“Public enemy”: the final season of the series partly shot in the province of Namur

This season 3 almost never came out. Four years have passed since season 2 aired. That’s huge. We wondered: are people going to wait that long or be bored? We were very worried, a little expectant. But the feedback we have from people who are rewatching season 1 or 2 is good. Which bodes well for this final season. We have the impression that there is a real expectation despite all these years. On our side, we made it to the end, despite the difficulties. We managed to complete and close this project. We are proud to say that we have done it. Especially since it was the dream of the directors.

What should we expect?

It’s not an extra season, but a season where everything is resolved, where we understand the why, the how of everything that had been built into the plot. We also discover another facet of Béranger. We worked a lot on the character. We will see how the public will receive this. The shoot was exciting.

You shot again in Alle-sur Semois.

Vresse is truly a magnificent region. What changes this time is that we shot more in the spring, at the beginning of the summer. During the first two seasons, we shot in winter. It was cold, damp, foggy. It wasn’t the same atmosphere at all. We rediscovered the region under the sun. Which was very important for this final season. It gives a completely different, luminous image. We had a real pleasure to have a little drink on the terrace and to film as obviously.

How were the days of filming?

We shot for ten days in Vresse and the surrounding area. The forests are beautiful there. And the people are welcoming. When we went for a drink at the bistro in the evening, it was great. In particular, I had several memorable parties with Philippe Jeusette (Editor’s note: who played Patrick Stassart, the manager of the inn). He finished filming before what happened (Editor’s note: the actor died of a heart attack last August). It is a terrible loss. And it was terrible for the director to put the show together after that.

The broadcast will be a beautiful tribute.

It will be a terrible farewell, because he had a beautiful score to play. We show it in another light and it’s very, very beautiful. He was very happy on the set, very happy with his score. But the must go on show is like that.

Did you film again in the same establishments, in Alle-sur-Semois?

We went back to the supermarket for a bit, to the baker. The coffees, we mostly made them afterwards (laughs). When we have spent a day full of tension, stress, in the evening, we need to laugh a little and clear our minds. A big party, which is part of the script that one (laughs), was shot in the village square. Residents came to perform. They were great. It’s a great region, with great people.

Really ?

It’s just the truth. It’s not always like that. Sometimes, elsewhere, for a day of filming, we had animosity. Here, we blocked the roads, and there was no problem.

So we’re going to find this dark look…

This is what worked very well in the first season, the trouble that the character of Béranger can bring. He is monstrous. And despite everything, people tell me that they are annoyed, that they keep a certain sympathy for him. In season 3, we will see how it will evolve. The challenge here is to manage to bring the spectator into his head and his intimacy.

This final season is over, you will be able to move on.

Public enemy, I’ve been on it since 2014. I did the pilot (episode zero) before the RTBF gave its authorization to do season 1, then 2, then 3. I’m not unhappy to close the drawer Beranger. Because the public, the directors, put me in there. But I’m not just a scary psychopath with amazing eyes. I can do something else. I’m glad I did, I learned a lot with him, with Public Enemy, but I’m done with him. I’m ready now to play the role of a nice gentleman who loves children (laughs).

The final season of 6 one-hour episodes is available every Sunday at 8:50 p.m. (two episodes each evening) from March 12 on La Une (RTBF).