Rosalie Taillefer-Simard: Nothing Can Stop Her!

She followed in the footsteps of her parents, Marie-Josée Taillefer and René Simard, by starting a promising television career. Learn more about this versatile artist in her interview.

All three of us hosts have a disability. I am deaf, Damien Gramont is blind, and Kéven Breton is in a wheelchair. Every episode presents an obstacle that we encounter. For example, in one episode, I attend a comedy show. I always laugh alone, at the wrong time, at this kind of show because I watch the comedians’ gestures more than I listen to their jokes! So I went to the Bordel Comédie Club in Montreal and met one of the owners. He listened to a show the way I hear them, with headphones. Then he told me, “I understand why you don’t like going to comedy shows!”

I loved taking part in this project, it was such a great experience! It was my first time hosting a TV show. I learned a lot. When we first started filming, I read the scripts and learned them by heart. Over time, I learned that it has to be natural. My questions need to be prepared, but it’s more of a conversation. I can see myself improving from one episode to the next.

I really enjoyed it! But it’s different from what I imagined. We really have to prepare well. I loved getting into my character and interacting with the other actors. Chantal Fontaine, who plays my aunt, made sure that I understood what the director was saying. We made a great team! Do you think that the Deaf community should be portrayed more on TV? Yes, there are so few actors with disabilities in TV shows. It’s much more natural and realistic when a character uses sign language, for example.

When there’s a lot of noise around, I lipread to confirm what I’m hearing. When I watch TV, I turn the subtitles on, otherwise I lose some parts. The radio doesn’t sound clear, nor does music. The instruments mingle with the lyrics. I don’t really hear the melody. And if I take my implant off, I can’t hear anything.

From time to time, for example when I’m far away from the person I’m talking to. For my role in CLASH, I met a deaf woman who uses sign language every day. I had her read my lines, she showed them to me in signs, then I practiced at home. It’s like dance choreography! You need to practice so it runs smoothly. I used sign language when I was younger but forgot it over time, so I wanted to confirm my signs with her.

Art is a big part of your life, in many forms. You dance and paint wonderfully. You recently exhibited your paintings at the Galerie le 1040 in Montreal. How would you describe your art? It’s very colourful. I guess since my hearing is less developed, I want to draw the eye by adding some oomph. I find that colour adds life to any space. It’s more inviting, it changes everything!

In one of my paintings, you can see a cochlea. I also made a painting with a scar to illustrate my operation. It’s quite subtle—you don’t see it right away. When I explain it, people find it really interesting. They want to learn more about deafness.

You seem to have a special connection with your parents. What’s the most valuable lesson they’ve taught you? They’ve given me lots of confidence. They’ve encouraged my brother and me so much, and they’ve always been there for us. If I hadn’t had such involved and loving parents, I probably wouldn’t be as self-confident. I’m really lucky. They’ve helped me be fulfilled and happy. They’ve raised us as normal children, not like we’re different from everyone else.

We share news every day, and we take a lot of family vacations. It brings us closer together, since we don’t live under the same roof anymore.

We talk about deafness. When my older brother Olivier was born, my parents didn’t know anything at all about deafness. They thought he was hearing as a baby, but they realized that he was not reacting to sounds. They ran some tests and learned, when he was 11 months old, that he was deaf. My mother discusses how my parents experienced the situation.

I explain how I hear, how I learned to speak. We show videos, we tell anecdotes. It’s fun, people like it.

Yes, there’s always been humour when we talk about deafness. Sometimes, I invent words that I think exist. My parents write all those little mistakes in a book. We laugh a lot when we read through them! For example, instead of saying the French word chaloupe, I used to say cantaloup, and instead of piste cyclable, I would say bicyclable. They lipread the same way, so how can I know?

I must admit that I especially like acting. I’ve always liked playing characters, observing people and imitating them. And I’m very curious! That might be why I love acting so much. Otherwise, I’m continuing to give conferences with my mother, I’m creating sets for my dance school, I’m painting and I’m renovating my new house. I’m pretty busy. It’s fun!

Thank you for this amazing interview, Rosalie.

You are so beautiful and inspiring!