A star celebrated in Europe, Eric Dupont-Moretti is preparing to take the stage for the first time in Montreal with his show. I said yes. This is the perfect opportunity to chronicle his impressive journey, settle a few scores… and demonstrate that he is much more than just the husband of singer Isabelle Boulay.
Although Eric Dupont-Moretti has never appeared on stage in Quebec, he is no less familiar with the territory.
Installed on the terrace of an Italian restaurant in the Griffintown neighborhood, it extols the virtues of La Belle without the slightest hint of sycophancy. His love for Quebec, where he discovered the charm of different regions thanks to Isabelle Boulay, is as sincere as it is obvious.
“I only came to Quebec once, in 2000, before I met Isabelle. But I've obviously been back very, very often over the last few years and, generally speaking, I think it's cooler here than in Paris. The sweetness of life here is amazing,” admits Mr. Dupont-Moretti.
The anonymity granted to him by the territory of Quebec is also an important advantage. Because his high-profile career – first as a prominent criminal lawyer and then as Minister of Justice – has kept him in the public eye on the other side of the Atlantic for more than 35 years.
“This is as true here as in France.”
He will follow this journey on stage throughout I said yesa one-man show premiered over 40 times to sold-out audiences at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris. The focus will be on his four years as head of the Justice Department, to which he will return with a touch of humor and a healthy dose of self-deprecation. This is also intended to reassure the Quebec public; there is no need to be immersed in French politics to catch all the references.
“The work of the minister and his explanations are valid both in France and in other countries. For society, the government is responsible for everything; what goes well is never thanks to it, but what goes badly is always because of it. This hatred of people towards politicians is as true here as in France,” says Eric Dupont-Moretti.
His stay in the metropolis will be short-lived: just one performance I said yes on schedule. But we feel a sincere desire to plan another visit that would allow him, of course, to visit the public in Montreal, but also in other regions. When we ask him the question directly, he answers by quoting none other than Robert Charlebois.
“I’ll go back to Montreal,” he promises.
- Show I said yes will be presented at the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the Place des Arts on October 14. His book Swore, spat will launch on October 20th.
