Thaïs made a remarkable entrance in Un si grand soleil. Between friendship and impossible love story, the life of the teenager is far from being a long calm river. Lila Guiraud, his interpreter, tells us more about the future of his character.
Allociné: You are one of the last actresses to have joined the cast ofsuch a big sun. How did you come to the series?
Lila Guiraud : I did meetings workshops between casting directors and actors which are organized in Paris. I met Joanna Delon who emailed me later to try out for the role of Thaïs. And it worked!
How was your arrival on the set? Such a big sun is known to be a big family, did you fit in well?
Very well ! In addition, the first sequences were scenes at the beach with Hill Ramos-Pinto (the interpreter of Kira editor’s note). Since I have a lot of footage with them, it was really cool to start with that. We got on very well right away.
What seduced you in the role of Thaïs?
I think she’s a pretty mature girl with guts. It makes her both rational and sometimes hyper impulsive. I think it’s an interesting duality to play on.
Is the character of Thaïs destined to stay in the series?
For now yes ! Since Thaïs is integrating in high school and working at her father’s pizzeria, she should stay yes.
Thaïs fell in love with Damien (Pierre Andrau), his philosophy teacher. Even if he seems reluctant to face her advances, Thaïs does not give up and intends to achieve his ends. Damien and Thaïs will they live a love story?
Something is going to happen between them. All I can tell you is that Thaïs is going to be pushed to defend her feelings and it’s not going to be easy for her to be heard. Especially with adults who see her as a young teenager, which she is. But Thais acts rather assertive and feels more like a young woman on the inside.
Damien will eventually give in to temptation. We imagine that this nascent story will experience some complications…
It’s a relationship that will bring them a lot of conflict. There is also an obvious chemistry between them which will be difficult to assume. They’re going to live a hidden love story until it’s going to come out because this kind of secret never stays secret for long (laughs).
Will Thaïs find support from Kira?
At first, Thaïs will hide her story from Kira but she will end up supporting her. She will eventually understand that it’s a real story and that Thaïs has feelings for him.
How is the filming going with Pierre Andrau, your acting partner?
Very well. He’s a great partner. I was very lucky to come across him. We got on very well so it was great to do together.
The character of Thaïs is still a blank page for viewers. Will this plot allow us to learn more about her and her past?
It will especially show several facets of his personality. On his past, we are not there yet. We’ll have to wait a little longer.
Thaïs and Kira have developed a beautiful friendship. How do you view this duo of friends?
I find it great. It’s very well written. It’s really a beautiful story of friendship and it’s another love story I think. It’s really cool to explore this friendship between these two girls. There is a lot of tenderness between them and I find that very beautiful.
What role will Thaïs have in the story between Louis and Kira? Will she be able to help him turn the page or put them together?
She is mostly there to support her. When Kira is in love, she is there. And when Kira wants to draw a line under this story, she is there too. There is actually no forcing.
Un si grand soleil is known for tackling strong social issues through its characters. Is there a subject that you would like to defend thanks to Thaïs?
I haven’t asked myself the question yet but I’m quite open. I find that any plot is good to defend as long as it is explored in all its contradictions. So that’s more what interests me, it’s getting to the bottom of things.
Do you have any special wishes? A genre you would like to explore such as comedy for example?
After all this arch, I’m not against exploring comedy (laughs). That said, there will be moments of lightness for Thais with high school friends. Fortunately, it’s not all drama. They are still young people living their adolescence.
Do you have any other projects outside of the series that you would like to tell us about?
I work with a friend who is a rather independent director. We come out of a shoot together for an unconventional series project. I like to work on projects that I like even if they are not big productions as they say.