Gwendoline Hamon (Cassandre): “I have a very benevolent look at her”

A new investigation awaits Florence Cassandre. This Saturday, November 12, Gwendoline Hamon takes on the role of commissioner in an unpublished episode of the famous detective series on France 3. A section directed by Mathilde Valet, entitled La Forêt Rouge, closing the sixth year of fiction.

At the heart of this intrigue, the double murder of Julien and Lise Fromentin, a couple whose bodies are discovered by Anicée, their 18-year-old daughter. For the young woman, this crime would be linked to the work of her father who had just been promoted to director of the French Agency for Woods and Forests. However, the latter had a vision of his profession that did not please everyone. A new investigation for the heroine who will have to solve this mystery, supported by her college captain Pascal Roche (Alexandre Varga) and lieutenant Jean-Paul Marchand (Dominique Pinon).

Since 2015, Gwendoline Hamon has held the role of police commissioner that she has loved throughout her career. “I have a very benevolent look at her,” the actress told Planet by phone. “I really like this girl who is a bit of a first cousin (laughs). There are a lot of things about me”. And, to add. “We obviously have things in common, I’ve been playing her for a very long time and then she was born with me”.

For the actress, “there is always a part of the actor or actress” in playing the title role of a series. “When you play a character over so many episodes, you have to feed his personality, his character. And, I put myself into it”, assures us the fifty-year-old. A tenacious and endearing police commissioner who continues to federate the public over the years.

Since the first broadcast of Cassandre, the actress Gwendoline Hamon has aroused the interest of the public who have (re)discovered her on television. On November 5, it brought together nearly 4.9 million followers on France 3. And, up to 5.2 million confined in March 2020, a record audience against TF1 entertainment.

“I find it very joyful. I’m always amazed at the recipe for success,” admits the actress for Planet. Anxious to want to reach a wide audience, the granddaughter of Jean and Nicole Anouilh evokes this success. “It’s much more difficult to do than you think to be able to please a little girl as well as a senior or a young viewer”.

Faced with such notoriety, Gwendoline Hamon is grateful to the public while remaining realistic. “I obviously realize it on a daily basis, in the street, through the messages I receive. But, it’s not at all something that I pay attention to”, and to add. “I have the same life as before even if I can see the stares and attentions of the fans. But that doesn’t change anything in my life”.

While waiting for the broadcast of the next episodes, Gwendoline Hamon continues to shoot the continuation of the adventures of commissioner Florence Cassandre. Between October and November, the famous actress was between Amenasse, Aix-les-Bains and Talloires to film the scenes with director Floriane Crépin. During our telephone interview, she tells us behind the scenes of the shooting.

“It’s going very well. We have really great guests (guest actors, editor’s note). People that I love like Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Bateau or Isabelle Renaud. They are super nice”, she assures us. “We have a lovely director and there is a good atmosphere when we shoot in the mountains”.

However, the French actress admits that the pace of filming is sustained. “It’s going really well even if it’s tiring as we are there every day. It’s a big pace for two months. Getting up early in the morning, learning texts, being focused and on the job”. An additional pressure for the one who carries the fiction on her shoulders. “When you are the main character, you give the LA”, concedes the actress before concluding. “It’s a responsibility, but I’m so lucky to be where I am that I’m not going to complain about it.”