Class of 2010: Maxime LeFlaguais, the patron of the arts

Describing Maxime LeFlaguais as a people person would be somewhat of an
understatement. In fact, moments after entering the NIGHTLIFE studio in mid-April, he’d already befriended everyone from photographer to fellow performing artists. Affable, humble, handsome and a natural funnyman, all the metaphorical arrows point in one direction: an impending film career marked by leading man roles.

And Quebec’s up-and-coming marquee man will have worked his way into the part from the ground up, with absolutely no qualms about racking up experience doing miscellaneous gigs on film and TV sets. “I started out as a production assistant for television,” says LeFlaguais, who’s been so proactive in creating opportunities for himself that you’d forget he’s the son of two very famous Quebec actors, Michel Côté and Véronique LeFlaguais. “On sets, I would really observe everything that was going on. I’d do craft, I’d be an extra, then non-speaking parts, then minor speaking roles…step by step.”

 

To hit the ground running, on his own terms
So determined was LeFlaguais to disassociate his career from that of his famous bloodline that he refused to audition for parts in movies starring his father, regardless of whether he’d be sharing any screen time with daddy-o. In doing so, he has built a more than respectable resume, with starring parts on TV – in Radio-Canada’s emergency room drama Trauma – as well as on stage, notably in the Fabrice Melquiot play Autour de ma pierre, il ne fera pas nuit (as a slightly loony, grenade-toting poet).

One can surmise that it took quite a bit of prodding before LeFlaguais agreed to Piché: Entre ciel et terre (in case you’ve been oblivious to the monster marketing campaign, Michel Côté and son play the Quebec pilot at different periods in his life). And the payoff has been quick: playing the younger, troubled and prison-bound Piché to dad’s heroic, older rendition of the man has brought about mostly positive reviews and over $2 million at the box-office after only two weeks in theatres.

 

A self-avowed culture junkie
But talking with the down-to-earth guy, you see that his involvement in the arts couldn’t have any less to do with its moneymaking potential, nor is he banking on a quick shot at fame. Here’s a guy who spent three years touring schools with Victoriaville-based “intervention theatre” company Théâtre Parminou. He also attends on average two plays each week, and is the proud owner of a giant Ziploc bag full of ticket stubs. “I’ve kept them all – theatre, music, cinema, everything. Ever since my first concert, Filter I think it was, when I was 14. It’s my cultural baggage,” he says with pride.

LeFlaguais has always been passionate about the  inherent poetry in language, and quickly caught the thespian bug in school, when teachers would take students on theatre-going trips. He remembers the Michel Marc Bouchard penned Le chemin des passes dangereuses, about three grown brothers forced to confront their pasts, as having left a strong impression at a young age. “There’s a big reveal at the end, and I used to think that big reveals like that were limited to films,” says LeFlaguais. “So when I experienced it, my jaw just dropped and I was freaking out.”

For this driven 27-year-old, who has spent the bulk of his years involved in the arts to some capacity, the increased visibility and acclaim he’s been privy to of late are much appreciated, though never expected. “There are so many young actors coming out of schools each year, it’s unreal. The competition is so fierce. For a journalist to come to one of your shows and talk about it, that means a lot. And I think that as actors, we like getting good parts, interesting character psychologies to explore. And now that I’m starting to get interesting parts, I’m
really having a ball.”

Piché: entre ciel et terre | Now in theatres
piche-lefilm.com
 
 

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To read our Class of 2010 feature in its entirety, click here.