Philippe Vasseur, who played José in *Les Mystères de l’Amour*, recently revealed details about his salary and his departure from the series. The actor admitted to taking a risk by leaving Jean-Luc Azoulay’s production…

At the end of 2023, Philippe Vasseur surprised everyone by announcing his departure from Les Mystères de l’amour. The actor had played the role of José since the 1990s, both in Hélène et les garçons and other spin-off series like Les Vacances de l’amour. Now, the actor seems to have put his character behind him.

Jean-Luc Azoulay, the series’ producer, has left the door open for José’s return to *Les Mystères de l’Amour*. In fact, the character is regularly mentioned in the series, as seen in the episode airing Sunday, July 27, 2025, when Cathy (Cathy Andrieu) reunites with Hector. But Philippe Vasseur seems to have moved on.

“I was earning a very good living,” Philippe Vasseur candidly reveals 
. The actor has returned to his first passion: art. He works as a visual artist under the name Paul Debeauvais and creates paintings. He lives in Cayeux-sur-Mer and was very open about the reasons for his departure from Les Mystères de l’amour. For the Belgian channel RTL-TVI, in the program “Que sont-ils devenus?” (What Have They Become?), Philippe Vasseur made some revelations.

Philippe Vasseur discusses his work as a visual artist and hopes to sell his largest pieces for between 1,000 and 2,000 euros each. He is aware that this activity will never bring him the same financial security as “Les Mystères de l’Amour.” The actor admits: “It’s risky to leave the series, where I was earning a very good living.”

“I’d wanted to leave the series for a long time,” says
Philippe Vasseur, whose return is hoped for by Hélène Rollès, revealing his salary and explaining that he earned €1,200 gross per episode. The actor states: “It’s risky, unless you’re fed up and you’ve wanted to do what you want for a long time. I’d wanted to leave the series for a long time to paint, but like everyone else, I have bills to pay, I have my son’s studies, and that’s the priority.”

Now, his son is working and everything is going well for him. Therefore, Philippe Vasseur says, “I can focus on myself.” José’s return to “Les Mystères de l’Amour” is not currently planned.

The mysteries of love can be seen every Sunday from 8 p.m. on TMC.