Fiction meets reality in the series Larry, a thriller in which an exchange of gunfire in the middle of the street – and in broad daylight to boot – will once again change the trajectory of a former police officer specializing in infiltration.
As the metropolis is currently the scene of several incidents involving firearms, author Stéphane Bourguignon and director Patrice Sauvé – the duo behind La vie la vie – are aiming for the bullseye with Larry, the police having a lot to do to hunt down petty criminals who, by shooting without thinking, make innocent victims and terrorize entire neighborhoods.
Larry (Benoit Gouin) left the police in disgrace following a corruption scandal and is now a security guard. Married for 40 years in France (Monique Spaziani), he and his sweetheart are settled in a multi-ethnic district, Parc-Extension, to name it.
One day when they return home with their grandson (Antonin Bouffard), a shooting erupts on the sidelines of a drug transaction. Seriously injured, France loses the use of her legs and Larry, who feels guilty, experiences a moment of redemption that pushes him to conduct his own investigation at the same time. The 60-year-old gets into trouble, experiences breathtaking moments and has trouble with one of the only policewomen still supporting him, Lisa (Macha Limonchik).
Solid in his role as a boqué guy, Benoit Gouin was on almost every day of filming, more than 60 out of 65. And it was sport, with some 25 days dedicated to coordinating and choreographing the stunts punctuating the plots. To be ready, the experienced actor stopped all alcohol consumption and got in shape.
“I tried to probe all the areas of this character that we love and hate, but for whom we have, I think, a lot of affection. We are with him despite all these gray areas, ”said Benoit Gouin, Monday, at a round table.
“We will doubt his choices, but when his choices bring him to a moral crossroads, we understand that he is someone who is fundamentally good.”
How far will he go to catch the perpetrators of the shooting that nailed his wife to a wheelchair? One of the shooters, it should be noted, is linked to the investigation that sent him into a tailspin years earlier.
uncomfortable zone
Stéphane Bourguillon wanted to put the viewer in an “uncomfortable zone” and force him to “position himself” facing Larry. “The series is designed in such a way as to bring the most sensations and emotions possible to the viewers”, indicated the one to whom we owe the series Tout sur moi and Fatale-Station.
Until then, the author had never thought of writing a detective thriller when he was commissioned to do so. And he would have preferred that the series not be so topical with all the gunshots that are heard in Greater Montreal. “So much the better if we can have a grip on understanding this phenomenon,” but the series does not have this goal, he underlined.
His accomplice Patrice Sauvé, who reviewed French Connection for inspiration, is happy that the story revolves around a sexagenarian. As baby boomers think about retiring, "Larry thinks about reincarnating, reaffirming himself and reaffirming all that he can still be, still learn [...]", said the director.
The series features several less familiar or increasingly well-known faces, as the case may be. Think of Michaëna Benoît, Steve Diouf, Irdens Exantus, Sharon James, Naïla Louidort, Vincent Paradis-Montplaisir and Madani Tall.
Zeneb Blanchet (Audrey is back) Alexa-Jeanne Dubé (Miscellaneous facts), Germain Houde (Victor Lessard), Simon Lacroix (Miscellaneous facts), Anglesh Major (Audrey is back) and Jean-Moïse Martin (Let go) are also present. distribution.
Produced by Avenue Productions, the 10 episodes of Larry land on ICI TOU.TV EXTRA from Thursday July 14.
