Q&A with “Solo” actor Thodore Pellerin

Solo takes place largely in a drag bar where Simon (Thodore Pellerin) regularly performs. When Olivier (Flix Maritaud) arrives with a new act for the club, he and Simon spark an attraction and quickly become a couple. They even start playing together. But their relationship hits a problem as Olivier becomes more controlling, keeping Simon away from his family. Plus, when Claire (Anne-Marie Cadieux), Simon's successful mother, returns after a long absence, Simon craves her elusive affection. Pellerin gives a superb performance as a young man who absorbs Olivier's constant criticism and Claire's passive-aggressive behavior, until he reaches a breaking point. He generates empathy even when he is in his weakest moment. Maritaud is also fantastic in his club scenes and when Olivier is toxic. And the performances on stage are breathtaking.

Pellerin spoke with Gay City News about performing in drag and Solo.

What appealed to you about the role of Simon? Were you interested in doing drag?

It was a strange process. Sophie and I had worked together for a long time. It wasn't like the usual process where you read it and then project into it and start the work to get to the character. Sophie told me about the project 2 or 3 years before filming. So it was a slow preparation to find out what the film would be, who the character would be and what the themes of the film would be. It's hard to say what attracted me to Simon. I got to know the character through conversations. At the Family First wrap party, I told him that I would really like to play a drag queen at some point. I've always been more interested in actresses than actors. Playing a drag queen isn't being a woman, it's very different, but it's a space where I'm allowed to really tap into femininity, or an extreme version of femininity, or in a certain idea of ​​femininity. It was something I wanted to do. I loved doing it, but it was terrifying.

Can you talk about your preparation for playing the role and finding the character by doing the makeup, outfits and learning the choreography?

We started the physical work with the choreographer quite early. I learned to walk in heels a few months before I started filming, so that [showed] me what physics needed to be there. Makeup, clothes and wigs are a big part of it. The process I was interested in was: How can I feel that this is where I am most comfortable and most luminous? that is how [drag queens] feel. They are at their best and most confident on stage. I also had to allow myself to be in this space. This process was very interesting. It also says a lot about how Simon would be in his daily life when he's not cross-dressing. It comes and goes, and it's not entirely who he is, but it's a big part of him. When does it come out or when is it mastered? The last number in the film was the first one we shot, and it was the only one for which we didn't have a choreographer. It was the first time I was with an audience of gay people wanting to see a drag show. It was terrifying, but it gave me a lot of insight into an important aspect of Simon's life. You can't really prepare for it. You have to do it and feel it. All these things, you can't imagine or know how you feel, but when you do them, it's like that.

Simon is told that he gets his strength and power from flirting. He says he has to feel it. Why is drag so essential to Simon? What does he get from his performance?

This space you are allowed to be in. What was interesting about the process was allowing myself to be comfortable in this extreme or satirical femininity. You have to deconstruct a lot. At first I was intimidated and since we were with real drag queens, there was a certain dynamic, humor and poetry that created a space. It became this space for us to be on stage and perform. It was very playful, and an environment where we felt like our characters, and we were in control or in a space of extreme force. It's a space where who you are is glorified and truly seen and where you can amplify things that need to be mastered. That femininity becomes a value, and you play with that and it becomes extremely empowering and validated.

What observations do you make about Simon's relationship with Olivier? Why does Simon put up with Olivier's toxic manipulative behavior?

For me it was an important thing. Why does he stay? Why doesn't he leave? Simon is basically young, not in age, but he is green. He was not in direct contact with the world. He's gay, he flirts and he's open about it. His family accepts; he has strong fundamental relationships with his sister and father. His mother is gone. Otherwise, his world is a bit of a nest. He's always been pretty comfortable, so this is the first time he's been hit by something this hard. The parallels with his mother are clear.

Let's talk about Simon's relationship with his mother, who also manipulates him. Why does he need Claire's approval so desperately?

There is an important aspect to wanting be her mother, to match what she is. There is perhaps an aspect of this in Olivier that is more daring; he's more punk, dirtier, more worldly. Olivier is able to make his own costumes, where Simon collaborates with his sister. Both [Olivier and Claire] are embodiments of things Simon wants to be and aspires to become in different ways. They are both inaccessible characters and their love is completely conditional. It's give and take, and it's addictive in relationships when you feel seen and feel like you're a part of something and when it's taken away from you, you wonder why. What did I do? What was I like when I was given love and how can I become that loving person who is loved again? It's a constant modulation and you work to be that version of yourself that deserves love and attention. This constant work within you creates dissociation and you don't know what you feel. Simon runs after his mother and Olivier, but he is cut off from himself.

Solo | Directed by Sophie Dupuis | Opening on May 24 at the IFC Center | Distributed by Music Box Films