Catherine De Sève opens up about the precious friendship she had with Rita Lafontaine


She was part of the impressive cast of The Black Dog Inn. Thanks to her experience in the popular show, Catherine De Sève was able to develop singing talents and, above all, settle in life.

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She played Anaïs Provencher in the popular show The Black Dog Inn, which ran for nearly 15 years on Radio-Canada. This is the longest role of Catherine’s career. She appreciated the stability that the series gave her in a job that rarely offers it. “It allowed me to settle down in life, to have a chalet, to raise my children… Indeed, it was a period of stability. But we did not know that it would last nearly 15 years. We took it in shots for a year, so the insecurity was still there, ”she admits. Although… “Rita Lafontaine, who was my grandmother and to whom I was very, very close — I adore her! —, she made star charts to see how long it would last, and in ninth grade she saw that it would last almost 15 years. So even though I didn’t have a long-term contract, it seemed like I believed Rita and knew we were going to last.”

A SPIRITUAL GUIDE

Catherine will forever keep Rita Lafontaine, who passed away in 2016, close to her heart. “Rita, I have her picture and I ask her things. She is one of my spiritual guides. She is part of my life. She had great depth. We connected a lot spiritually. We didn’t really talk about material things. What I appreciated about her was her life experience, her simplicity. We loved each other very much. We had a feeling of filiation, her and I.”

Has she retained any friendships from her time on the show? “I kept a good friend who was a technician on The hostel… And I stayed in touch with the team members. From time to time I phone Claude Prégent, who played my father, and Sylvie Boucher. And it happens to me to see Julie Daoust again because we have friends in common. But my circle of friends is not limited to actors.

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THE SINGER EMERGED

Thanks to the musical components of The inn of black Dog, Catherine was able to exploit her talents as a singer. “I was blackmailed a lot and, over the years, I gained a lot of confidence. I always sang and I still sing a lot, but before The hostel…, I felt like I wasn’t singing well. So that freed me and gave me confidence. And I realized that it was a gift to be able to sing. Today, the actress continues to take singing seriously. “I am taking lessons with Madame Johanne Raby. She taught a lot of singers. She made me discover that I had an operatic voice.

Photo: Eric Myre / TVA Publica

THE START OF AN AMERICAN CAREER

She has an agent in Toronto and a career in English. “During the last year of The hostel…, I started trying to build bridges in Toronto. For two years, I went back and forth to audition. Slowly, I began to make myself known to casting agents. Does having starred in the hit series The Scarlet Maid opened doors for him in the United States and abroad? “There was no explosion. There never is in my life. But I did a Christmas movie for Lifetime TV. It was the first time that I had a bigger role, I played an American. For me, it was a big win.” She intends to continue her career on American soil!

And his son Oscar Desgagnés, who started an acting career with the film The time grabber, may also have a career abroad. In 2023, we will see him in the French film Dog and cat alongside Franck Dubosc and Stéphane Rousseau’s ex, Reem Kherici, who is directing the feature film in addition to playing in it. “They came to shoot in Quebec and they chose Oscar for a small role with an English accent.” And the young boy turns in the fourth season of Plan B… “And me too! We play in the same series, my son and I! It’s extraordinary!”

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Catherine De Sève opens up about the precious friendship she had with Rita Lafontaine