From Actor to Woodworker: Maxime from “Grand Chantier Rona” Explains Career Change
The winner of Grand Chantier RONA was no stranger to the television screen. Maxime Dumontier had appeared in numerous productions, both on TV and in movies. He could be seen on the small screen in shows like Trauma, Unité 9, Au secours de Béatrice, and 5e rang, and on the big screen in films such as Tout est parfait, Les grandes chaleurs, and Columbarium.
We asked him about his decision to change careers after spending so much time in the spotlight. “There are 1700 reasons [for this change], but the biggest one is that the little flame went out, it’s really no more complicated than that. I started at the age of 11. Then, I stopped in my early thirties. I did it for 20 years. I made beautiful films. I met extraordinary people. I traveled the world. And then, at some point, the little flame went out. I think having children shifted a lot of my priorities and values. I just decided that was enough,” he tells us.
“I also decided to step back instead of always keeping my foot in the door,” he adds. “I wanted to close that door and move on to something else. I made room for people who really want to be there. In the end, I just felt like I was collecting my paycheck.”
And why did he decide to become a woodworker? “I think it has always been a bit inside of me: the desire for something concrete, to tinker with wood, and to work with my hands. I really love that,” he says. “It was difficult for me to realize it, it’s like my girlfriend who kept telling me: ‘I think you should become a woodworker.'”
His partner Stéphanie joins the conversation: “He had to go through a career orientation process for someone else to tell him, even though I had been saying it for a long time. [laughs] But at the same time, it’s part of the process. I think he had to also mourn his decision to no longer be an actor.”
The change was not easy. “Going back to school in my early thirties with children was rock’n roll. It was difficult, but in the end, it pays off for the happiness it brings.”
We wish Maxime and Stéphanie a lot of happiness in their new home! Find out here when they plan to move.