Tender age, front page | TF1 | Reportages

Laughing blue eyes, an irresistible smile… If the photo is a good one, then Axel, aged 15 months will be baby of the month on the front cover of a magazine. At only 12, with stage experience and a passion for singing, Caroline has just recorded her first album. Julien, 15, spends his Wednesdays and holidays in film studios and he loves it. Filming, singing tours, photo sessions, fame will not make these young bill toppers forget that they are first and foremost children. There’s a nursery atmosphere in the lobby of a major Parisian hotel. Dozens of babies and their parents are competing in a casting. The baby that is chosen will make the cover of a leading family magazine. Axel and his mother Cécile are here to try their luck. Isabelle, the magazine’s casting director and the photographer have the delicate task of greeting and “testing” the talents of these young candidates. Alex, 15 months, is all smiles. The photographer is under his charm and Axel also grabs the casting director’s attention. Of the 30 little candidates only 6 will be selected. In a week’s time a final photo session will separate the finalists. Soft toy, bottle, little pots… Cécile brings everything to ensure that Axel “feels like a fish in water and that the photo session is a success.” Caroline Costa is only 12 and already has a singing career behind her. This evening, she’s performing on the stage of a theatre in the suburbs of Toulouse. Her interpretation of a Céline Dion song wins her a standing ovation and an autograph session. Her next step is the recording of her album in Paris. “I don’t have any illusions, but I think it will work.” Her mother, who is her producer, believes it. They just need to find a record producer. Since he made his début in film three years ago, Julien, 15, is as happy as ever. When he’s not shooting, the boy that the woman director of the series sees as the “ideal teenager”, leads an uneventful life with his family near Brussels with an attentive and clear-sighted mother.