“It’s heartbreaking to play a father who has lost his son”

“Monsieur Patrimoine” embodies a military father who buries his son who died during a special operation in Africa. For the honor of a son airs Thursday, August 25.

TV MAGAZINE – You were a policeman in Murders in Lorrainethen prosecutor and lawyer during the filming of the series Bellefondyou are a soldier, is it important the prestige of the uniform?

Stephane BERN – These characters touch me a lot but above all the uniform allows me to slip into a role more easily. In Olivier Guignard’s fiction, For the honor of a sonon France 3, I am the commander of an air base, responsible for drones. Even though I only wear the uniform at the start of the story, it sets the character.

What is the psychology of Commander Paul Leclerc?

Commander Leclerc knows what duty is, he is silent, does not pour out, does not cry but he suffers because he is against injustice. He feels that something is wrong and wants to go to the end of his investigation to understand the real cause of the death of his son who died as a hero and this, whatever the consequences.

“This shoot was a sentimental and emotional roller coaster.”

Stephane Bern

Between mourning, anger and love, For the honor of a sonallows you to refine your game?

It was a sentimental and emotional roller coaster. What upset me was playing a father who lost his son. You have to look within yourself for painful things. I thought of all the relatives of fallen French soldiers. In their testimonies, there are held back tears, a lot of modesty, immense grief but at the same time a sense of duty accomplished. I also share beautiful moments of tenderness and complicity with Julie-Anne Roth who plays my ex-wife or with Marie Kauffmann, Constance Dollé, who were a real playmate.

“I arrive humbly, there is always this risk of a lawsuit for illegitimacy because I attended neither the Florent course, nor the conservatory”.

Stephane Bern

What does Stéphane Bern look like on a fiction film set?

I arrive humbly, knowing my text perfectly and on time. There is always this risk of a lawsuit for illegitimacy since I attended neither the Florent course nor the conservatory. They discover me not very handsome, not very smiling, with jowls, a few wrinkles, it’s good because the camera will seek the truth. Quite the opposite of the animator Stéphane Bern, well lit and super smiling.

How far would you be willing to go, to nudity?

It all depends on whether it really serves the scenario. It’s not my nature, the director would have to convince me! However the actor must give everything, we no longer belong to each other during the month of filming. We learn to let go, Monsieur Patrimoine no longer exists, we are on vacation from ourselves.

“Being an actor is my life’s dream. You can’t imagine what a relief it is, you learn to let go”.

Stephane Bern

Is it a relief to be an actor?

You cannot imagine how great! It’s my life’s dream. I offer myself a real therapy with these roles. They hit me. I am thinking of Lieutenant-Colonel Arnaud Beltrame and all those French soldiers. What I admire in the army is the service to others, at the cost of blood and life. I am a reserve colonel citizen of the gendarmerie as are also Dominique Rizet or Michel Chevalet. I carry these values ​​such as duty, service and memory out of step with a society of consumerism and immediate pleasure. It is also heritage.

“I admire values ​​such as duty, service and memory that are out of step with a society of consumerism and immediate pleasure”.

Stephane Bern

Do you also have to defend military heritage, starting with your royal and military college in Thiron-Gardais?

After Murders in Lorraine, the Citadel of Bitche where the crime takes place, has been registered with the Mission Bern of endangered heritage. This is also the case of Fort d’Aubervilliers and Fort Cigogne in the Glénant archipelago. I will soon be going with Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, to Fort des Rousses in the Jura for a check presentation from the foundation.

“During the filming, the soldiers hazed me by making me drink a blue white red beverage, you can’t refuse! »

Stephane Bern

You shot at the Cognac-Châteaubernard air base, what memories do you have of it?

The military helped me so much, they were involved. They are very human people, they know the price of life, they were very happy that I was wearing their colors. The army has also become much more feminized. They offered me the insignia, the fourragère (decoration rewarding a military unit) and harassed me by making me drink a foul blue-white-red drink, with successive layers of alcohol and sugar. But the red white blue can not be refused! And then it was a joy to shoot with these VIP drones. During the scenes taking place in Angoulême, I came up with the idea of ​​“Secrets d’histoire” dedicated to Marguerite d’Angoulême. Nothing is lost, everything is recovered!

“With the prosecutor and lawyer Antoine Bellefond, I am taking a new step. It would have been easy to give me the roles of historical figures”.

Stephane Bern

When will we discover you in the Bellefond series and what is the story?

I play the role of a prosecutor who made a miscarriage of justice. He is in trouble with the law. He will try to get his brother-in-law out of a bad situation and becomes a lawyer. France Télévisions should schedule the series in the fall. From October 15, I’m shooting the second episode. It would have been easy to give me historical characters to play. Anne Holmes, director of fiction, had the intelligence to make me do my classes gradually. Successful bet with Murders in Lorraine which had 6 million viewers. For the honor of a son allows me to go up a step because I am almost in all the scenes. The next step will be with Antoine Bellefond.