2024 Rewind: Have You Met the 'Escort Boys?'

Who They Are:

Guillaume Labbé

40-year old Guillaume Labbé plays Ben, an actor forced to return to his native South to take over his dead father's beekeeping business. He turns to escorting to make some quick money, then convinces a few friends to join him in a sex work business. "With the team sports that I did, I was used to finding myself naked in front of people," the actor, a former rugby player, told the French queer website Têtu.com.

Simon Ehrlacher

Actor and ju-jitsu teacher Simon Ehrlacher was said to have pushed himself physically in preparation for his role of Mathias on "Escort Boys." It has paid off as the 40-year-old is being called the "breakout star" from the series. "But I remembered that my character worked on a farm, so I shouldn't I be built like a bodybuilder?" he told Têtu.com. "Escort Boys" marks his return to acting after a 10-year break from acting when he taught ju-jitsu.

Corentin Fila

35-year-old Corentin Fila turned to acting at the age of 23 after receiving a degree in Economics. His career change occurred after he saw a performance of "The Suit," a Peter Brook play with South African actors. After studying acting, he was cast in the André Téchiné's film "Being 17" and was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor for his role in the film. In "Escort Boys" he plays Zak, one of the men who joins Ben in his escorting venture.

Thibaut Evrard

Veteran actor and producer Thibaut Evrard plays Ludo, the fourth member of the "Escort Boys" quartet. His character is a struggling dad in a troubled marriage who is under economic duress. With the approval of his wife, he takes to escorting. "I have real tenderness for this character," Evrard said in an interview with Nice-Matin. The 36-year old was surprised by the show's frankness. "We question the idea of virility, of masculinity, we also address vulnerability and the relationship to nudity which is the same whether you are a woman or a man. We don't see many fictions where men talk about sex with each other, premature ejaculation or anything else. Once again, we are taken out of our comfort zone with such a series, even the viewer," he told Nice-Matin.