There were other aspects that made it challenging…

The thing is, since my schooling, which was exceptionally brilliant as you can imagine since I started working at 18, I hadn’t had to memorize a script! (…) But I had a coach at home who was wonderful: Alexandre Thibault, who came over daily to rehearse with me. I even practiced at night! My wife would ask, “Who are you talking to?” and I’d reply, “I’m talking to no one. I’m rehearsing!” (laughs)

Can you tell us more about your training with your coach?

Every day at home, we would go over the next day’s script. He also taught me a few tricks… First, he taught me how to walk. On TV, you don’t move much; it’s quite static. He also gave me some tips on pausing and breathing within the script. He was truly essential on the set. I am very grateful to him!

Did any fellow hosts give you advice?

I spoke with Jean-Luc Reichmann because he films [Léo Mattéi, brigade des mineurs] near us in Martigues. He shared his method for memorizing scripts, etc. I think Jean-Luc is a real actor at heart, and an excellent host. I’m just a TV show presenter… However, I wasn’t able to discuss with Laurence Boccolini or Stéphane Bern, who I saw on TV just the other night. But will the audience accept us in these roles? I’ll tell you after it airs.

Was there a particular scene that was difficult for you to perform?

All of them were challenging! I’ve been in the business for 55 years as a host and being myself in front of a camera. Here, they asked me to ignore the camera and play someone else! I was always anxious about whether people would believe in “Jean-Pierre Foucault, actor” because if you watch the TV movie and think: “Typical Foucault!“, then it’s a fail. Conversely, if you can imagine me as Marc Valenci [his character in Murders on the Blue Coast], the heritage architect, then it’s a success. That was my concern.

How did you react when you watched the drama?

When I received the TV movie, I watched it askance to see less, to try to protect myself a bit (laughs) I can’t say I found myself good because that’s not true, and because I always see Jean-Pierre Foucault. But my friends who saw it said: “Yeah, it’s good.” So, the audience’s verdict will come… We’ll see on Sunday morning if Marc Valenci was good or if Jean-Pierre Foucault was bad.

Has this experience made you want to continue in this direction?

As I said, when I watch the TV movie, I still see Jean-Pierre Foucault, which bothers me a bit. If the viewer can look past that, maybe I’ll try something else if Christophe Koszarek is willing to propose something else. Perhaps less crime but a bit more comedy next time. But comedy is the most complicated, difficult, delicate art, whether it’s on television or in cinema.

Have you received any other offers?

They’re going to come flooding in! (laughs) No, I haven’t received any other offers yet. It hasn’t even aired yet, can you believe it? Plus, I didn’t do this for that. One: I did it because Christophe asked me to. Two: because TF1 very kindly allowed me to do it. And three: because for me, it wasn’t unpleasant to try something different.