Canadian actress Brigitte Paquette has long maintained a tumultuous relationship with an unpredictable, unfaithful, even ungrateful career. With a frankness that suits the 61-year-old actress well, she confides in her crossing of the desert … and her rebirth when she learned that the author Luc Dionne picked her for the role of Mélissa Corbeil in the popular television series District 31 which ran from 2019 to 2021. The actress who went several years without playing, or so little, was considering retirement from artistic life, but the proof of confidence on Luc’s part for District 31 proved all her haters wrong(if she even has any). Speaking of her life and her amazing career, let’s take a look at these really undercover, mysterious, and secret facts about why she is such a strong perso
Brigitte Paquette: 12 Rare Facts About The Canadian Actress!
1. The talent inside a young Brigitte Paquette was spotted by her mom:
A young Brigitte Paquette wanted to be a ballet dancer, but her mother found her funny and told her that she should study theater.
“Then, I started doing it as a hobby, but I didn’t think I could make a living from this job, ” explains Brigitte. She befriended people who were at the National Theater School. While attending the end of year show, she began to believe that she too could perform.
The aspiring actress then passed her auditions at the National School and she was selected first on the waiting list. The following year, she was accepted in 1982.
2. She is not only an actress but also a real estate broker:
“After graduating from the National School, I made a living for ten years by working, among other things, in catering. “
Certainly, it was a welcome to bag the role of Gabrielle Provost in Omerta and she worked a dozen years on different sets, then she experienced another lull that lasted about 7 years.
The actress that knows herself well said that she understood that she didn’t have the profile to have a stable career, saying: I decided to take my course in real estate brokerage that I have been practicing for 7 years. It’s fantastic for me. I lead both careers at the same time and it calms me down a lot. “
3. Prévost station is the city where she has lived for 22 years:
She has lived in Prévost for 22 years and would not see herself elsewhere. “I am here forever, I will never go back. When I go to Montreal, after a day, I need to find myself at home with my cats, my boyfriend: to find myself in nature”.
She also embraced a political career as a municipal councilor between the years 2009 to 2017 in Prévost. She said: “I was approached saying that we could do something for the culture in the city. It got me hooked and I said to myself why not. My little ‘leader’ side told me to give it a try. It’s a great experience and enough to tell me that it was not for me”.
4. District 31 arrived unexpectedly in her life:
The actress was taking part in a program to pay tribute to Luc Dionne. She was there to talk about Omertà and they were seeing footage from the series. And Luc said on the air, ‘Why is that girl not working?
“I couldn’t believe it and I said to myself: ‘They are going to cut this during the editing’. Three days later, he offered me the role of Mélissa Corbeil in District 31. I did not know the content of this role, but it still lasts. “
About the character of her role she says: “I read scenes and I said to myself: ” She is going to be hated by the other characters ”, but I go for it, I do my business. I enjoy playing it. “
“It’s ‘the fun’ to play a woman with authority and it’s crazy to see how it still bothers. The other day a young girl who served me in a restaurant said to me: ” In any case, we hate her. She is so hateful. ” To that I say, ‘No, stop saying that. She does her job, she has a bad temper, but they all have bad characters. ” There is still a way to go to accept that women can be like that. I have this determined character, but unlike her, I am inhabited by a lot of doubts and insecurity. “
5. Aging on the screen:
Many actresses find it difficult to see themselves aging on screen. What does Brigitte think? “Growing old on the screen is a bit inevitable. But what I don’t like is HD (high definition). The horror! I don’t see the use of seeing all the skin pores in someone’s face. When we look at ourselves in life, we don’t see that. It’s tiring, but at some point you have to let go. I do two jobs, one the older you get, the less you work and the other, the older you get, the more you are recognized. The balance is good. “
6. Family and love life:
Brigitte has been in a relationship for 32 years with actor Frank Schorpion. “We’re good, I think. It is certain that in 32 years, there are ups and downs as for everyone, but we communicate well together. He’s the man of my life! “
When it comes to her daughter Charlotte Le Bon, it raises a lot of pride and emotions.
And when it comes to her daughter she defines her as a talent bomb and a true artist.
“I am an interpreter. Charlotte, she writes, draws, plays and realizes. Right now, that’s what she loves the most, directing. She has a little ” leader ” side, too. She works hard, she is a fighter who left home and has lived in France for over ten years. With the pandemic she came to stay with us. We saw each other more often. It’s good for my mother’s heart, ”concluded Brigitte Paquette.
7. Brigitte Paquette’s daughter was scouted alongside her mother:
Accompanied by her mother (actress Brigitte Paquette), Charlotte Le Bon was withdrawing money from an ATM at the corner of boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Prince-Arthur when a recruiter from a modeling agency approached her asking would you be interested in a career as a top model?
It was in 2002 and the 16-year-old teenager buried the business card in her pocket and did not immediately contact the agency. An agent from a competing company then stopped her in the metro and then a third recruiter from a third firm noticed her at the Pine cinema in Sainte-Adèle, where she was working. The signals couldn’t be clearer: the scintillating glamor of fashion was chasing her. “We talked about it together, we thought about it for a long time, weighing the pros and cons, and we went around Montreal agencies to find the best one, ” remembers Charlotte’s mother, Brigitte Paquette. There was a click with Corinne (Poracchia) of the Folio agency. ”
As a model, Charlotte Le Bon has appeared in the TV commercial of Escada’s Incredible Me perfume, she was the face of Carte Noire coffee pods and also praised the scent of Lolita Lempicka’s Si Lolita.
8. Brigitte Paquette’s daughter hit it big in Paris:
At just under 5’9, Charlotte Le Bon was not to walk long for prestigious catwalks.
“I never paraded because I was too curvy. I’m not thin enough, ”underlines Charlotte Le Bon, who has always refused to conform to the impossible standards imposed by fashion designers venerating women without hips. “I worked with 14-year-old models who only ate three leaves of salad and who weren’t allowed to swallow anything after 4 p.m. because their agency wouldn’t. I prefer to be healthy. I knew it was not healthy, ”insists the young woman.
Charlotte Le Bon worked a lot in Paris, where she spends several months a year, but her career has never taken off in New York with the DNA agency. “From New York, Charlotte would call me and say, ‘Mom, I don’t belong here.’ All the girls are 6’2 Scandinavian blondes, ”says Brigitte Paquette. For those who are wondering, Le Bon is the name of Charlotte’s father, who was called Richard Le Bon.
Soon her daughter landed a job as a weather presenter for the Grand Journal of Canal + in France, a popular newsletter that incorporates musical performances, humorous sketches and commentary on politics, fashion or books. And she speaks with her Montreal accent, not at all tinged with Parisian slang.
During an interview Brigitte Paquette brought up her mother, remembering how she was brought up on a small farm deep in the woods and she walked many miles to school. She would go on to have a granddaughter becoming a star in France! She is the pride and joy of the family! She acts and has also gotten into directing.
9. The third member of Brigitte Paquette’s family:
In her “little family of three”, is her partner, actor Frank Schorpion, who raised her daughter after the death of her biological father. Frank and Brigitte Paquette have been a couple for 31 years who have a deep admiration for each other.
10. Brigitte Paquette admits she doesn’t always like acting:
So many celebrity hungry people don’t believe it, but the actress isn’t ashamed to say that she’s had a love-hate relationship with her profession as an actress.
“All my life. There aren’t many who will dare to say it, but I think there are plenty who have difficulty living this impermanence. I now know that the only permanence in life is impermanence, precisely… It made me suffer and it made me lose a lot of quality time. I never want to return to the state of dependence where I was in relation to this profession. If, tomorrow, I was told that I would never play again, I would no longer be afraid. I no longer live waiting for projects. It’s over, this despair of not playing anymore, and it’s a big mourning in fact.
11. The choice to reorient herself by becoming a real estate broker, came out of spite:
“When this career choice came about, it was because my acting career was stalling. I had neither the age nor the time to go back to school for eight or nine years. And since I was brought up in a family where we did a little real estate, I told myself that I was going to get into it because life was pushing me to my limits. I went there with an incredible feeling of mourning for my profession as an actress. The first few years, I was not at peace with it. I let go of my passion, over time, it changed; I met some great people and started working with them. When I look at what’s going on these days, I don’t regret my choice. I also feel more free. It is so important”.
12. Career timeline and immense success:
Born in Lachute, Quebec, she made her debut in the cinema in 1989 in the film UN AUTRE HOMME. In 1990, she met Lily Parker from the Actors Studio in New York and she strongly encouraged her to work in English.
In 1991, Brigitte won the female title role in the film REQUIEM POUR UN BEAU SANS CŒUR which won the award for best Canadian film of the year at the Festival of Festivals in Toronto in 1992. And in 1993, she landed the role of Nathalie Bouvier in the film FOR LOVE ALONE which was broadcast on the CBS network.
In 1994, Brigitte landed the first female role in the OMERTA television series broadcast on Radio Canada. This series won eleven Gémeaux, which represents a record in the history of French Canadian television and Brigitte returns in OMERTA II, which earned her a Gemini award in 1998 and a nomination to the MetroStar 1998.
Brigitte participated in the filming of several series and television shows including QUADRA, which has earned her several rave reviews for her excellent performance as Jeanne.
In January 2002, Brigitte took part in the very popular television series LES POUPEES RUSSES broadcast on TVA. She plays the role of Hélène Lauzière, a former climbing champion. Her performance earned her a Gemini nomination in November 2004. We also had the opportunity to see Brigitte at the cinema in February 2004. She played Jacqueline in Eric Tessier’s film, SOLD. In the summer of 2004, Brigitte took part in the production of Winnebago Blues presented at Domaine Saint Bernard du Mont-Tremblant. But this time, not as an actress, but as a Director. In the fall of 2004, Brigitte starred in the new romantic comedy “LES EX” by Sylvain Charbonneau, directed by Frédéric d’Amours and produced by Sovimage. This series earned him a nomination for a GEMEAUX award.
Brigitte returned to the TNM boards in November 2005 and she was part of the cast of the play HUIT FEMMES played in the summer of 2007 and throughout Quebec in the winter of 2008 and the cast of LA JOURNÉE DES DAMES in 2009 and 2010.
In 2011, we find her on the small screen in PENTHOUSE 5-0 under the guise of Diane Marois, on Radio-Canada, with this outstanding character, she becomes the recipient of the 2011 GÉMEAUX PRIZE for the best supporting role in comedy.
During the summer of 2011, she was part of the cast of LA COUSINE GERMAINE presented at the Hector Charland theater in L’Assomption. She was also in the cast of Gentleman 3, in 2013, broadcast on TVA and directed by Louis Choquette. And she participated in the guise of Sonia, in the last season of 19-2. In 2017, she participated in the filming of the series “O” and we will see her in “THE HORSE SERPENT 2”, and in 2018 she played the role of Sophie Harbor in the popular series “RUPTURES 4”. Since 2019, she has represented Sonia Corbeil in District 31.
