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François Arnaud has been gracing our screens for the past four weeks in the role of the infamous Cesare Borgia and I have to say I have been muttering under my breath every time I’ve seen  him on screen. No one should be able to make a man who is rumoured(and occasionally proven) to have been a devious killer, likable. And yet François does.
It’s a show of great talent to be able to build a character that is supposed to be beyond redemption into a character you, more often than not, want to give a hug to. How can you not? He portrays the struggles Cesare has with his actions, he plays on the sibling rivalry and he even shows some daddy issues (or more than some, but you catch my drift.) Francois Arnaud just turned Cesare Borgia – the monster into the everyday man. Could be you, could be any of us.

After seeing his performance in The Borgias – and I already said it’s quite a performance – I have decided to do my homework and discover more of Mr. Arnaud’s work. I started with the award winning movie - J’ai tue ma mere(I have killed my mother), directed by Xavier Dolan, continued with Les Grandes Chaleurs(Heat Wave) and Yamaska. The later is a series in which he held an important part, but once the opportunity to play alongside Jeremy Irons in the story about the “original crime family” François gave up his role and relocated to Budapest where The Borgias was being shot. I love his character in Yamaska, but I am more than happy that he came up on my radar in the new Showtime series.

I kept expecting the standard I had set for him after seeing him in The Borgias to drop, but I was happily disappointed when I noticed he is quite talented no matter what role he plays. He can be a disgruntled teenager, a young gay lover or a happy young adult falling in love with a much older woman and still make you root for his character. I think Cesare Borgia is the farthest character from all his previous roles, showing a level of deception his other parts never held and still he is as I mentioned before likable and makes you root for his victory (albeit if it involves one or three murders on the way). Every time I watch the show I feel slightly guilty for supporting his character, but it can’t be helped.

I have to admit I have been also browsing around through his interviews, checking for signs of snobbery or lack of modesty. Instead I found a shy, easy going person, willing to accept questions, however uncomfortable they were and taking everything in stride. The most memorable interview must be the one he did for a show called Tout le monde en parle where he was forced to sit through two sex scenes he has done for his movies – one a very passionate scene in the shower and also a very heated one with Xavier Dolan.

Though visibly embarrassed he still managed to keep a cool head and roll with it. Go, François! You showed them what a classy person does when faced with trouble. Keep your chin up and move on.

I guess these are the qualities that made me look further beyond his latest role. There are so many characters in that show but his is the one that caught my attention. With him being surrounded by some of the biggest names in the business it wasn’t an easy task to show his skills. He had to face Jeremy Irons everyday, argue with Colm Feore and make nice with Joanne Whalley. And he did it all without missing a beat. Got to give him props for that. He admitted he was terrified at times by the whole experience – well, I didn’t notice your being scared, so I guess you are a better actor than you might give yourself credit for.

I am sure he will have his hands full once people start taking notice of him, he is actually the first actor to be listed in the newest category here – Up and coming stars. I know he is quite famous in his native Canada and particularly Quebec, but I think it’s time people took notice of him in a more international setting, so I think it’s fitting.

First  Canada&The US, next the World! I would add some mischievous laughter, but really, it will ruin my image as a grown up. To conclude this really short piece about Francois Arnaud I’ll just say I hope he’ll give me more to talk about as his role in The Borgias progresses and he stars in more films than he has so far. He has more to show us than he has up until now and he is quite fitting in a leading role, I see bright things in his future.

If you liked our little commentary on Francois Arnaud, please rate and comment. I always appreciate feedback, so even if you hated it, you’re welcome to express yourselves. Just keep it polite.

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Tags: Cesare Borgia, Francois Arnaud, J'ai tue ma mere, Les Grandes Chaleurs, The Borgias, Xavier Dolan, Yamaska