Alexia Laroche-Joubert. “I’m still very close to Loana.”

April 26, 2001: France unveils reality TV. Inspired by the Dutch show Big Brother, Loft Story arrives on the M6, bringing together 11 single people locked in a house for 70 days, filmed for 24 hours. Alexia-Laroche Joubert, a young ambitious producer whose actress Anaid Rozam plays today as Isabelle. worship A series by Matteo Rumani and Nicolas Slomka looking back at the creation of this televised event. Meeting with two charismatic women.

Madame Figaro .- How was Anaideh Rozam the perfect actress to play you, Alexia Laroche-Joubert?
Alexia Laroche-Joubert. – I don’t know if Anaideh knows this, but while I was watching her essays, my companion walked up behind me and said, “It’s crazy, he has the same energy as you.” So I told myself it was him, it was obvious, he had the same ball of energy as mine. But watching her performance in the series, I didn’t tell myself that I was watching. It’s special judging someone who has to play you. I found her to be extremely accurate in her emotions, interactions, energy… But I didn’t see myself.
Anaide Rozam. – I did everything to be like him. I even went to the casting with the same hairstyle as her at the time. Ever since I knew I was going to be tested WorshipI started repeating Alexia’s voice, watched all her interviews…

Anaide had the same ball of energy as mine

Alexia Laroche-Joubert

How was your meeting? Alexia, did you give Anaide any advice on how to play yourself?
ALJ- We had tea at my place and I think I said to Anaide. “See and take.”
AR – The confidence that Alexia had in me really helped me and blew me away, because obviously it’s a little intimidating to play someone who exists, who you have in front of you, and who, on top of that, produced the series. It scared me a little, but Alexia never told me. “You are playing with me like that” or “I am giving you this advice”… He only told me. “Come on, let’s tell each other about our lives.” “. So it was a human encounter and I took what he gave me. I left his house telling myself that he trusted me.
ALJ- I had no doubt that he could do it. The reality is that I had seen him speak Magnificat: (2023), a feature film that I co-produced, and I knew that Anaideh had an extremely important acting range. So I was very calm.

What brings you two together?
AR – When I read the script, I immediately told myself that I want to play the role of Alexia. He’s a very rich character, in many ways, and playing him gave me a lot of strength. I had this determination in me, but the acting profession can sometimes make us question ourselves by refusing castings… Alexia has this “fake it till you make it (fake it till you make it, French) meaning he believes in things so much that he will do anything to get people around him to follow him. Apart from the physical resemblance and the way he talks, I have also done sports work. The idea wasn’t to approach Alexia’s body shape, but she is a character, a woman who is so toned, who finishes her sentences, unlike me, that I had to know about my body to avoid being indifferent by saying very directly: sentences.

What was your reaction when you found out? Worship ?
ALJ- Being a co-producer of the series, I discovered it in several stages. I followed the script (sometimes I told the authors to strengthen this or that character), I went to the set, and I saw the rushes. What was very satisfying was the pace that was set. Everything is going very fast, it is successful in nervousness punch lines… The authors perceived it as a thriller with tension, that is, even if we know that Loana will win in the end, we don’t know what happened behind the scenes, we don’t know the rivalries, the betrayals. , the rage of the characters, the need to succeed… These are storiesoutsiders the knife between the teeth. I’m very excited to show this, it’s really a first office drama In France. This didn’t exist before, and I, who like to be at the beginning of genres, if I can be in fiction, I can’t say how proud I am.

Even if we know that Loana will win in the end, we don’t know what happened behind the scenes, we don’t know the rivalries, the betrayals, the rage of the characters, the need to succeed.

Alexia Laroche-Joubert

What do you remember from this period?
ALJ- “Loaf” is still my career. Without this show, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today, and it was the beginning of what I love doing most in my job, meeting people. Through the casting of candidates for “La Ferme Célébrités” (a show for which I even played animals) and also through the candidates for “Koh Lanta”… I’ve always loved meeting anonymous people. At Star Academy, I was very happy to be in the company of Stevie Wonder or Madonna, but they weren’t what moved me. Real people have a kind of fragility because we ask them to tell us about their lives when no one else usually talks about them. Suddenly all inhibitions fall and you have a purity in your relationship that always excites me.

Have you kept in touch with the owners of the loft?
ALJ-I am still very close to Loana. She hasn’t seen the series, but she has seen Marie Colombe’s essays (the actress who plays Loana Worshipeditor’s note) and to be honest with you, I’ve been trying to contact him for a week and he hasn’t called me back. It annoys me, but that’s how Loana is.

Anaideh, you were 4 years old when “The Loft” appeared on our screens. What do you think about this show?
AR – When I discovered the script, I had an idea of ​​reality television that looked a bit like today’s stereotypical characters. At that time I was completely unaware of the purity and authenticity of the candidates. And so were the producers because this show was new to everyone. I looked through the Loft archives a lot and was surprised to find that there were a lot of sweet moments. When we watch the “Les Marseillais” programs, we hear a lot of arguments, shouting in all directions… Meanwhile, in the “Loft” we watched very quiet moments by the pool or around the table, where the loafers discussed everything. and nothing. They represented a group of young people from very different backgrounds, with a handsome boy, a bourgeois, an intellectual… They were talking about their future, asking themselves what they would do when they left the Loft, about their life in love. … And all this in a very pure and naive way, while today we feel that the thing is a little more scripted, it has become a profession.

ALJ- There was a real cult of boredom, and that’s what I liked, because a lot happens in boredom. When we are parents, we spend our time telling our children that it is important to be bored, because that is where they will develop their creativity, their imagination… The time at the “Loft” passed gently, nothing was aggressive, they argued little. and only slept once… Well no, twice I think.

AR – That’s a scoop. (laughs)

ALJ- It’s funny because “Big Brother” is restarting in England and they have taken this cleanliness, there are no mechanics. The candidates have very different opinions and discuss a whole bunch of very interesting topics.

At the time of “Loft” I was not at all aware of the purity and authenticity of the candidates.

Anaide Rozam

Can you restart the Loft today?
ALJ- Yes, I even think it’s time. Don’t take it as an announcement, but I think we’re ready to reunite with this program. I’ve always been afraid of anything that’s over-produced, so I think it would be great if we came up with something completely clean. But the broadcasters will not be afraid of that…

Anaideh, what did you like most about your role?
AR – I loved playing with my body, it really helped me as an actress because it was the first time it was as much an ‘actor’ as my head. I feel like I’ve made a big step with this role because I’m quite a cerebral person. When I started in film, I was watching myself a lot, asking myself a lot of questions about the character, trying to put context… The thing about Isabelle’s character is that she doesn’t ask herself 30,000 questions. , he goes for it and I had to go for it too. I am filming now and I feel that I am aware of my body now, it makes me feel good because my whole being is involved in the work of an actress.

Worshipcreated by Matthieu Rumani and Nicolas Slomka with Anaïde Rozam, Marie Colomb, César Domboy, Sami Outalbali… Currently on Prime Video