Agathe Lecaron: a happy mother

Agathe Lecaron: discovering the future for her son

How did you come up with the idea of ​​creating this documentary “The Dream Life of Gaspard”?

When you become a parent, you ask yourself a lot of questions. All the more so when you have a late baby like I do. When that happens, we wonder then am I doing it for myself, to transmit… And then, we are showered with scary news: our children will not have pensions, no work. Without forgetting global warming… it’s horror! We think about their future. So there was no marketing goal. I wanted to express my universal mother’s questions. Rather than doing negative subjects, I decided to take the opposite view. I was sure there were positive things there.

How did you deal with the separation with your baby?

When I started the documentary, my son was only 1 ½ months old. It was really hard, I felt like I was next to myself. When I was doing things, I was really doing them because I was passionate about the subject. But I felt guilty. We are sad because we miss the baby. When I left for America, I cried non-stop. I only stopped crying when the camera turned on. It was completely irrational. Fortunately, a week goes by quickly and I was able to find him quickly. Gaspard, he was not really aware of the events since he was very small.

In this documentary, you talk to your son. So you bring your feelings of a young mother. What did this add to your work?

Emotion and an emotional dimension. The love you have for your child is ultimate. At the time of the realization, Gaspard was very young in addition. In the third episode, I make a declaration of love to her, but I was so moved that it was impossible to put my voice on it. This work was very different from what I usually did in “Top Chef” or “Les Cobayes”. It was quite special to do something for my son and give it to the public. When I edited the report, I was tempted to put more images of Gaspard because I was carried away by the fact that I was talking to him. And every time I showed it to someone, I took it off. It was getting too intimate! However, it was important that there were images of him because I am addressing him, but also to symbolize his generation. At the same time, people had to be able to identify themselves. 

You have chosen to focus only on beneficial progress. Would you say that you are now a serene mom?

That’s a really big word. But as I presented it, I could see that there were good things. We have the tools to ensure the future. It is therefore up to Gaspard’s generation to use them wisely and up to us parents to educate them to use them. In episode 2, I’m talking about waste. From an early age, we must educate them. However, I don’t want to be an activist. Even without being, it is possible to do simple things, and it would still be a shame not to pass them on.

Did it make you want to do a little second?

In fact, I didn’t have to make the film to have this desire. I discovered myself as a mother late in the day and it’s a shame. All women ask themselves questions about the right time to have a child, and even more when they have an image job like mine. We tell ourselves that this will prevent us from broadcasting for a while. Today, I regret that I did not do it earlier. If I had had it at 30, I would have lived ten years longer. But I am a happy mom. I don’t know if there will be more. I let nature take its course. We’ll see.

You also animate “We are not just guinea pigs”. In this show we make discoveries while having fun. Is that how you want to introduce your son to things?  

Me who was zero in physics and science (I had 2 average), I learned a lot of things late thanks to this show. Most of all, I realized that it was completely different to learn in a fun way. I can’t wait for Gaspard to ask me questions. I’m starting to skim a lot of subjects. I know so much stuff now (laughs).

You had your first child at 40. A late pregnancy that went well?

Yes very well. I had contractions but nothing serious. I had a dream birth. I loved everything, I could do it again tomorrow. He slept at 1 month. He’s a great baby.

Did you feel any pressure that you didn’t have a younger child?

Indeed, I received a lot of criticism. There are a lot of single women who are pretty, intelligent, independent, who cannot meet the man in their life and who have no children. To protect themselves, they say: I won’t have any. I have always said that I would like it one day, and that if it does not happen, I will find other ways to be happy. I would have fewer fears, I would travel, I would be free …

Your son’s name is Gaspard, how did you choose the first name?

In fact, I know Christian Vadim a little bit. A few years ago, he told me “you know I made a TV movie that goes on France 2 where I am an emergency doctor”. I looked at him then to please him. In the film, his character is called Gaspard. I said to myself, Christian is super handsome but he is even more so in Gaspard! It gave him something. From that moment, I knew that I would choose this name if I had a boy one day. Some time later, I saw a film with Pierre Arditi where he was also called Gaspard. I realized that it was also pretty for someone older. That’s it in fact, I found it naughty for a baby and very elegant for a man.

What values ​​do you want to pass on to your son?

I will tell him that to be happy in life, you have to be in his place. It is important to surround yourself with the right people, to be in your place at work, to feel good.

 For the rest, these are very classic values. I am a somewhat middle-class mother, so I have a strong horse on certain points. Right now, those are the schedules. Later, it will be respect. I hope that I will come to be a firm mother. It may be complicated because for the moment I am completely gaga.