Julie du Page: the love of books and stories thanks to Fanfreluche

UPDATE DAY

On weekends, as a child, Julie du Page had the same ritual as many others: she sat down in front of the television to watch several shows in quick succession. And as a teenager, like those of her generation, she became a fan of Ciné-gift. She remembers all that as if it were yesterday… 

Julie, what youth programs marked you?

I think the one that stood out to me the most was Fanfreluche. I was really small. I love being told stories, so it marked me in a good way. The fact that she entered the book and was able to change the course of history for the better, it fascinated me completely. I think back on that with a certain shudder. I think it conditioned my love of books, stories, telling stories and writing a lot, to a certain extent…

There are others?

I listened Passe-Partout, of course, and hugely Nic and Pic. I loved that so much! And I loved Candy. I was freaking out on Candy and I listened a lot to Pépin the bubble. There was Picotine. I also listened a lot to Bobino. Very often, I would go to my grandmother's house after school and we would watch this, my sister and I. What I find fun is that I could talk about it with my mother because she listened to it when she was young.

What are your fondest childhood TV memories?

On Saturdays, my sister Clara and I woke up at 7 a.m., went down to the basement, turned on the TV and literally banged all the shows until 10 a.m. We've done this countless times. It is one of the very beautiful memories of complicity that I have with my sister. But I can't gloss over the excitement of Ciné-gift. As a teenager, I wrote down all the shows that were going to be shown in a little notebook. I managed the TV schedule. What is fun is that inevitably, these memories were passed on to my children. They are grown up now, but they watched Ciné-gift all their youth, and once in a while again, we come across a Tintin or an Astérix, the favorites and we watch them as a family.

Exactly, what would you like young people to watch today?

We can all learn something in a day. We can all go to bed with a little something extra in our heads, no matter how innocuous. When I was little, we watched a lot of Budding geniuses as a family. And we played a lot of general knowledge games. It has always been stimulating. So when I saw 100 Geniuses was playing, I told my kids it would be fun to watch. And it has become an appointment that we watch with great pleasure. Sometimes, we challenge afterwards, sometimes it sparks a conversation, it makes you want to go further and do research… Programs like this are necessary.

This summer, Julie du Page will continue her columns on Salut Bonjour, on TVA. She will also be on the set of the fiction film 5e rang, which will be back on ICI Télé in September. In addition, she continues to write her blog, Julie la Pie, on her website, juliedupage.com, and she is the face of Lancôme in Quebec.