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Interviewer
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What first attracted you to playing the part of Michael?
(Submitted by pat lfn)
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Roy Dupuis
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Well of course I had seen the movie so I was already curious of what they wanted to
do with the series. Um, well there's a lot of things in Michael that are interesting for
me-the mystery of him, his awareness, his intelligence I guess, and also his duality
between logic and his more human or more animal side I guess.
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Interviewer
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Have you discovered anything about yourself, Roy Dupuis, while portraying Michael
that you hadn't previously realized? Did it teach you anything?
(Submitted by Tara P)
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Roy Dupuis
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That I could be more patient than I thought I could. Um.
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Interviewer
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How so?
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Roy Dupuis
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How so?-well it's long days and also it was working not at home, so it was a long time
of traveling and stuff like that. And I would go back every weekend to my farm house
so.
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Interviewer
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Did you discover anything about yourself personally as a result of playing this
character?
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Roy Dupuis
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Yeah but that's personal.
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Interviewer
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Fair enough, fair enough. How much input have you had in the development of your
character, and is there anything that you would change about Michael?
(Submitted by Valencia M2K04, Elle1, and zen)
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Roy Dupuis
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Well I had pretty much had a lot of input into the character of Michael. Of course not
into storylines, sometimes yes a little bit. It was a teamwork. I mean that's how I like
to work and that's how Joel Oliver and I worked together. We got to trust each other
with time. And you know it's like a team, it's an exchange. The whole minimalist side
of Michael came from me. Joel was a bit scared of that at first but he uh ...
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Interviewer
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And what do you mean by minimalist?
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Roy Dupuis
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Minimalist? Yeah, that's a word. Minimalist means um, well as for Michael, I didn't
think of it as playing him minimalist, it just came through my reading. It was mostly
knowing Michael and knowing the reality of the section, knowing what Michael had to
do in the last 13 years of his life, and knowing it was almost like a prison. And
knowing that section is like the opposite side of the mirror of the society, which means
that if you learn, usually you learn section the opposite of what we try to teach you in
society. Which is actually sometimes is kind of similar anyway. Which I mean that
you learn to lie, and not to trust anyone. But mostly knowing that Michael had killed
so many people and had lost so many people he knew. It came through that uh, and
also knowing, wanted that Michael be a perfectionist, minimalist side would mean that
Michael would not show any of his feelings or thoughts in section's reality.
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Interviewer
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What's your favorite episode or scene in the series and why?
(Submitted by Dayone1, LF Cerise, CJB007, and Andy 20)
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Roy Dupuis
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Oh, I don't think I have a favorite episode, I have favorite moments. And I think there's a
couple of them in "War."
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Interviewer
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Is there a particular scene you really enjoyed playing?
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Roy Dupuis
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Let me think. Actually what I, what I kind of liked about Michael and playing Michael is
the fact that, just the truth to the choices I made at the beginning to keep Michael as
uh ... Michael for me was not a character that could evolve, he was already like a
shadow of himself. Of course it was fun once in a while to show a little bit of what was
inside, but it was for an actor and for me I guess, it was um, how can I say it in
English? It was not really a challenge but it was important for me to stay true to the
reality of the character even though Michael was always like almost like a shadow.
Through all those 4 years it was important and it was tough sometimes but it was also
interesting to keep him that way. Not to show I guess the usual evolving character--no,
he's like this. In section there's not many ways to evolve. You don't really evolve once
you've been 15 years there or for Michael at least. That was the major thing I would
respect of what I've done.
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Interviewer
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Was there a storyline or situation that you would have liked to have seen be a part of
the series?
(Submitted by Sec1OpSamantha)
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Roy Dupuis
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Uh, can't think of any.
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Interviewer
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Ok. Would you ever consider doing a La Femme Nikita movie for the big screen?
(Submitted by JackyB, BrownEyes2, JJA, and TaraP)
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Roy Dupuis
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Yes, why not. If once again I like the character, I like what they write, if it pleases me.
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Interviewer
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What do you think of the overwhelming fan support for the show?
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Roy Dupuis
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What do I think of it? Well I guess in a certain way that's why we do what we do. To
reach people. So for me to see that people like what we do it's like a compliment, it's
like my reward, it's like a gift. It's my food, and not really my food, my food is the script
itself. But it's the dessert.
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Interviewer
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Very good. Have you ever gone online and looked at any of the numerous La Femme
Nikita fan sites?
(Submitted by Jul, ZOSEPHINE, PamelaKathleen, mrsmule, Elly)
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Roy Dupuis
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Oh a couple of times with uh, yeah.
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Interviewer
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Are there any in particular that you remember?
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Roy Dupuis
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I read some interesting things.
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Interviewer
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Really? Anything in particular?
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Roy Dupuis
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Um, but I remember I was finding it sometimes funny, sometimes interesting.
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Interviewer
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By far in one way or another, the most asked fan question is what are your future
career plans. Everyone wants to know where they can find you, what you're gonna do
next?
(Submitted by LJL, MichaelsPatience, iammax, Dutchess550, JJA, Lindy1, LaFemmeGarnet, mrsmule,
campfreak2, goldengirl63, mission1, LuLu, Tricia, roto4, eminen, Nina P, BrownEyes2, ZOSEPHINE,
PamelaKathleen, mrsmule, and Elly)
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Roy Dupuis
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I really don't know right now. Right now what I'm doing is taking time to, to know what I
want to do. Because it's been, I'd say it's been a big wave to ride since I've started
acting. It's been going pretty quickly. And right now I'm just taking the winter off to
mourn Michael I guess. Is that what you say? Mourn, when someone has died?
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Interviewer
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Yeah, yeah.
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Roy Dupuis
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And see what comes out of that, what I feel like doing, what I want to do with my life,
what I like, what I don't like. And try to go that way.
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Interviewer
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Do you think that you'll continue acting?
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Roy Dupuis
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Um, yes I think, maybe, I don't know. That's exactly what I don't want to do right now,
is to say ok I will continue acting. I just want to take the time to let everything settle
down and just live for a while and see what I want to do with my life.
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Interviewer
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Did you enjoy directing?
(Submitted by Mia, kadyn, roy2cool, eminen)
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Roy Dupuis
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Loved it.
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Interviewer
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Would you like to do more directing?
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Roy Dupuis
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Uh, it's the same answer-I don't know. I would say yes, but I don't want to say yes.
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Interviewer
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You know you have a lot of fans out there that are really, really, um, they have a strong
allegiance. Huge supporters of the show, they've really come to love the show, and
really enjoyed the characters. And they wanted to know if there's any chance you'll be
attending the final Nikita Convention this coming May?
(Submitted by Zike1, SJ4LFN, mikes girl, heatherkay, roto4, JJA, llorence)
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Roy Dupuis
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I don't know.
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Interviewer
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OK. [LAUGHTER] Fair enough. Was there one particular experience that you'll come
away with as particularly poignant, that you'll remember the whole experience of
playing Michael and being a part of La Femme Nikita?
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Roy Dupuis
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Well that always comes really to the people met and our work is a teamwork. That's
what I've learned through National Theatre School, everybody is part of a chain, and if
one piece is missing it can't hold. And so we work with some very interesting people, I
meet some very interesting people and very closely. Because we work with our spirits
and emotions so we get to know each other pretty much. So those are the, what really
most of the times, what really stick to us the people I've met there. Going from Alberta,
Matthew, Eugene, Peta, and Jamie and the directors, and Joel of course and pretty
much Mark and all, the director of photography, all that. This is mostly what stays.
And of course the answer that I gave you about my favorite experience I had playing
Michael, the previous answer goes to that also. That I stick to what I thought was the
truth of the character.
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Interviewer
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And how did it feel when you finished, when you wrapped up your last scene when you
were done?
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Roy Dupuis
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Well that was actually last year, because we had like two deaths.
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Interviewer
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Right. [LAUGHTER]
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Roy Dupuis
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And mourned twice. Actually that was one part that was interesting this year when we
came back. The first time I played Michael I had a hard time believing in him because I
spent all summer I guess mourning him.
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Interviewer
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Right.
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Roy Dupuis
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So that was funny, I was playing Michael and that first scene I did when I first came
back, and Michael was weird. I had a hard time believing in him. So how did it felt last
year, so this year it was kind of different. It was over but it was already, had been over.
Last year it was very moving of course, it was 4 years of my life. And like you said
before it was, since I don't live in Toronto, it was saying goodbye to a lot of people, a
lot of friends actually. It's often like that in this business. You meet people, you get
really close to them, and then you probably don't see them anymore. It's always a
moving moment. And of course for the character itself, and all the other characters. So
it was moving but not sad because I think we succeeded in what we had to do in a
certain way.
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Interviewer
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Sure. Is there anything you'd like the fans to know about you, about Michael, about La
Femme Nikita as sort of you know a farewell?
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Roy Dupuis
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Yeah, I'd like to thank them for seeing the invisible.
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Interviewer
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Could you expound on that a little bit?
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Roy Dupuis
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Well a lot of things that Michael would do is not really visible in a certain way. It was
but not really. You had to be really there to notice. And through all the fan letters I saw
that a lot of them were understanding. But I don't want to explain it.
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Interviewer
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Thank you so much for your time, the fans are gonna love this. They're gonna be
really, really excited. And I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.
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Roy Dupuis
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Thanks.
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Interviewer
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Take care now.
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Roy Dupuis
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Thanks to you too.
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