Gad Elmaleh. “My challenge. To be the funniest person in the world in my granddaughter’s eyes”

On December 10, 1994, Gad Elmaleh went on stage for the first time. To celebrate thirty years in his career, he returns this year with a one-man show called HimselfCo-written with Roman Freycinet, the 53-year-old comedian-actor-director-singer reveals who he really is.

After several dates at the Paris Casino and the Olympia, the comedy star will perform at the Paris Dome. “It’s an important moment for me because it’s the biggest Parisian hall I’ve created and it’s the first time I’ve played there. time in my twenty-year career. When you’re in this room as a stand-up artist, there’s a kind of validation,” he says. Ten years later, Gad Elmaleh hasn’t lost his talent.

Madame Figaro . – What is your show called? Himself . Who are you, Gad Elmaleh?
Gad Elmaleh. –I feel like we spend a lifetime figuring out who we are. I’m trying to get closer to myself and to try to please others less. By offering a quality one-man show and respecting my audience, I have to I’ll be a little distracted waiting for their response to find myself.

You start your show by talking about your age… Do you like getting old?
Yes, and it starts with me loving myself as I age. So I stopped hiding my white hair, and as my head breathes, so does my soul. As we grow older, we fear the image, which we project, but if we accompany what is happening to us, we convey something calmer.

Your son had a daughter, Eli, eighteen months ago. Which grandfather are you?
It’s pure joy! I cringe when I see him. I can’t wait to pass things on to him and watch him discover the world. As a grandpa, we know that the characteristics are not the same as the parents’ and we want to leave it the pressure we put on ourselves with our kids. Eli laughs at my jokes, but it’s still not enough for me to be the funniest person in the world in his eyes. I love him deeply, and can’t wait for him to call me “Gadi”.

I can’t wait to hear my granddaughter call me “Gadi”.

Gad Elmaleh

You just bought the Parisian cabaret Chez Michou, what are your plans for this room? ?
It’s a place associated with the creation of my Chuchu character. It’s a source of great pride to bring it to life. We’re going to turn it into a comedy club, but without touching the interior. I plan to do stand-up there , invite comedians as well as organize a party in Chuchu Michu, during which Chuchu will interact with the public.I want this place to be a little baroque, a little crazy.

You have written your report Himself With Roman Freycinet: What do you think about the younger generation? a comedian?
I’m close to it because I’m in the comedy clubs a lot, and I hear what’s going on there. It’s not young, we play the same discipline, and the sport has evolved. I associate us a little bit with McEnroe and Nadal. they play faster, it’s a different dynamic. Stand-up remains a completely different art than what I knew when I started and what my peers do. I don’t meet many comedians my age in comedy clubs , although I think you need to practice to improve your game.

Has the stand-up scene changed a lot?
A lot. Back in the day, you had to attend Michel Drucker, Arthur or Jean-Pierre Foucault shows to sell tickets, but today, with social media, young comedians are filling theaters without being known to the general public and never being on TV. They have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram people.

It seems to me that we spend a lifetime learning who we are

Gad Elmaleh

On December 10, 1994, you went on stage for the first time in Montreal. What memory do you have of it?
My whole body was blocked and I remember my director at the time, Cyril Lecomte, gave me a massage before the show to calm me down. It was a mountain for me to perform alone on stage, there was something impossible, unattainable and “challenge”. The evening was quite difficult. I played in a thirty-seat room, twenty of which were occupied by my family, and last December I celebrated thirty years of my career in Montreal at the Bell Centre, a legendary ten-thousand-seat venue. I was dreaming.

In your show, you talk about your romantic relationships. What attracts you in a woman?
By and large, the mind. It’s something that excites me. But kindness is also sexy. I like people who are confident because they don’t care what others think and are therefore more generous.

You also address plagiarism accusations in 2017, what traces did this scandal leave on you?
Positive things. I realized that pride can make you react in strange ways, and this crisis helped me understand the responsibility we have, even in the smallest things. It also showed me a side of the profession that I had never explored, and the fragility of certain relationships moved into another stage of tolerance and “I’m sorry, but I have the list.”

What is it? Himself did you teach about yourself?
That I could trust myself and that I was capable of surpassing myself. He taught me to be responsible for my choices. Before, I was afraid of being disappointed, I made things up, I arranged things when nothing is more ridiculous than the truth. I am generally moved by comedians who talk about themselves, about their shortcomings, because a comedian is someone who is unfit and constantly searching.

himself By Gad Elmaleh, from January 28 to February 15 at the Palais des Domes in Paris. ledomedeparis.com