And three for Marie Portolano. If the hostess does not put on either a hat or an apron, she goes back to the animation of the Best Pastry Chef for a second “amateur” season after piloting the “professional” edition, the broadcast of which ended at the end of July 2022. She will once again be surrounded by judges Cyril Lignac and Mercotte. For the occasion, the culinary competition resumes the Wednesday box at 9:10 p.m.
Landed on M6 in 2021, the journalist went from sports journalism to entertainment. She now revels in this new arrow to her bow but has not abandoned her committed side since she is preparing a new documentary on violence against women.
How did you approach this new season during filming?
I was very happy to find the teams. It was my third experience on set but The Best Pastry Chef, it’s 11 seasons of technicians, editors, sound engineers, cameramen, assistant directors who meet each year. I was also pleasantly surprised by the cast. The pastry chefs really form a beautiful band and have created an incredible symbiosis. They are all super happy, even if it cried a lot because they loved each other very much.
No tears to declare on your side?
Well I admit… (laughter). I also sometimes shed a few tears even though I thought I would cry even more given my condition. [Marie Portolano était enceinte lors du tournage].
Does your past as a sports journalist help you approach this competition?
It’s really the same thing, only the setting changes but for me, it’s a real pleasure to animate. The big difference is live. In sport, you have to react live while The Best Pastry Chef is a recorded show. But there are real parallels. There are rules to respect, when you don’t respect them, you are eliminated as you could get a card… There is also a real pressure because they are amateurs but they get involved a lot and are very demanding with them- same. And then at the end, there is a winner.
Last season, we saw you share dinners with the contestants during the broadcast. Have you kept ties with those of this season?
The candidates of this season were to come to dinner at the house this Friday. As I am on the verge of giving birth, we postponed. These are people with whom I have really made ties, and not just professional ones. We talked a lot about our personal lives, what they feel like doing after the show airs, etc. So it’s quite pleasant. I also kept very good contacts with the pastry chefs from my first season. It’s a shoot that lasts two months so we obviously have time to create links. Just because we’re on a TV show doesn’t mean the links aren’t real.
After the broadcast of your first season, Michel Drucker praised your “sacred naturalness”, how did you receive this compliment?
I was shocked, it’s as if I had been validated in the world of rap! (laughter) Michel Drucker is a bit like the godfather of the PAF and I had the impression that he had dubbed me. I said to myself: “If he says it, it’s because he means it as we don’t know each other personally. It gives me the impression of not having made a mistake and above all that I have to do things well so that such a personality finds me well.
You arrived on M6 almost a year ago and we have seen you at the helm of many shows. Are you a bit like the Swiss army knife of the chain?
It’s true that when I arrived I chained between the Euro football, The Best Pastry Chef, music shows so I didn’t really have time to think. When someone offers me something that seems like a good idea, I go for it. Suffice to say that I have not refused anything for the moment.
What could stop you?
I could have said comedy because I’m not an actress. But M6 even gave me that opportunity in Domestic scenes. I feel like it’s a channel that offers so many possibilities that I take advantage of it. It’s very pleasant because you tell yourself that nothing is set in stone. I really don’t feel confined to a single show and it’s a real pleasure to be able to touch on everything. I really loved this first season in the group.
You will still have to slow down soon, just before the World Cup…
Even though I’m a sports fan, I won’t be watching the World Cup in Qatar for several reasons… And in particular because I won’t have too much time with what’s going to happen in my personal life.
What are your plans for 2023?
I am preparing a new documentary with M6 on the theme of violence against women in the world of work. This project was started from the beginning of my collaboration with the group but I first wanted to think about the subject and them to settle on the channel. This will be my big project for the year 2023 with the filming of the next season of Best Pastry Chefscheduled for May.
Your role as an entertainment host has therefore not erased your committed side, which viewers discovered during the broadcast of your documentary “I am not a slut” on Canal + in March 2021?
Animating lighter programs does not mean that I put aside all my convictions. M6 does not confine me to my role as host, they even accept and encourage my committed side and other things will happen soon in this direction. Maybe we are slipping with M6 towards a new form of committed animation. I think it’s great.