Lights, camera, Annecy!

Last June, the crew from the television series “Cassandre” was back in Annecy to film two new episodes, both planned for broadcast in April on France 3.

This represents the eighth season that the series has chosen our beautiful region as the décor for its many cases and mysteries. Scenes take place not only the familiar lake and mountain setting, but also in places like Annecy’s Castle-Museum.

What a great opportunity to venture behind the scenes to learn more about the bright and effervescent Gwendoline Hamon, aka Superintendent Florence Cassandre.

Gwendoline Hamon adds, “I love the mountains, the cheese, this truly extraordinary lake, and the great outdoors. I think that it’s safe to say that I simply love Annecy.”

Over the course of shooting the series, Gwendoline Hamon succumbed to the area’s charms and made a real connection with both Annecy and the city’s inhabitants. 

“Often when I come across people in Annecy who recognize me they seem surprised to see me in character, which makes me smile, and they always act with kindness and respect. Annecy is one of those cities that just grows on you right away. I really like Old Town and the way it immediately transports you into a bucolic and historic décor. The castle is sublime and the lake so magical with a color like no other in the summer and the landscapes so poetic when you turn your gaze towards the surrounding mountains. But I have to admit that Talloires, Menthon-Saint-Bernard, and certain houses that we had the fortunate opportunity to shoot scenes in, those that are right on the lake with their old-fashioned access gate, simply won me over.”

On water, snow, or even in the air, Gwendoline Hamon regularly steps out of her comfort zone for the series, and in spite of the fact that she admits being a bit of a “scaredy-cat”. Among one of the anecdotes on set, she remembers the day when she had to rope up to lower down to steep terrain, or another time when she rode behind Alexandre Varga – who plays Captain Pascal Roche on screen – as he drove a snowmobile at full speed instead of a stuntman.

“I thought that I was going to faint,” she explains laughingly. “He loves to do his own stunts and I often find myself participating by association. Last year I spent an entire afternoon diving into a pool for a scene where I had to disarm a kid underwater, which also proved rather comical. Viewers don’t always realize that a one minute scene on screen may take up to five hours to film, and that we may repeat the same lines and moves at several different angles so that the final edited scenes exciting and fun to watch.”

For her role as superintendent, she met with the law enforcement officers that work at the police station in Annecy. They gave her a very warm welcome and took the time to show her the ins and outs of their profession.

“I really do admire them. Every day having to deal with poverty, violence, ignorance, and mental illness requires courage and the ability to keep your cool. My hat is off to them; fiction is not reality and the superintendent that I play saves a lot more people that she punishes.”