Elyorissa Makanga is a Belgian actress who chose to leave her home country to try her luck in Paris, at one of the most prestigious theater schools in France. Her journey, from the Cours Florent to the set of the daily series Ici tout commence on TF1, illustrates a path built on early choices and a passage through selective programs.
From Cours Florent to the TF1 Casting: Elyorissa Makanga’s Training
Before discussing television, it is essential to understand what sets Elyorissa Makanga’s journey apart from that of many young actors. She did not land a role by chance or through a wild casting call on social media. She joined the Cours Florent through an internship, which implies a selection process.
The Cours Florent, in Paris, is a private drama school that has seen names like Pierre Niney, Audrey Tautou, and Benjamin Voisin pass through its doors. Securing an internship at this institution means gaining access to structured professional training, with workshops in on-camera acting, improvisation, and vocal technique.
For a young woman from Belgium, this choice involved relocating, changing her frame of reference, and immersing herself in a competitive Parisian environment. This type of artistic migration is common among French-speaking Belgian talents, but it remains a gamble each time. Those who wish to explore on Faits sur Paris the roots of this journey will find additional insights into her origins.
Thelma Ortega in Ici tout commence: a Revealing Role
Elyorissa Makanga was brought to the public’s attention through her portrayal of Thelma Ortega in the series Ici tout commence. This daily series, broadcast on TF1, features the students and staff of a fictional culinary institute. The soap opera attracts a broad and loyal audience, making it a launchpad for young actors.
Why is this role significant? Because a daily series imposes a shooting rhythm that cinema does not experience. Actors shoot multiple scenes per day, with little rehearsal time. This demands quick adaptability, solid memorization, and consistency in performance.
What the Daily Life of a Series Reveals About the Profession
Have you ever noticed that some actors seem more comfortable in series than in cinema, and vice versa? The daily series develops specific skills:
- The ability to embody a character over time, sometimes for several seasons, while maintaining emotional consistency from one episode to the next.
- The aptitude to work in a close-knit team, with regular acting partners like Benjamin Douba-Paris (who plays Solal), with whom Elyorissa has shared significant narrative arcs.
- The management of sudden fame, as the character becomes familiar to millions of viewers within weeks.
The experience of working on a daily series builds a technical foundation that many young actors only acquire after several years of scattered auditions.
Belgian Origins and Parisian Roots: A Dual Cultural Heritage
French-speaking Belgium regularly produces talents for French cinema and television. From directors like the Dardenne brothers to the actors populating the hexagonal sets, the border between the two countries is porous in artistic terms.
Elyorissa Makanga is part of this tradition of Belgian talents who choose Paris as their professional anchor. This choice is not trivial. Belgium has its own schools (the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, the IAD in Louvain-la-Neuve), but the French audiovisual market remains significantly larger, with more productions, channels, and platforms.
Moving to Paris to attend the Cours Florent is betting on a dense professional network. Agents, casting directors, and productions are concentrated in Île-de-France. For a young actress aiming for television fiction, this geographical proximity to decision-makers changes everything.
What Elyorissa’s Journey Says About Young Francophone Actresses
Elyorissa Makanga’s path is not an isolated case, but it remains representative of a specific pattern. The typical profile combines three elements:
- A structured training in a recognized school, providing both technical skills and a network of contacts in the industry.
- A first role in a high-audience fiction (daily series, prime-time unit), ensuring immediate visibility to the public and professionals.
- An active presence on social media (Elyorissa has an Instagram account), extending the relationship with viewers beyond the screen.
Elyorissa Makanga on Casting Platforms: A Career in Progress
Alongside her role in Ici tout commence, Elyorissa Makanga is listed on several professional platforms. Her IMDb profile mentions her activity as an actress. She is also featured on eTalenta, a European directory of actors used by casting directors to scout profiles.
Being listed on these platforms signals an active professional approach. This is not the case for all young actors in daily series. Some are content with their current role and wait for offers to come in. Others, like Elyorissa, structure their visibility to prepare for the future.
The question now concerns diversification. Actors revealed by TF1’s daily series have varied trajectories after their stint. Some pivot to cinema, others to theater, and some remain in television fiction. The Cours Florent offers versatile training that keeps these options open.
Elyorissa Makanga’s journey, from Belgium to the Cours Florent and then to the TF1 set, is based on concrete choices made early on. The future will depend on the roles offered and how she capitalizes on the fame gained with Thelma Ortega.