Actor Philippe Vasseur, unforgettable as José from the sitcom “Hélène et les garçons” and, among others, from “Les Mystères de l’amour,” has just revealed that he “lied for 30 years” while filming these cult programs. But what kind of lie was it?

He played the hugely popular José in the cult sitcom Hélène et les garçons and its spin-off series Le Miracle de l’amour, Les Vacances de l’amour, and Les Mystères de l’amour. He is Philippe Vasseur, who announced at the end of 2023 that he was retiring, after more than three decades, from playing this beloved character. A year after frankly explaining the reasons for his departure, the actor reflected this past weekend on the role that brought him fame.

You surely remember it: in Hélène et les garçons, there’s an unforgettable band whose lineup evolved over time, but what we mainly remember is that, in the initial lineup, Nicolas (Patrick Puydebat) played guitar, Cristian (Sébastien Roch) drums, Étienne (David Proux) bass, and José (Philippe Vasseur), the newest member of the group, was in charge of the synthesizers. Do you think José was particularly good at tinkering on his synthesizer in the garage? Then you’re probably going to be disappointed.

Hélène and the Boys
Hélène and the Boys
Release Date: 1992-05-11 
Series: Hélène and the Boys
Starring Hélène Rolles, Patrick Puydebat, Cathy Andrieu
Viewers
1.0
Streaming
In the show “Les Docs du week-end” broadcast this Saturday, November 1st on TF1, information relayed by our colleagues at Télé Loisirs, Philippe Vasseur admits that he lied for many years. The actor has, in fact, never been able to play that instrument!

“I lied for 30 years.”
“I can’t play,” admits Philippe Vasseur. “Back then, we played to backing tracks, and I hadn’t realized that the bass notes were there (to the left of the piano; editor’s note). So I played like an idiot here (to the right of the piano; editor’s note), and my friends would tell me, ‘Phiphi, the bass notes are over there.’” And the actor adds: “I lied for 30 years.”