TV series

Céline Dion makes her first acting experience, on March 09, 1990, in the miniseries of four episodes (4 x 47 min) Des Fleurs Sur La Neige, diffused on the SRC channel in Quebec.

It is the true story, adapted from an autobiographical novel of the same name, written by Elisa Trudel when she was 28 at its release in 1985.

Céline holds the leading part of the series, the young Elisa Trudel : beaten and deceived physically and psychologically by her parents during sixteen years, raped by her father-in-law, this second child, of a family of ten, is removed from it thanks to the effective intervention of her school director.
After a difficult period of adaptation in other houses, the brave teenager discovers bit by bit the outside world. Élisa leaves early the school to find a first work in a restaurant.
Later, she finds her "charming prince", and manages to surpass herself not to reproduce the same errors on her own child.

The series start out in the courtroom, where Elisa's case is being heard. The first broadcasting takes place in March, 1991 but it receives however a rather tepid reception, mainly because of the melodramatic side of its history.
As for Céline, touched by the scenario, she invested all the work and the concentration necessary for the realization of this project, demonstrating that she was able to embody a person so different from her, and of giving her all the intensity wanted in her credibility. Proud of the result, Céline often reminds that she well intends to renew the experience and to make cinema in the future.

Besides playing in the series, Céline Dion performs as well, Prenez-moi, the theme song.

"After the release of Unison, Céline Dion tells, three years to the day after the release of Incognito, I agreed to play in a mini broadcast series, Des Fleurs Sur La Neige. I held the role of a young woman, Élisa, abandoned very young by her mother, beaten by an alcoholic father, raped by her father-in-law, deceived by a rough and nasty husband... A true, unbearable story.
During some weeks, I then lived contrary to my fairy tale, every day in the hells. I was not anymore the singer who got ready to conquer the American market; I was a poor undone and unfortunate girl, without resource, without future, without the other project than that to escape a dreadful environment.
The shooting was painful. At first, there was a fear of entering the skin of a person so pathetic, so threatened and wounded. I had to learn to walk the bent back, to keep lowered eyes, to speak in a low voice quite, to behave like a victim.

There was as well, especially at the beginning, a certain hostility on behalf of the comedians taken out of the theater schools, who considered me as an intruder and who, till the end, refused to consider me as one of them. That helped me, in a way, to enter Élisa's skin, so rejected and disdained by her circle of acquaintances. To play up to the end. To live really her hell.
I turned many very violent scenes, morally but also physically. When it was necessary to cry, I really cried; when it was necessary to suffer, I suffered. After some days, I was really covered with overalls, I had the broken heart, I was afraid of everybody. It was terrible. But I liked the experience. And, for this day, I dream to make cinema. To interpret a character, to enter the skin and to give her a soul, is a unique and magnificent experience."

[source : Ma vie, mon rêve (translation)]

On May 21, 1997, at 8:00 pm ET, on the original air date, we could see Céline acting as herself on the 100th show from The Nanny's 4th season.

Summary: Maxwell goes to London trying to engage Céline Dion for a new Broadway musical but Fran follows him.
On this episode, Céline sings It's all coming back to me now and a sample of Ce n'était qu'un rêve.

In fact, the shooting of the scene with Celine took place in Las Vegas according to Fran Drescher as the nanny: "Celine Dion's schedule had changed and the closest she could get to L.A. was Las Vegas... Big stars are very busy and not rushing to do a sitcom... We've already preshot the rest of the show around her because she wasn't going to be available... For me, it meant flying to Las Vegas to shoot her scene..."

Celine very generously donates her guest appearance fees on the show to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's SPARX program.

On November 15, 1998, on the original air date on the american channel CBS, we could see Céline acting as herself on Touched By An Angel's 100th episode Psalm 151.

Summary: In a park Audrey celebrates her son Petey’s birthday. Petey tries to blow out his candles but is racked with coughing, an effect of his disease, Cystic Fibrosis.
Knowing is death is near, Petey begins to compile a list of the things he wants to do before he dies. Among his items, the most difficult is introducing his best friend Celine to her idol, Celine Dion.
Later, Celine is blindfolded and taken to a concert hall to meet Céline Dion in her dressing room before the show. During the concert Céline Dion sings Love can move mountains to the children.
At the end of the concert Petey becomes very sick and he will soon die. Petey is brought home and, while he sleeps, Audrey discovers his list, including the wish that Audrey would finish the song she began to write when he was born. Audrey works all night to finish the song, and in the morning wakes Petey to perform her song, The 151st Psalm. Petey tells Andrew, "It is finished," and the young boy dies. Monica crosses the final item off of Petey’s list: "Go to Heaven".

This story is very similar to Celine's one. Céline Dion had a niece, Karine attacked by Cystic Fibrosis, who died in 1993, on Celine's arms when she was singing Les oiseaux du Bonheur to her.

The shooting took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Her appearance fee for this episode is donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.