Charlie Rivière has three kids, a wife in a dead-end job and a medical degree to tend to. He is a “juggler,” according to Stéphane Paquette.
The local actor plays the role of Rivière in the new TVO drama Hard Rock Medical. He is one of eight students learning in a fictional academic environment built around what actually happens at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. It's been a whirlwind experience for Paquette, but one he is more than happy to be part of.
“I don't think I've ever been so proud of an accomplishment,” he said.
Everything from the concept to the finished product that is about to air on TVO is exceptional, he said.
“I truly believe this rivals the big productions done here in Canada,” he said.
It hasn't been easy, though. If learning medical terminology and the basics of doctor education wasn't enough of a challenge for the actor, performing en anglais certainly was.
“I've always been Stef the Franco-Ontarian guy,” he said.
Acting in English, Paquette had to use a whole new skill set. He said it was nerve-racking to perform in English — something the veteran stageman has done countless times in French.
But the Sudburian earned his spot on the show the same way all the other actor's did — through auditioning. Performing alongside the likes of Patrick McKenna, who played Harold Green on the TV series “The Red Green Show,” Angela Asher and Tamara Duarte has been a privelage.
“If Patrick McKenna is auditioning for this show, what chances do I have?” he thought going into the audition.
Learning he had the part was the first of the surreal moments he experienced during the show. The next came during the actual filming, which happened around Greater Sudbury at the end of September.
Then, it was when he and about 200 others watched the first episode for the first time at a local screening held on June 2, a week before the show hits TV.
As fans laughed and applauded, the nerves began to fade, and sheer wonderment filled Paquette again.
“This was totally solid from A to Z,” he said. “It's really cool to a part of that.”
He isn't the only one who is pleased with how the show turned out. Roger Strasser, NOSM dean, said he thought the first two episodes were fantastic. Initially the school was weary of letting a television production create a public image of the school, he said. Through consultations and meetings though, the final result is one both TV crews and medical officials can agree on.
“It is thrilling that both NOSM and Northern Ontario will be in the public eye in a such a different way with the release of Hard Rock Medical,” Strasser said. “We are thrilled that our school provided inspiration for such an exciting, well-created series as Hard Rock Medical.”
Logan McGinn, a Sudburian beginning her third year of studies at NOSM, said watching the first two episodes of HRM on the big screen during a special NOSM screening “brings back a lot of memories.”
"I think they did a really great job,” she said. “It was brining back a lot of good memories — a lot of hard ones, too. The moments he captured were important ones.”
McGinn was particularly impressed with the first episode, which showed students going through the endlessly intimidating interview process.
“I don't think you ever forget that feeling,” she said. “They really captured that experience, that feeling.”
During the second episode, students went through their first anatomy class. McGinn saw elements of her classmates in the eight students portrayed in the show.
“It shows the different student population,” she said.
Paquette's character was particularly easy to relate to among all the student-parents she studies with. While it was nice to see reflections of her friends and classmates, McGinn said the best part was seeing how true to life the school was portrayed.
“It was really refreshing,” she said. “I'm really happy they kept with a northern theme. It's really nice to have us captured.”
To catch HRM, tune in to TVO June 9 at 8 p.m. The first two episodes will air back to back. The following 11 episodes will continue to air Sundays at 8, as well as online at hardrockmedical.ca.
