CHLOE MAGAZINE
when Québec infiltrates
HOLLYWOOD
KARINE VANASSE IS THERE
to lead the charge
WORDS BY JAY DE BELEN
When it comes to show business and entertainment,
nobody ever really talks about Québec. There is the
obvious answer; she may not be on the radar as much
as in the 80’s and 90’s, but Celine Dion is still a star
powerhouse to behold. A handful of notables also
come to mind, like Jay Baruchel, Elisha Cuthbert and
of course, Leonard Cohen, but their claim to Québec
is mostly based on birth place default.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIMON NORMAND
STYLIST YSO @FOLIOMONTREAL
HAIR AND MAKEUP BY JULIE CUSSON FOR CHANEL
Always overshadowed by the screwface attitude of Toronto, or the west coast
ease of Vancouver, French Canada needs a hero. It seems Québec is more a
breeding ground rather than a playground. An unfair notion, since one of
Québec’s own homegrown talents is set to really put her roots on the map.
Enter Karine Vanasse. Born in Drummondville, a quaint little Québecois
city just east of Montreal, Vanasse had an early itch for starlight and glamour.
After appearing in the Québecois teen show Club des 100 watts, things in the
acting business simply just snowballed from there. There were commercials
and adverts and other small roles she played, but nothing major or notable,
until she met director Swiss-Canadian director Lea Pool. Vanasse says her first
real acting job was scored at 13, in a French-Canadian film called Set Me Free,
directed by Pool. A bold first move for the then-teenaged Vanasse, as the film
dealt with themes of depression, sexuality and non-nuclear family dynamics.
The film also interestingly foreshadows Vanasse’s myriad of dramatic roles as
her budding career continues to grow.