My life in films: Guillaume Cyr, frightened by « My ghost of love »

This father of two, noted for his interpretation of Lennie in « Of mice and men » on the boards of the Jean-Duceppe Theater, is currently showing « Arsenault & son », a new feature film by Rafaël Ouellet. The actor reveals his vision of the seventh art.

I am very young, I must have been 6, 7 or 8 years old – and my neighbour, Agathe, whom I salute – is taking me to Quebec with her children to see the film “My love ghost” with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. It was very striking because, even if in our adult memories we take it for a love movie, the scenes with the ghosts were very scary for a little boy.

What was your first landmark film?

It’s hard to miss « ET The Extraterrestrial ». This is my first memory of a moment of great, great emotion and I had a good half hour of “bawling”. Otherwise, my real encounter with a punchy work was at the end of high school with « Les Ordres » by Michel Brault.

And more recently?

I’ve seen a lot of good movies in the last few years. “Parasite” was really, really good. Closer, « Drunken Birds » really knocked me down in terms of direction and photography. I found that huge. And I absolutely loved “Three Posters Near Ebbing, Missouri.”

The actress who was your first « kick » on the big screen?

I would be lying if I said anything other than Kelly LeBrock in « A Dream Creature » in 1985. I was 3 years old, but hey, she was my first « kick » when I saw her again a few years later on TVA.

Are there any movies that you want or have wanted to show your soon to be 3 and 7 year olds?

Yes of course. All of my favorite childhood movies… ‘Captain Hook’ with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, all of ‘Harry Potter’ which I think is a major youth work. It’s one of the first works that really grew with its audience.

Movies are often passed down from parent to child. Did your parents show you any feature films they particularly liked?

I think I discovered films that way. My mom made me see ‘Rock’n Nonne’ with Whoopi Goldberg and it’s always going to be a family movie because of the memories. My mother was a big fan of musicals, and I discovered movies like « Singing in the Rain », « Chitty Chitty Bang Bang » or « My Fair Lady » with her. We want our children to discover the films that made us trip when we were their age.

Do you have a favorite genre?

I would say the good movies. I would be lying if I said I’m not a fan of action movies, entertainment movies. In recent years, it has become pejorative. « Arsenault & son » is intended as a « thriller », a suspense, an action film. I was a teenager in the 1990s and, in my opinion, it was the golden age of action films with “Double/Identity”, “The rock” with Sean Connery. I’ve always loved those films. In recent years, all the big action movies that want to be like that want to please everyone so much that they have been filled with jokes for teenagers, tasteless love intrigues. It has made assumed genre films that are just that rare.