February 24, 2006

I arrived at the Cinématèque around 4:30pm.  Jeremy Peter Allen entered at the same time I did. A few minutes later, Francis Leclerc came through the door,

all bundled up in his parka,  blue wool cap pulled down to his eyes.  It was cold yesterday afternoon, -12C with a little bite from a northwester which dropped the

mercury close to -20C.  Perhaps it was for this reason that the atmosphere was so cordial in the lobby of the Cinématèque.                                                  

Everyone paced a little while waiting for the staff to let us enter the café de la SAQ for the 5 à 7.  5pm the doors opened. I was pleasantly surprised by the interior. Everything was black, all the walls draped with long curtains. The bar was in the back of the room, the stage was to the right, with a large screen in the background, the remainder of the space was reserved for the chairs and some rare tables.  There were approximately 150, maybe 200 people in the room. Some actors, cinema technicians, half dozen photographers and us, the general public. Beautiful lighting, well placed, intimate, never obtrusive.  On the stage, 5 comfortable rust colored chairs awaiting their guests. At first I was in the middle of the room.  Due to some kind of instinct , I returned to catch sight of Roy coming through the door, all in green, coat, shirt, t-shirt, dressed as always like an “onion”, the light footed walk as usual. He walked across the room to join Francis Leclerc near the bar.

The people next to me were talking a lot so I decided to stand along the wall on the left with all the photographers. I’m not tall, I preferred to stand for 2 hours and see everything. Wise decision.  After a 20 minute delay, the guests took their seats. The host, Joanne Prince, sat down on the extreme right hand side, Roy next to her, then Francis Leclerc, Jeremy Allen and Charles Binamé. They all looked good.  Roy more then the others:  ash hair, a slight tan, week’s growth of beard he stroked often, a sparkling attentive eye and easy to smile. I smiled myself when I discovered that there was in this whole room, among all these people, 2 persons who had kept their coats and kept them on during these 2 hours: Roy and me.

The discussion that started slow initially quickly took all kinds of interesting directions. But for me, it’s not so much the subject as the non-verbal of each one of them that clarified who they were and what type of rapport seems to exist between them. I write “seems” because my judgment is subjective. It is what I believe I sensed.

To summarize in a few words what they talked about, it was questions about the relations between the actor and director, the role of each in the process of creation and necessary complicity between them so that the film is good. There were some anecdotes about filming, 3 video clips, one of Manners of dying, another of Mémoires affectives, and last one of Maurice Richard.  The 3 directors mostly talked about how they liked working with an actor  the caliber of Roy, because, Binamé states, Roy is no longer Roy on the set, he is Maurice Richard, Alexandre Tourneur or Kevin Barlow, he becomes the character. It’s brilliant, concluded Binamé.  The others agreed by smiling.

But, like I said before, beyond everything they said and even though that greatly comforted me in regards to all I have written about Roy, assured  me I was right, it’s really the attitude of each person that aroused my curiosity. I understood why I was here, without really being conscience of it, planted in the middle of the photographers. Each fixed on their numerous camera screens looking for revealing moments , as for me, I have come looking for impressions and the glances, an atmosphere, a pulse.  To write requires being permeable to everything and to have an excellent rational memory and sensitivity because I don’t have the four of them for backup. Everything is emotional. And there was yesterday.

In light of what I could sense, Roy loves these 3 men.  For different reasons.  His relationship with Charles Binamé is particular. More distant, more cerebral. They both said they understand each other without speaking. But, I didn’t feel they acted like this because words are useless, but rather because Binamé having known Roy when he was young in his dark and tumultuous time, has kept a certain reserve with respect to him. They were physically far away from each other yesterday. Binamé looked at him a lot, as if he still sought to understand him. Binamé admires him, that is felt but it seems he doesn’t comprehend completely.

Jeremy Peter Allen is very poised and well- balanced. He has a magnificent smile. Roy and him, it’s the meeting of two minds. They are very open with each other.  There is electricity. One sees that they have withdrawn more than just the pleasure of working together, they were mutually enriched. What is important for Jeremy is that the message gets across. He is a man of words. He knows how to be understood. I believe between Roy and he, the complicity comes from a certain shyness which they both have in common. People like them recognize and appreciate instinct.

As for Francis Leclerc, their relationship runs deep. Roy and Francis, they’re brothers. It is pure friendship. They are like, they have been friends forever. It’s impossible that it would be otherwise, Francis is like good bread.  He is very frank, sensitive, and full of joy. Roy and him, it’s a pledge of success simply because they like each other. They also have, both of them, the concern for work well done. They agree in work as in pleasure. They look at each other, they are smiling, the bond is there, superb and beautiful.

7pm. After a few questions from the audience, end of the show. I slipped away quickly so I would not miss my bus. The return to the suburbs is always long and I didn’t have the intention to be a frozen statue at the terminal. I have therefore left Roy in the middle of his smitten admirers. Our blue glances crossed from afar, without him not really seeing me. He is still so handsome; he always gives off the same bright aura. He is someone unique and who, I have known for a long time, will be that way for the rest of his life.

					caps by Lindy