Gad Elmaleh ensures laughter for all his descendants. The comedian and actor returns to the cinema on July 10 in the fourth part of the saga Despicable Me. Since 2010, he has voiced the character of Gru, the super-villain. Invited on Europe 1 at the microphone of Julia Vignali, this Saturday June 29, Gad Elmaleh told the story behind the scenes of this dubbing and took the opportunity to talk about his family life. It is thanks to his son, Noé, now 23 years old, that the French comedian found the voice that fits perfectly with the character of Gru. Accent ? High or low voice? Lost, Gad Elmaleh tested the different voices on little Noah – aged 9 at the time – to decide. “I remember he was in bed one night and I said to myself, ‘I’ll ask him what my voice is instead’.” After testing it “eight or nine”one of them caught the little boy’s attention. “Oh yeah, Dad, that’s so funny!” Noah would have said to his father. Gru’s voice was born.
Gad Elmaleh and his eldest son often recall the day they found Gru’s voice.
Four films and 14 years later, the success of the saga Despicable Me is no longer to be proven and the French voice of the villainous character is anchored in people’s minds. “Every time, we remember it with my son, it’s quite moving, in fact”Gad Elmaleh confided on air. He is all the more proud of this dubbing role because he will soon be able to pass this voice on to his granddaughter. Indeed, the comedian’s eldest son became a father in turn in 2023. “Today, knowing that he is going to show Gru to his daughter soon, it touches me a lot because my granddaughter will not long be able to see him.”
Gad Elmaleh is delighted to have become a grandfather
Little Ely, born from the union between Noé Elmaleh and his partner, the journalist Johanna Marques, will in a few years have the opportunity to discover her grandfather’s voice in Gru. And that makes Gad Elmaleh very proud. But he doesn’t take “no way” this role of grandfather seriously, he said. “I take it with a lot of joy, with love, with instinct, it’s great.” A new cap that he wears alongside that of a father, notably for his youngest son, Raphaël, 10 years old, born from his union with the Princess of Monaco Charlotte Casiraghi.
Article written in collaboration with 6Médias
