"It did good in Quebec, but it opened a long time ago," he related. "It was released again after it won best film, best director, best actor and best editor at the Jutra Awards in Quebec."

And Looking for Alexander picked up three Genies: Dupuis won for best actor; Francis Leclerc picked up the best director trophy; and it also snagged best original screenplay.

"I'm glad about this Genie nomination (win) because I am proud of this movie and to be recognized for something you've done is fun." Dupuis said. "It's mostly about getting this movie out on the screens so that more people are seeing it. If this attention helps it travel better, then that's the main reason for these prizes."

He doesn't harbour any unrealistic expectations about the Genie's impact on his career in English Canada.

"I don't know if it changes anything," he mused. "I've gotten offers from English Canada because I did a series here (Nikita, a cult hit in more than 50 countries and shot in Toronto) for five years. I get recognized here for it. In Quebec, everybody knows me. It's less here. It's easier for me here. In Quebec, it's when you go into crowds, that the packs (of fans) come in. I don't walk on the street in Quebec very long."

There is a star system in place in Quebec, unlike here.

"I haven't been a star in the States," he said. "After I did Nikita, I was offered another TV series in L.A. but I refused. I prefer not to say what series it was — it was a good series — I just needed to go home after five years. But I'm not saying no to L.A."

Dupuis couldn't say no to Alexander, which is shades of Memento. He plays Alexander Tourneur, a veterinarian who goes into a coma after he is the victim of a hit-and-run accident. When he revives, he is an amnesiac and tries to piece together his life. He doesn't remember his wife or daughter or his business partner. Do they all have hidden agendas?

"It's not difficult when you have the material," he averred. "It is an interesting and profound script and character. Francis is a very talented director. He is very confident and when I got ideas, it didn't shock him. I did my homework. It was challenging — it was almost like being a baby, having to remember the technical abilities in life. The technicalities (like Alexander's veterinarian skills) come back as an adult. But emotionally, he's almost pure — though we didn't want him completely pure. It's not like everything was erased. He still drank."

Dupuis, who was born in Amos, Que., turns 42 on the 21st of this month. He spent the early part of his childhood in Kapuskasing, where he learned English. Acting not his first career choice. He was actually studying physics.

"I never really wanted to get into this," he claimed, lighting up another cigarette. "I was doing lines for a girl that was auditioning for NTS (National Theatre School) and they asked me if I wanted to go to NTS. I said, `Why not?' I was studying sciences. I was more into sciences."

If he hadn't become an actor, he probably would have gone into astrophysics. "Stuff like that. It was a long time ago now."