“I fell in love with the game” – Larissa Corriveau

Larissa Corriveau discusses her profession which she adores, her passion for horses and her love for the Gaspé with a zen and calm tone, a bit of a philosopher. This contrasts radically with the dark and tortured character of drug addict Julie Lallier, whom she brilliantly plays in the series “All life”.

Larissa, camping a drug addict pregnant with twins: that’s a challenge you take up in “All of Life”!

I like complex characters, which require introspection. Julie Lallier is a drug addict, but what is behind this suffering? To accurately pitch it, I must do some research beforehand, in order to understand the reality of a woman who has lived on the streets, who has known hard drugs. Imagining what could have taken her so far is a stage in the work of an actor that I really like.

You are often entrusted with the roles of a woman broken by life …

It is true! And I have often wondered why besides, since in real life, I consider myself rather balanced and comfortable in my skin! (laughs) I think it’s just a question of the morphology of the face, an intensity in the gaze, an energy, a presence. In my early twenties, I wanted to play a “normal” character, but the older I get, the happier I am to slip into the shoes of these atypical women.

In “All Life”, you go through the rather intense scenes!

It’s true that the scenes where Julie Lallier is talking to a friend while sipping a coffee, there never are! Last week, for example, I had a short day of filming; only three scenes to play, but each was loaded with pretty beefy emotions: anger, fear, and physical pain.

It must be grueling!

No, it’s quite the opposite! Playing intense emotions must surely make you secrete adrenaline because, after a day of filming, I feel full of energy, as if I had done sports. There is something very healthy about the acting profession, since it allows us to put our own anxieties at the service of our character. It’s liberating! (Larissa thinks and adds, Editor’s note) That said, I’m not the type to bring Julie Lallier’s darkness to the house, since I have a little ray of sunshine waiting for me. My one-year-old daughter Thelma brings me back to reality pretty quickly! (The lover of Larissa, and daddy of little Thelma, is the actor Maxim Gaudette, Editor’s note)

Do you come from a family of actors?

Not at all. My parents are both retired. My mother was a social worker, specializing in family mediation, and my father was a professor of philosophy. Even though there are no artists in my immediate family, I have always been drawn to the arts. As a child, I played the piano and took dance lessons, before discovering the theater.

How?

Quite simply by taking a high school drama class. I am a fairly introverted person in life. In a group of friends, I am not the one to attract the attention, but rather the one to observe. However, I fell in love with the game immediately, so much so that it completely changed my life.

Did you plan to do another job?

Yes. I have always been passionate about horses and I wanted to study equine technique at the La Pocatière campus. I eventually headed to theater school, but horseback riding is still a great passion. Every time I go on a trip I find a ranch to ride a horse. Same thing when I return to Gaspé. I have spent part of my life in Baie-des-Chaleurs and every time I go back to visit my father or my friends who live there, I go horseback riding.

You who live in the city, do you miss the Gaspé?

Really. I live in Montreal, but if I did not practice the profession of actress, I would settle in the countryside, because I am well in peace and silence.

Besides horses and the sea, what are your passions?

Writing is an integral part of my life. I have written and directed four short films so far, and am currently working on a first fictional feature film. The confinement also allowed me to advance this personal project, since the three plays that I had to do this year have been postponed. I also like reading. In fact, in recent months, I joined a virtual book club. It’s the kind of thing I enjoy, but never take the time to do, because life moves too fast.

You are not on social media, are you?

I have an email, a Facebook page, but I’m not on Instagram and I don’t have a smartphone. Moreover, when people see my 15-year-old cell phone for the first time, they can’t believe it: it’s almost a “vintage” object! (laughs) I resist this social disease of being on all digital platforms, all the time. I much prefer to read a good book or spend time with my family.

• “All life”, Tuesday 8 pm, on Radio-Canada.