The TV film “Death of a Shepherd”, broadcast Tuesday January 23 on France 3, was filmed in Puy-de-Dôme in 2023. With Anny Duperey in the lead role. We reached her on the phone.
It’s 11 o’clock. Just three rings and Anny Duperey picks up. “Hello? Hello !” Time to introduce herself and she intervenes: “Would you allow me? I’m not hanging up, eh… I’m just putting the phone down to go get my coffee…”
The welcome is warm and simple, as one might expect, faithful to the image we have of the great actress.
On the phone, Anny Duperey talks about the TV movie Death of a shepherd, broadcast this Tuesday, January 23, at 9:10 p.m., on France 3, and filmed during the summer of 2023 in Sancy. She plays Marceline, a woman hardened by life and the elements, who loses her son in mysterious circumstances. Whoever the predator is, she wants revenge…
Tell us about the character of Marceline?
“The role wasn’t easy to play because the starting point was a desperate peasant girl who doesn’t show her feelings. Yes, but the trouble is that the viewer has to see them all the same. was a real challenge! And one of the least easy things to do (she finishes her sentence laughing).”
The Auvergne landscapes are magnified on the screen. What memories do you have of the filming?
“It’s awful what I’m going to say: I don’t like the mountains (she laughs again). Again, this is a mountain for sheep and cows, that’s okay. And then there is greenery, it’s a living mountain… I hate high mineral mountains! Gosh, for me, that’s horror on Earth!
But this was different. And really nice. I had the privilege of seeing an old shepherd working with his dog. And that’s an extraordinary spectacle.”
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Filming. Filming took place from July 5 to August 3, 2023, mainly in the Sancy massif. Franz-Olivier Giesbert’s novel set the action in Mercantour. Claire Feinstein, artistic producer who also works on The doc and the vetpreferred Auvergne: “There was something more unexpected for me in Sancy.”
Filming around the Montille buron, in the heart of a Natura 2000 site, was carried out according to Eco-prod standards. “We were committed to protecting the environment and it was essential for us that our visit was as least disruptive as possible to the site. Without the support of the ONF, the Auvergne Volcanoes Natural Park and the Mont-Dore town hall, capturing these images would not have been possible.”
We also see you in a scene, facing a wolf… Didn’t you have any apprehension?
“No, it was under control. Well, frankly, I wouldn’t have gone to stroke his muzzle. No one asked me to anyway (laughs).
It should be noted that it was a “three quarters wolf” that I had in front of me. What surprised me was that there were two of them. I was told: “We can’t do anything with the male, he is untenable. He does not obey any command if his female is not next to him, to calm him down”. I thought this would be a really great parable for couples. (she bursts out laughing).”
You filmed in a protected site. What is your sensitivity on this subject?
“My sensitivity? I’ll tell you straight! Large, unscrupulous companies are planning to destroy our Creuse (department in which she owns a house). With wind turbines, with photovoltaic fields. It’s absolutely monstrous…
(We hear anger in his voice. And the desire to get involved)
I would boldly suggest something if I had an ear in the government. It is to make this entire preserved region a conservatory of biodiversity.”
The actress and author Anny Duperey meets the readers of La Montagne in Guéret (Creuse)
You are playing more and more roles that seem counterproductive to us…
“Yes, I’m very lucky. When we stopped A wonderful familyI said to myself “Damn, I’m only going to be offered nice big ones” (she laughs). But actually, the first role I was offered was the terrible character of the killer’s mother in the series The lake killer. I swear, I scared myself, I was so scary.
I also played a psychopath in a TV movie that was shown on TV not long ago, Little angel. It was directed by the same director as Death of a shepherd, Christian Bonnet. I loved it.”Daphné Girard, Guillaume Arnault and Anny Duperey (© Nicolas Robin – FTV – 13 Prods).
Today you have this freedom, in your rich career, to choose your roles…
“Obviously, and I’m jumping on it! Because I was raised like that, by drama teachers who said “You have to play everything, broaden your palette as much as possible, go from tragedy to clown, dance, sing, do whatever you want.”
I’ve done all that and I’m continuing because I have a café-concert show under my belt that I absolutely want to put on, with a music hall friend. It is called Come on chickand it will be both informative and very very very fun (she laughs, obviously).”
Other projects?
“I am going to play for the first time in my life what we call a boulevard comedy, Le duplex. We are starting soon at the Théâtre de Paris, for 40 performances. There is an old friend, Francis Perrin, Corinne Touzet and Pascal Légitimus. I told myself that the company was really nice…”
Investigation in Sancy (© Nicolas Robin – FTV – 13 Prods).
A final word on the bond of affection you have with the public. How do you explain it?
“There was a very amazing setup. At the time when we shot the first episodes of A Wonderful Family, which came into our lives in a pretty miraculous way – I always say it’s a gift from life and the profession, this meeting – at the same time my book was being written which is called The black veilabout the death of my parents.
What’s quite incredible is that both achieved success at the same time. People saw the fairly bright side of “Great Families” and my dark side of impossible mourning. I believe that they then had a fairly accurate vision of what I really am. So maybe that’s why people buy me… Buy me? Oh, the slip of the tongue is funny (she bursts out laughing, spontaneously)…I meant that people accept me in extremely different roles. Because they know my truth quite well, they know very well who I am. And it’s not because I’m famous that I consider myself superior to people.”
Thierry Senzier