Baptiste Series Two | Interview with Tchéky Karyo (Julien Baptiste)

Who is Julien Baptiste and can you outline the story for series two?

Julien Baptiste is a private detective. He’s retired and he lives with his wife Celia and they have a daughter, Sara. Celia is the core of this family keeping everyone together, Sara is a drug addict, and Julien is a workaholic. Julien owes a lot to his wife.

Series two is about the relationship Julien has with his wife, then the case of Emma Chambers’ missing family and the relationship he develops with Emma and how they get to know each other through this experience. It is also about society and how we explore different cultures and idealisms.

What was your reaction when you first read the scripts for series two?

I’m lucky to work with such talented writers! The story they have written for the second series is so bold, it questions our society and our relationships with others with a strong and accurate sense of judgement. I was quite excited to be challenged this way and to carry this ambitious story on my shoulders.

How has he changed from the Baptiste that we saw in series one?

Julien has reached the bottom of himself. He’s filled with anger, bitterness, pain, and he no longer knows where’s north or south. Julien’s lost; he gets aggressive, he loses his temper and brings a lot of pain to his loved ones at home. That is how we discover him at the beginning of the series. Then we flip from different time periods to understand where he is coming from and eventually see how great his capacity for resilience is.

Can you tell us about Julien’s relationship with his wife Celia? Where do we find them at the start of series two?

When we first see Julien, we soon understand why he became so angry and aggressive, as he experiences a great loss which causes him to push Celia away. He feels so much pain and guilt that he plunges his family into such a huge crisis without realizing how selfish and blind he can be. Celia tries hard to make him aware of that but he’s so stubborn. He believes he’s responsible for his family tragedy and carries this with him all the time. Julien is being somewhat masochistic with the pain.

In what ways is Julien unlike any of the other detectives?

Julien has a lot in common with other detectives. He does his job well and has a singular skill and great instinct about every case he works on. I would say what makes Julien different is that he’s retired but he still works, and nobody hires him, but he chooses which case he will get involved with. Always being an outsider. And he’s French!

What makes Julien so good at his job?

Julien keeps investigating cases even though he isn’t paid, so he’s not looking for fame or anything. He has time so he’s completely involved, he gives his blood to every case, in the heat of every case. Julien is dedicated and eager to solve those cases, to find the truth. That’s what makes him so good.

Can you explain how he learns about Emma Chamber’s case?

When we see Julien at the beginning of the series, he’s a lost guy, away from Celia, living in a shabby hotel room and eating with no appetite. Suddenly he catches somebody talking about having lost her children and her husband on the TV and they don’t know where they are. It is an incomprehensible situation and Julien is kind of attracted by the appeal and the pain Emma brings out in her TV appeal, so he decides to take the plane to Budapest and get involved in the case.

What do you admire most about Julien?

I admire Julien’s instinct. He’s not formal and he’s able to walk on the wild side. He’s able to listen to people. I feel I could be good friends with Julien.

I’ve played the character of Julien Baptiste over nearly eight years now. It’s so special for me, it’s one of the best experiences I’ve had as an actor, working with the wonderful production and I have a lot of affection for them. It feels like a reward because everyone is so bright and so humble and so talented. For me as an actor it is so rich.

Without giving too much away can you give me an insight into Julien’s journey across the eight episodes?

The slippery road that Julien is on takes him quite far, through turmoil and personal tragedy but we will see just how resilient Julien Baptiste can be!

Describe the relationship between Julien and Emma?

They learn about each other. At first, Emma is a bit surprised by this stranger. Julien’s not afraid to trespass and is perhaps a bit delusional. In the despair that Emma is going through, Julien brings something magical, a different type of hope and that helps to shake the rut that they are in with the case. Emma admires his determination, his stamina, and his complete involvement in the situation. He won’t give up. There is an exchange between Julien and Emma, where she is reminiscing on how she ended up in this situation and laughs at her misfortunes, but Julien admires that Emma hasn’t blinked or broken stride, despite her situation.

What does Fiona Shaw bring to the role for Emma Chambers? Did you enjoy working with her?

Fiona is very generous; she gives a lot, and she doesn’t take the situation and what’s written for granted. Acting with such a brilliant human being and actress is a gift. I also appreciate that despite being from such different origins in a way, she is British, I’m French, we have the same cultural references. She knows the same people I know in France and we had that as our middle ground. It was moving and there was something quite dear in meeting Fiona. I really love her!

Describe the relationship between Julien and Zsofia?

Dorka Gryllus plays Zsofia, who was born in Hungary from a Turkish family and she became head of the police. Zsofia oversees the case from the police side and it’s not easy for her to see Julien going through a crossroads and getting involved. It puts her in a weird situation with work and this causes friction between the two. Eventually she will realise that Julien is an asset and is helping. Zsofia is also dealing with the fact that she is from a migrant background and the difficulties for her and her father around that.

How was it filming in Budapest?

Amsterdam became a character by itself in series one in the way the story developed. With series two, Hungary is just as much a character in the way the story develops, not in touristic attributes, but more as a society in turmoil.

What do you want audiences to take away from the series?

They will go through on a rollercoaster – they will be together with Emma Chambers and Julien Baptiste as they go through turmoil and deal with corruption. I hope the audience feel affection for Emma and her desire to find her family together with Julien.

What type of journey are you sending audiences on when they watch Baptiste series two?

There’s a lot of twists and surprises. They will follow Julien and Emma on their journey and the series will also provide a lot of food for thought about how one would deal with this kind of situation. They will also have fun, as there are humorous moments. Harry and Jack Williams are good at interweaving aspects of human life into these scenarios. The way they write, they know that life is not a straightforward comedy, neither is it a straightforward tragedy. It’s parts of each.