“I became an anonymous father who could go to the fair.” Omar Sy talks about his family life in Los Angeles.

“Paris for work, Los Angeles for family, Senegal to bring it all together.” This is the life of Omar Sai, who trusted his loved ones Come on, let’s talkA biography of Elsa Vigueru, published on Wednesday, April 24, by Albin Michel Publications. The actor especially talked about his family life before moving to the US in 2012. in August. “It was just different, my children were small, we lived in Ivelin, a small village in the forest, a small luxurious village. , near Trapez, where I grew up, he remembered. We were fine with our children and our dogs.”

Restore general

Since then the father of five, Selly born in 2001, Sabah born in 2003, Tidian born in 2006, Alhaji born in 2009 and Amani-Noor born in 2017, has been residing confirm across the Atlantic. A well-thought-out decision. “I kind of wanted to do it reset in general, a kind of reset to make everything smooth and orderly, he said. I didn’t know then that my children would become Americans.” Before proceeding. “The plan was to go to the award campaign (for Untouchables, Editor’s note) which takes four or five months to take the opportunity to take the children: Celli, Sabah, Tidiani, Alijah… (Amani is not yet born). Like a well-earned summer vacation.”

Omar and Helen Sy gave themselves a year to taste itThe American Way of Life. After being there for several months, the decision forced itself, he says. “I saw that my daughter, Sabah, suddenly opened up. Sighing, I became the nameless father who could easily go to the school fair or chaperone on a school trip. I told myself: my family should live here. Sheltered. Miles from France, of course. But in a life that belongs entirely to them (…) I stayed there, and at the same time I didn’t leave here, I didn’t leave France.”

In the United States, Omar Xi feels, he says in the book, “on vacation”. “This is a place of rest, relaxation, where I enjoy another life,” he assured. Moreover, the actor claimed that he feels at home wherever his family is. “If we are happy, my children, me and my wife, if we can overcome together, the rest is not difficult,” he said. His children, in turn, found their place in Los Angeles. “They’ve embraced American culture, that’s obvious, but they haven’t stopped being French,” he said. My children and I, in fact, do not have the same history. And that is my victory, my happiness. they have a different life than mine, that’s a given, that’s not bad. Their story is part of the movement forward.”

“I have been present at every birth”

the main character ofUntouchables (2011) also explained how the births of her children were pivotal stages in her existence. “They are so many steps to somewhere else, they punctuate our flight and anchor our journey,” he said. Before going into detail. “Celly, my eldest daughter, was born on the same day as me, at Trapezus, by Dr. Wiel, who had seen me born twenty-three years before. Sabah, Tidiane and Alija were born in Versailles. And Amani, the youngest, was born in Los Angeles. I was present at every birth.”

Omar Sai also emphasized how children occupy an important place in his life. “Children are an elementary fact in my life, they are everywhere, I grew up with children around me, I thought a lot about them, about their condition, I think that adults are ready to give the keys to children. to act well, which essentially implies self-awareness, one’s own history, being able to continue, he explained. I try to apply that to mine.” Omar Sy readily admits. he is “a fan of all his children”. “I never tire of them breathing, moving, living,” he told Elsa Vigur.

“I miss my routine”

And the actor does not hesitate to express his pride in them. “(…) I have children whose cultural circle already exceeds mine. they know how to live and flourish on several continents, they have no geographical or social boundaries in their minds, I’m proud that each of them is on the path to freedom, and I love to see how united they are,” he marveled. Hence, it is difficult for the actor to overcome the distance when he is away from his loved ones. “I know that they don’t feel bad about it, it’s their daily routine, but it’s also the worst for me, a sign that they’re used to my absences,” he declared. “Two months without them is boring,” Omar Sy writes to Elsa Vigourou in one of their exchanges.

“I miss my routine all the time,” he says in the book. Distance also requires me to take a step back, that is what allows me to say all this, to realize that love lives where we don’t see enough, in the ordinary. I travel all the time, I’m not stuck in everyday life. I am lucky to know that he is not a burden. I dream of picking up my children from school. I feel the lack, and I consider it an opportunity, because it allows me to realize myself.

Fortunately, Omar said, Sai, none of her children had teenage crises. “But Alija, at the age of 14, I believe it can come…” he clarified. She’s weird, son, she can have a strong relationship with a guy who lives hundreds of miles away, and yet have very few friends in her everyday life. I believe that he works without planning, he takes the moments and invests them fully. A bit like me.” Over the years, Omar Sy has revised the way he interacts with his family. “We don’t say ‘I love you,'” she said of her parents and siblings. We love You.” Before giving the qualification, about his loved ones: “But I learned with my family, with Helen, with my children, that it can be good to listen, too. And to say: I adapt.”