New novel by Jean-Philippe Baril-Guérard: what if Greta Thunberg was just a pawn?

DAY

In his next novel, actor and playwright Jean-Philippe Baril Gérard, to whom we owe in particular “Haute démolition”, “Royal” and “Manuel de la vie sauvage”, will focus on safeguarding the environment and the instrumentalization of children in this fight. 

Asking himself, once again, how far are we willing to go to defend our ideas, a question that has often colored his works, the author will stage here a protagonist who claims to fight for a great cause. “It is a question of safeguarding the environment and using children as standard bearers in this fight,” he explained to Stéphan Bureau, in the most recent podcast “Contact”, released Thursday on QUB. radio.

By doing so, he inevitably draws a parallel with the young activist Greta Thunberg, “but a Greta who would not be the one who had the initiative and who finds herself like a pawn , instrumentalized by dad,” he said.

“Greta Thunberg, I don't think she would be here if her parents hadn't encouraged and helped her in this,” added the multidisciplinary playwright, recalling that he liked to tackle figures more larger than life, even almost untouchable, as he did with the lawyers in “Royal” or with the comedians in “High Demolition”.

During this episode of “Contact”, Jean-Philippe Baril-Guérard also discussed with Stéphan Bureau the question of morality in success and hatred as a vector of performance, but also the generational and ideological gaps that have arisen. drawn since the advent of social networks and his artistic, professional and family journey.

Having a weakness for the antiheroes that he commonly depicts in his works, the author also expressed his regret in the face of the impoverishment of the debate in the public space by the rapid imposition of reductive labels, often indisputable, and without appeal, but also of the consequences they entail.

“There is no way at all to moderate the speech. We quickly retreat to our corner. When you say someone is a fascist, a Nazi or a misogynist, it's hard to get over a label like that,” he said.

Every Thursday, a new episode of “Contact” is posted on the QUB radio platform. Episodes can also be uploaded to YouTube.