For the second time in two months, Stéphane Bern will be appearing in a TV movie on France 3. Bellefond, the French “mister heritage” embodies Antoine Bellefond, a prosecutor who puts his career on hold after the suicide of a man in full court. He returns to his native village to help his brother-in-law, accused of murder, accompanied by three of his criminal law students in an attempt to reconnect with his past and reconcile with his family.
On this occasion 20 minutes spoke with the presenter and now an actor who will make his fourth appearance in a TV movie produced by France Télévisions, after the very noticeable broadcast of For the honor of a son on August 25, having created a buzz on social networks and gathered nearly 4 million viewers.
How did you experience the excitement around For the honor of a son on social media?
I discovered what a meme was thanks to this image of me with a gun. And clearly, I didn’t expect to become a viral meme… At first it surprised me a little, almost annoyed and then after that it amused me rather because I saw some very funny things. It must be said that it had been two years since the broadcast of my first TV movie, Murders in Lorraine where I also had a gun.
So there was everything, things in good taste, things in bad taste, but I said to myself: “Hey, when it goes viral, it becomes interesting. I said to myself, “It’s a good sign”, it means that it creates interest among a rather young audience who is not necessarily the one who watches France 3 detective series. makes the buzz and the result is the audience score.
Why does an image of you holding a gun cause so much reaction?
I spent my life being benevolent, kind even if I also know how to fight back. I’m the well-mannered guy you go to for good manners, and that was the role of a guy on the run defending himself with a gun. This total contradiction amuses, intrigues and saw the birth of this meme.
It’s very surprising because as far as the emotion of my role is concerned, people don’t care at all. All the talk around a father who loses a son, around families bereaved by military operations abroad, it leaves the blogosphere completely indifferent. People only keep what they want, I’m used to that. After 30 years on TV, I know that we are not necessarily loved for what we would like to be.
Do you consider today to be legitimate as an actor?
There have been Murders in Lorraine, The art of crime, For the honor of a sonnow there is the first episode of Bellefond… A certain legitimacy ends up being established, especially since many people have also seen me in the theatre. I would like us to stop the illegitimacy trial after a while. The actors with whom I have played have never thrown me in the face: “No, you are not one of us”. It was the media that set up this tribunal of credibility, but in the end the public decided by being there each time.
As an animator, my job is to tame the camera. In TV movies, you have to agree to see yourself as you really are. The camera comes looking for things that aren’t always very flattering, whereas when I’m on the 14th of July on a podium for The concert in Paristhe light is perfect, I feel like I’m 20 years younger.
We feel that you are very happy with these experiences. Do you intend to focus your career on fiction?
Yes, I would love to. If they encourage me, if it works, I have no reason to stop. I’m about to leave for the filming of the second episode of Bellefond in which my character has changed paths, he solves cases with his trainees who work with him.
Inevitably this new rhythm will have a lasting impact on my work. For three weeks, the radio was recorded, the broadcasts of Secrets of history too. After a while, if it becomes too complicated, choices will have to be made.
Would you be ready to take a step aside in your career as an animator?
I will stop certain things, yes. It’s more of a rebalancing. I will make choices by refusing to present certain programs for example. I don’t wanna give up Secrets of historyto Favorite village of the French nor my heritage mission, for the rest we will see. But fiction becoming one of my priorities, I will be forced to give up presenting other things.
You also take advantage of your filming to carry out your heritage mission, mandated by Emmanuel Macron…
The filming of the second episode of Bellefond, near Marseille, will actually allow me to see the sites of the heritage mission. I had already done it when I shot For the Honor of a Son in Angoulême and Cognac. On the weekend, rather than sleeping in, I go to see heritage sites, so that allows me to kill two birds with one stone. Heritage is my passion so I stay in something that I love.
You have, in spite of yourself, become a character of French-speaking popular culture…
Yes I see it (laughter). And then I assume! I go on the networks, it makes me laugh to see that I have lots of clones, young people who imitate me. And then there are also the young artists… Angèle, Clara Luciani, Vianney, they tell me that they grew up watching my shows on TV so we quickly became friends.
How does it feel when you love heritage so much to have yourself become something of a television monument?
That’s what I’m told. At the same time, I hope that I don’t need to be restored too quickly (laughter). Being a monument is a pretty terrible calling because you end up having all the pigeons shit on you. All that exists in spite of myself, I live them day by day telling myself that I want to do fun things.
When I started, people said that I had a slap in the face, I annoyed everyone. Today I am told that I am a cult… The moral is that you just have to wait. Basically, it verifies Jean Cocteau’s phrase which said: “What others reproach you for, cultivate it because it is you. »
Are you already considering retirement?
I think about it often, it’s true. I try to have a healthy lifestyle, to behave well because no one is forcing us to retire. I don’t want to say “Follow me to castles, heritage sites” to Secrets of history, if I have to have a cane or a walker. I still have the same intellectual enthusiasm but after that you have to be able to gallop. I tell myself that I still have 10 to 15 years of TV animation.
But it also explains why I rather want to be in fiction. An actor who is getting older, we find that he has more character. A TV presenter who is getting old, we can find that a little ridiculous and say to ourselves: “He should let go now. I love talking with Line Renaud, who is 93 and still makes movies and TV movies, I find that encouraging.
Life has always brought things to me at the right time in my career. I accept the omen. I tell myself that each age has its own pleasures. I’m not going to run after new shows, that’s over. On the other hand, giving meaning and acting, I like it.
Do you think that the succession is assured for your departure?
There are spontaneous generations full of young people who imitate me or who parody me in a funny way, others who follow in my footsteps and it’s very pleasant. I see young youtubers, there are plenty of them… Some are in the area of Gotha and others in the historical and heritage area. But no one makes the connection between the two, which made my strength…