Interview with Julien Baumgartner, lead actor of "Caïn"

The name “Caïn” is both unusual and very meaningful. Why was it chosen for the main character of the series?

It was, of course, a reference to the biblical figures of Abel and Cain. Much like the fraternal murderer, our police captain roams through life trying to atone for his sins after the death of his brother. Despite his sunny disposition and the fact he has children, was married, and has been in love, he is a solitary figure and we know very little about his life.

The captain is also unique in that he is in a wheelchair.

Bertrand Arthuys, the co-creator of the series, came up with this idea when two people close to him were left with disabilities after a road traffic collision. In 2012, he developed the character of a police officer in a wheelchair after a motorbike accident. This is never or only rarely the case in reality. People with disabilities are accepted in the offices, but it would be almost utopian to imagine a police captain in a wheelchair chasing after a suspect.

His ironic manner is akin to that of another character living with a disability: Dr. House!

Caïn certainly has a scathing sense of humor and he finds escape through his work. He needs suspects, culprits, and criminals to make him forget he is alone and to stop people reducing him to his disability. He has a burning need for action!

You also faced another challenge in taking up the main role in season seven. How did you approach this transition?

Bruno Debrandt, who played the title role for the first six seasons, decided to leave. But Caïn’s character was too original for the series to just stop there and I was chosen to pick up the torch. A mirror effect was used for my very first appearance. In the scene, Caïn is exhausted after barely escaping with his life and catches sight of me in place of his reflection. I am sitting in his armchair, wearing his clothes, and we exchange a meaningful stare. Then, in the first episodes I starred in, the other characters talk openly about my “transformation.” When they tell me I have changed, I joke that it must be my new haircut. We wanted to make this transition both clear and sincere while also playing on the ambiguity. We therefore decided to reference the choice of a new actor instead of pretending nothing had changed.

How did you adapt to being in a wheelchair?

There are actually two wheelchairs, both fully adjusted to my weight and measurements. One is a light carbon model and the other is more solid and made of aluminum for stunts. I practiced getting up and down stairs and moving across all sorts of terrain for several months. And I fell over more than once!

How did this change your acting?

It offered me enormous freedom as an actor. Paradoxically, I was stuck to my chair, but acting while sitting down also enabled me to express myself physically in different ways. Gestures are different, and you can move your arms more. In France, actors have a very static style with their arms hanging by their sides or their hands in their pockets. Caïn can move forward and back, or even crush a suspect’s toes under his wheels. We took advantage of this aspect and integrated it into the action! The wheelchair is almost the main character in the series! The captain uses it to seduce, cajole, and even charge people! As for the stunts, we act on rough terrain with dips, rocks, and holes. I had to learn how to fall on several different occasions. But I could never turn down a role like that; I had to play the part to the full!

The series was filmed in Southern France, Provence, and Marseille. Do audiences see much of these regions?

With the area around Avignon, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and the Verdon Gorges, this is one of the most beautiful regions in France – along with the Southwest, where I live. It offers an excellent quality of life when the cold Mistral wind is not blowing, and you can feel the trace of history and ancient times! Marseille has changed a lot in the last ten years, developing and improving, sometimes to the detriment of its longstanding inhabitants who have been driven out by rising prices in the center. It is a multi-ethnic melting-pot of a city – a real little capital by the sea! We naturally integrated this heritage into the series, with episodes focused on French culture and the iconic bouillabaisse fish stew, but we also filmed on the docks, where you can see the cranes and industries with a major presence across the inland regions. The series showcases many different settings, including arid heaths, mountains, and incredible châteaux and wine estates that few people are allowed to enter!

Text by: Juliette Démas

Translated from French by: Alexander Uff