Roy Dupuis: I hope everyone has a great year in the last year of this millennium. I hope you had the best!

Francoise_CovertOp: How did you spend New Year's Eve?

Dupuis: Was at my place with all my family. There were about 20 and a lot of children. Two newborns. It made it very active with the kids. I like to cook and do things, so I did a big turkey — 20 lbs.! The last time it was 29 lbs. And we played a lot of games, I have a pool table, and we played social games like Pictionary and other games. And I have an ice rink in front of the house and we played hockey. That's night-time hockey!! We didn't have any snow this year until two days ago, but it was cold enough to make an ice rink.

LievePeten: Hi, Roy, I'm from Belgium. We're in the middle of Season 2 (just saw "Not Was"). I think you do a terrific job portraying Michael. Do you think that if the whole set-up was real, someone like Michael could resist giving in to his feelings for Nikita — in spite of the consequences? (And in spite of Michael's history.) BTW, I read you enjoy cooking. If you would like my recipe for Langue de Boeuf in Madeira sauce, give me a shout :-) Au revoir!

Dupuis: I guess so, but since you are still in Season 2, you will learn more things about Michael in Season 3 that will explain some other reasons why he is not being too emotional with her. And, yes, maybe there could be someone else but not Michael, not now. Maybe later on. We will see. My mother used to cook Langue de Boeuf because my father was a traveling salesman and sold meat for a canadian company in the northern areas of Quebec. Thanks for the offer!

SapphireRain14: Mr. Dupuis, rumor has it you turned down another TV series to work on LFN. Could you tell us which one it was?

Dupuis: I turned down before not because of LFN, and I turned it down because it was shot in LA and I would have been too far from home. And it would have been too far to come back home every weekend, which I do. I am not sure if it would be a good thing to say what it was, just that it was an all-American production. I'm not even sure if it is on the air. It was called Lawless.

Sunbeam198: Roy, has your French accent ever caused you to lose out on a role?

Dupuis: Of course. A lot of producers or directors don't think the accent would work. I guess with reason. Not many, though. It was kind of a problem with Michael at first until they liked what I did with the character. I think it is a good thing with this show because it makes it more international. I hope that it doesn't cause any problems in the future. We are living in such an international marketplace and can reach so many different people and places. So it may be a good thing to have accents. For a movie, I could get rid of my French accent because you have limited text to say. But it is a thing I like to keep for Michael. Certain French musicality.

dstoltenberg: Mr. Dupuis, greetings from the frozen Midwest. Since the new ep isn't on yet, what can you tell me about your experiences filming Emilie, which is coming out on video this month?

Dupuis: That was my first experience on TV. It is the first series I did here in Quebec. I was supposed to leave Quebec to do a play in France, but the director really wanted me for that so I chose to do it. It was really well written and very apropros for the time. It represented a lot of American culture and had a very poetic writing in French and described well the way people used to talk. And of course the character was very intense. When it came out, 85 percent of the population of Quebec was watching it for 20 weeks. So in just one day I jumped from unknown to one of the most known faces in my province, in my culture. It was special.

bobo108: Saw Chili Blues today. How old were you when you made that movie?

Dupuis: That was... hmmm. It would be about five years, six years, so I would have been 29-30.

tdk5472: Roy, are you ever suprised at the huge fan base that LFN has managed to gather?

Dupuis: When I do a project I try not to have any expectations on how it is going to be received. I don't think about what people will think of my character or of the series itself. I give all my energies and thoughts to what I have to do. It is the best way to serve the series, character, author and director. And the public. Of course it is always a pleasure and encouraging to know that a lot of people find it interesting and like it. That's for sure.

Ebbylfn: What is the motivating factor to choosing a project?

Dupuis: At first, of course, the whole story. Then of course I look at the character. If it rings a bell or provokes something in me that I find interesting. That I find almost necessary for me to do. It could be many things. What the character brings to me or says to me. And then I like to meet with the producers, directors and creators of those characters (if they are still alive) and see if it is meant to be.

Reeeh: How has Michael changed the most since Nikita has entered his life?

Dupuis: I can't really know, because when we first see Michael, he is already with Nikita. But I think Walter says it once in an episode that Michael used to be dead and now he is a bit more alive. There is something different in him. I think Nikita is the reason for Michael to still be alive and to hold on to life. At least one of the major reasons.

Juliet1716: When you first saw Peta Wilson, what did you think of her?

Dupuis: Very interesting. Very energetic. And original.

LFNSister: Roy, what is the most challenging aspect of portraying Michael Samuelle?

Dupuis: The control. And all the background of Michael and all his inner life. To portray a character who has killed so many people and sometimes without knowing why he is doing it. And losing so many people who were so close to him and keeping it all together with a bladelike control to protect himself and the reality he is in.

pker1056: Mr. Dupuis, are the writers ever going to give you the opportunity of expressing some kind of emotion?

Dupuis: To be continued...

z4brown: How much input do you have in Michael's character development?

Dupuis: Not much. It is mostly in the details. Of course we have very busy schedules and we can't be implicated in the writing process. We get the scripts about one to two weeks before we shoot it, while we are shooting another script. When I first read it I give them certain ideas, and usually they are welcomed. We have learned to work together very well.

Francoise_CovertOp: Have you made any progress on your writing lately?

Dupuis: Not lately. I am at the point where I need someone to jump in and I know who but he is here in Montreal and I am in mostly in Toronto, so probably this summer we will dip into it.

aROYies: Roy, there have been many debates as to what color those beautiful eyes are, could you possibly end the debates and tell us what color those beautiful eyes truly are?

Dupuis: I don't know if I should. In French we called it "pair," which is even. Which means grey eyes which become blues and greens. Usually they are green most of the time. It depends on my mood and what I am wearing. It also means couple, "pair."

Sanlin528: Which of your television or film roles stand out as having been exceptionally rewarding or memorable experiences for you?

Dupuis: Being at Home with Claude would be the first one. They all have their part in what I have become. Or what I am. Because sometimes the work I do is not only the movie itself, it is also the people I meet that can be very rewarding in a certain way. Or nourishing. But as a movie itself, it would be Being at Home....

lfnfan58: Roy, I've heard that you're an audiophile, and that you have a great sound system in your home. What kind of equipment do you have?

Dupuis: I have the Wilson Watt Puppy speakers. I have the Mark Livingston #E37 CD transport. And #36-S digital processor. And the 380-S Preamplifier. With the Sonic Frontier Power 3 Mono amp. With the MIT Terminator 2 (770 Cables) with the MITMH 850 Evil and I also have some MIT filters. MIT Z iso duo and the Z stabilizer. You probably know what that means.

LFNSister: Roy, Nietzsche said "Without music, life would be a mistake." Will you share with us the kinds of music you enjoy?

Dupuis: I am very eclectic. I like classical. I like from the Beatles to Dead Can Dance to Martin Bennett to some good country music. Right now on my CD player I have a series called The Transplanet. There are four CD volumes. It is World Music. Lately I found something called Afro Felt Sound System vol. 1. There are from Real World, which is Peter Gabriel's recording studio. Very interesting. I agree that without music life would be a mistake.

Nikita507: Who is your favorite author?

Dupuis: I don't have any favorites. I have one that I really like, Rejean du Charm. He wrote La Vallie des Availles. He is very poetic and invents words. He is very special. Once you read his novels you are emerged in another reality. Very stong imagination. He wrote many novels, at least four. I also like Arthur Miller.

AnnieDWilkes: Roy, what projects did you work on during your hiatus from LFN?

Dupuis: I built a porch on my house. All-cedar porch with turnposts with a round patio that makes a corner of the two porches that is connected with copper roofs and two balconies. It was really interesting work and I am very proud of it.

Francoise_CovertOp: What was the best advice your Aunt Mimi ever gave you?

Dupuis: She is an extraordinary woman, person, soul. I had the privilege to have her close to me since I was young and she was living with us. The best advice is hard to say. She had such a particular humoristic sense. She never gave me any advice really. She just made me proud of my roots, I guess, and is the kind of person who makes you proud of being a human being when it is not going so well. She is a giant.

Sanlin528: Which people or life experiences would you cite as being the greatest influences on your acting career?

Dupuis: I worked with a man in National Theater School who devoted his life to "The Verb," as in the action of talking and being able to talk. He would go anywhere where he would see one culture being oppressed by another one and try to give them a tool to express themselves. Whether it be a movie, book or play. I got the privilege to work with him and we worked with him for two and a half months. His name was Armand Gatti. He is Italian from origin and moved to France during WWII. His family had moved to the U.S. during WWI. He was a French novelist. He taught me that the theatrical act takes place in rehearsal. The representation is not just the conclusion or what the audience sees.

tiburonca: Roy, what originally got you involved with the Mira Foundation?

Dupuis: A friend that used to be my first agent and then he introduced me to the founder of Mira Foundation: Eric St. Pierre. I found this man very rich and intelligent and everything, and he became a friend. I like the way he puts together animal and human beings working together. I like that.

pker1056: I've seen both La Femme movie incarnations. Do you at all compare yourself to your counterparts in those films?

Dupuis: No, because in the series, we extrapolate. The reality of the characters are not the same. In the movie, they are just mentors and teachers. They don't go on missions and kill people themselves and have to control the killers they are with. So I guess the answer is no.

Raduga55: Has life became more difficalt for you since you became famous? Do you still go to your favorite grocery store or coffee shops?

Dupuis: I used to. Being a guy from the far north, a small village, I used to like the city a lot, Montreal and everything. Now that I am famous, I can't get used to getting looked at and having pictures taken. So it is one reason I live in the country. So right now, today, I don't have any problem with it, but that is because I am home in the country. But yeah, it was a puzzle for a couple of years.

codenameviv: How would you describe yourself in three words (French or English)?

Dupuis: I can't describe myself in three words and I don't want to describe myself in three words. :)

TVGEN: Thanks for joining us tonight, Roy. It was a lot of fun.

Dupuis: Until next time, everyone, thanks for chatting and sorry we can't answer all the questions. And au revoir!

TVGEN: And thanks for all your great questions tonight. Stay tuned... all week long Yahoo and TVGEN chat will be bringing you a different star from La Femme Nikita.