"I had to do therapeutic work" : Frédéric Diefenthal, who was eliminated from Mask Singer, faced one of his phobias with his costume.

How did you experience this adventure, singing in front of an audience and in costume while dancing at the same time?

I must say that living is quite unique, completely extraordinary, fun. That’s why I accepted.

Have you dreamed of starting a challenge like Mask Singer?

Never before. In the beginning, either my program did not allow it or I was just curious and watched the program without reflecting on myself. But when you have kids around you watching the show, you are impressed. I love mine by Mask Singer… And then there’s the matter of timing: there’s always a good time to do something when you’re feeling ready. Then you say, “It would still be stupid not to do that”.

Will there be some kind of release over time?

Of course, that’s true. We also depend on the flashy things people love and watch. We must accept to surprise and entertain the public differently, leaving it in a universe that goes beyond the work of an actor. At first I did not want to play the game, as the Anglo-Saxons did so well, but not humiliatingly for looking at others! And in the end I told myself that I only have one life, that I have to have fun.

Is it difficult to keep your participation secret until the revelation comes?

It has a double life side, the spy movie way (laughs). It would be difficult if I had to chain a few shows due to outings. I’m leaving the provinces, settling in the south of France, everything starts here since we get down to the core. It could be complicated to justify back and forth, but hey, we always manage to get out of this. And then I’m usually pretty vague about what I’m doing, I just talk about things as soon as they’re seen.

Why would you bet on the gingerbread man’s suit?

It was a childish and delicious choice. I was initially thinking of Shrek (laughs). But considering how heavy mine was, I can’t imagine what it would give Shrek! But the gingerbread man gave something very positive, that’s what I really wanted. It doesn’t hurt right now. Good after you got the back of the medal because it was so hot in this costume!

Did you expect to have this much difficulty once in a costume?

No way ! We started working and repeating the musical direction, choosing the number of songs to prepare if there were a few programs left. Then came the moment when I discovered the costume that asked for titans work from the suits. I almost see it coming on a stretcher, covered in a blanket, we’d know to the experts. I started wearing it and when I laid my head I said: “Remove this it never goes away“I had to do a bit of therapeutic work to get used to it and not feel bad. Then the whole costume was in latex, despite the little vents, it was extremely hot inside, more than anything else for a while when I was almost self-suffocating happened.

Why did you start the “crawling for me” thread?

This is a timeless tube that is one of the best kept in the world. Today we can still hear it in foreign TV series, movies or commercials. But singing is not so easy! (laughs) It has a great rhythm, setbacks, subtleties…

Was learning the costume more difficult than mastering the song?

You really have to take on the endurance aspect of performance, go after 2 minutes 20. It doesn’t look like anything, but it was actually the equivalent of three boxes of boxing with this costume. I had to move three times more than usual to bring it to life. I felt like I had run a marathon and I also didn’t choose the quieter song.

Interview with Aurélien Gaucher