Several artists have seen the pandemic curb their momentum. But not Marie-Laurence Moreau. In addition to becoming a mother for the second time, the actress has put on the projects, both on stage and on the small and big screen. His hour of glory has finally come. And she savors every second of it.

If her role in the hit series Leo propelled her to the forefront of stars of the small screen, Marie-Laurence Moreau is nothing new to the profession. The actress has been rolling her bump for nearly 20 years already; we have seen her, among others, in the hit series Les Invincibles, Les Simone, L’Académie, Plan B, Une autre histoire and L’heure bleue.

And that's not counting all the scenes she has walked in multiple theatrical productions.

The click

In short, his face has been familiar to us for quite a while now. But something clicked a short time ago. And this trigger has a name: Léo. Since she defended the role of Cindy, Marie-Laurence Moreau is no longer just a face. She too has a name. And the public retains it now.

All this, she savors it, of course. But the actress does not take it for granted.

“I realize very well how lucky I am. But I also know that it is fragile, that it can be ephemeral. You can be loved, be in high demand, and then not work for several months. It's part of the job. I was very anxious about all this when I started, but I learned to tame this facet of my work, to embrace it. I feel legitimate, I feel in my place, “says the actress in an interview with Le Journal.

Fourth season

We will therefore find her on the side of Walton – the fictional town where Leo’s plot is set – in just a few days, the time of a highly anticipated fourth season.

Since its arrival on the air – first on Club illico, then on TVA – the series has enjoyed dazzling success... but not necessarily surprising, according to Marie-Laurence Moreau.

Why ?

Because Leo works against the tide, tackling greasy gags with as much seriousness as his thorny, even troubling issues. Whether it's to stage a hilarious agricultural competition or the decline of the state of health of one of its characters, we always keep the same rigor, the same skill.

“When you catch someone with laughter, you can take them wherever you want afterwards. It opens a door. And there, if the text is clever enough, it can touch people, move them, make them cry. That's Leo's strength, ”says Marie-Laurence Moreau.

This is how Fabien Cloutier and his band have marked the imagination with veins rarely approached in the genre. And Marie-Laurence Moreau often found herself right in the center of these. Whether through her brother's disability or her mother's Alzheimer's, Cindy's character casts a wide net when it comes to emotions.

"It's a gift to play that whole range of situations. It doesn’t happen often in the business,” she sums up.

The fourth season of Léo arrives on Club illico on Thursday.

"It's brewing in Walton", drops Marie-Laurence Moreau. The promise is clear: Leo's characters – like viewers – will see all the colors with the fourth season.

Marie-Laurence Moreau weighs her words as she discusses the twists and turns that will await Léo, Cindy, Chabot and company in the new batch of episodes. Because things will happen in the small municipality of Walton... so much so that the actress is forced to navigate with great care in a field of whistleblowers.

“There are couples that form – and others that fall apart – people who die … It creates a lot of upheaval in the lives of Leo and Cindy and the people of the village”, she sums up summarily .

Five years later

In effect. Because five years have passed since the events of the third season. Léo has thus left the Dubeau Gateaux factory, just to devote himself fully to his orchard which he operates with his partner, Chabot. Cindy has returned to work, back to her position as administrative assistant.

Family-work balance will become an important issue with their son, Paul, who is heading to kindergarten in the first episode.

“I think it was necessary to take a leap in time so that the narrative curve was richer. It allows authors to have free rein to go elsewhere and explore many new, unexplored avenues, ”says Marie-Laurence Moreau.

The end is coming

With this fourth season arriving on Club illico this week, the countdown to the end of Léo is well and truly underway. Because the series will finally conclude at the end of the fifth season, the shooting of which is scheduled for next fall.

Marie-Laurence Moreau is already anticipating the moment when she will have to say goodbye to Cindy.

"I'm very nostalgic, so I have to prepare for it beforehand, quietly, to protect my heart. It will be hard to let Cindy go. But at the same time, you have to know not to stretch the sauce too much, she says.

“As Richard Desjardins wrote, “when I love once, I love forever”. Leo will always have a big place in my heart, ”she adds.