Bye, Jake. Bonjour, Fitz: Allan Hawco returns to crime-solving in CBC's upcoming Saint-Pierre
Republic of Doyle actor teams up with French star Joséphine Jobert for crime series
Two detectives: one from Newfoundland, another from France. They're different in style and personality but are forced to work together on a French territory in the Atlantic Ocean near Newfoundland.
That's the premise and the name of Saint-Pierre, a new CBC crime series scheduled to premiere in early 2025.
It's a return to the crime genre, and the public broadcaster, for Allan Hawco, who starred in and helped create the St. John's-set series Republic of Doyle.
This time, Hawco plays Insp. Donny (Fitz) Fitzpatrick, a cop whose investigation of a powerful politician ruffles some feathers and gets him exiled to the French islands of St-Pierre-Miquelon, located just south of Newfoundland.
There he teams up with Deputy Chief Geneviève (Arch) Archambault, played by French actor Joséphine Jobert, a former star of the BBC's Death in Paradise.
Hawco says the small French islands provide a great opportunity for storytelling.
"In a world where we now can see the entire world with the click of a button, it's one of those places that's kind of been hidden," said Hawco.
"I was afraid someone else was going to get there first."
Outdoor scenes have been shot in St-Pierre-Miquelon, while the interiors — including the police station's main office, the interrogation room and a local bar — are being shot in St. John's. The series was created by Hawco, Robina Lord-Stafford and Perry Chafe, and produced by Hawco Productions in association with U.S. production company Fifth Season.
Another reason for the choice of location, Hawco said, is the islands act as a bridge between Canada and Europe, between France and Newfoundland, and provide a hook for international audiences.
Not the first time with a badge
This isn't the first time Hawco has played a detective. In Republic of Doyle, he played the lead Jake Doyle. But Doyle isn't Fitz, Hawco said, and while Doyle leaned more toward comedy, Saint-Pierre is more serious drama. The crimes that wash ashore are international in nature but the show still has "a little sprinkling of Newfoundland" in it, he said.
The fictional crime world also isn't new to Jobert, who played a detective in Death in Paradise. When she read the script for Saint-Pierre, she said, she fell in love with Arch.
"She is very independent, she's a badass, faithful and true — what you see is what you get," she said.
"When I choose a role, I think about it because I want to be an example for people, for women. I identify with her and I think other women will identify with her."
But it was during the audition when she knew she wanted to work on the project. She was at home, her parents were downstairs, and she was doing a scene through a video call with Hawco.
"The chemistry was so obvious," she said. "When I went downstairs I was like, 'Mom, Dad, I want to do this so badly.' And I prayed so hard to get the job and I couldn't be more grateful.'"
It's a mutual feeling.
"You ask anyone here," Hawco said, "we couldn't have a more perfect Arch, and I couldn't have a more perfect partner as an actor."
Crime but also … love
Although it's a crime show, Jobert says she hopes people notice the love — love between the characters, and the love poured into the series.
"I can feel it every day and I think people will see it and feel it on screen," she said.
On the first day of filming, she cried.
They were tears of panic, she said — not because someone pressured her but because she wanted to make her team happy and live up to work the crew was doing.
She says the project feels different from anything else she's ever done.
"I had a very good feeling about this one that you cannot explain. It's something magical," she said. "For me, there's no doubt at all this is a good project and people are going to love it."
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