Kad Merad is above all an actor, for many, Philippe Abrams, this famous postmaster, inseparable from the success of the film Welcome to the Ch'tis by Dany Boon. For some, he is a comedian, linked to Olivier Baroux, at the start of his career, through the essential duo of Kad and Olivier, we also think of the Comedy channel. In his 30-year career, his name Merad has become essential in the world of cinema. The same one that his father, an Algerian, who arrived in France at the age of 16, tended to hide. Just like his first name, at a time when, when one was called Mohamed Merad, it was difficult to be able to give orders. Today, it is clear that he has succeeded in transforming the essay, clearly carrying his family heritage. And that's good, because we're talking about family in this film by Alexandra Leclère which comes out today, Christmas balls. It's the story of a family who, every New Year's Eve, experiences a nightmare. And to counteract this curse, the mother, played by Valérie Bonneton, decides not to celebrate Christmas.
franceinfo: This film is funny and once again, we realize that family is still at the heart of a film in which you play.
Kad Merad : So I have nothing to do with it. I didn't choose the film because it was about family, although it's always a subject that interests me of course, like everyone else. Plus, it's Christmas, so family reunions are unavoidable. When my parents were still there, it was obvious that we would get together at Christmas with the children, grandchildren, etc. Today, this is less the case because there are fewer children. But for Alexandra Leclère's film, I especially liked the tone of the film which is still truly trashy. Having attended a few screenings, it provokes laughter, that's for sure, but also sometimes: “Oh no!“, things like that, because it goes a long way.
It started from a moment of happiness, this desire to become an actor. You were in college, you performed a text by Federico García Lorca in Spanish. And at the end, everyone was calling out your name.”Kaddour, Kaddour“. Did you realize at that moment the power of humor?
“My humor completely disconcerted my father when he gave me a correction.”
Yes, then in all circumstances, I see clearly that even in politics, in the most serious subjects, humor can defuse, little deviate. I managed to avoid, as I sometimes say, the corrections of my father, who was very harsh, because I made him laugh. He never really managed to get a hold of me because I was funny. Well, I don't know if I was funny, but he couldn't.
When you had this incredible notoriety, you were 40 years old.
I know ! Stop telling me like that!
You have been in this business for 20 years. Did it also allow you to better appreciate success?
I never felt like I was waiting either. In fact, I have always done something, whether on the radio first, even in the shadows with Olivier, afterwards we were spotted by Jean-Luc Delarue. And then I always worked, with more or less financial success, because when I was a musician, it was the same. I was a musician in the evening, radio in the morning, theater in the evening. Finally, it was a life. This is the life I had chosen, I didn't say to myself: “ah, can't wait for me to be a star“, that's not what interested me. I wanted to become an actor. I didn't want to be Kad Merad because in the end, you don't get forgiven much when you're also popular and also in demand. Nevertheless, we still remain actors, artists with fragilities, anxieties and fears.
Proud today that this name, Merad, resonates?
“There are lawyers, doctors, researchers who have a face, an origin, a first name, a last name which today are still a handicap. I thought that with my father, it was going to end, stop , that everyone would be integrated, but apparently… It's getting harder, even.”
Proud because I could have changed my name. I even thought about it since my father called himself Rémy to make it easier. When I started, I wanted to take the name of my mother who was called Béguin, it's a pretty name. I wanted to be called Jean Béguin like my uncle or François Béguin because I liked that first name. I stood in front of the mirror and called myself that. And then I thought of my father. I said to myself okay, “It's okay, we're not going to start again“. That was before, it was the Middle Ages. And so finally, we realize that at this level, nothing has changed. With first names, faces, colors, the life is still more difficult. You really have to realize it today, I am the actor, I no longer even have an origin, but that is not the case for all people.
Finally, isn't your strength in having retained your childish eyes?
I retained some derision, some carelessness. The carefreeness of childhood and always being a little amazed, always wanting something, because there is nothing worse than having everything. I have things, but I still have things to do and to have. I'm waiting for the next movie! I hope you are a radio station that has a few listeners because I am waiting for my next film. I'm waiting for it, I assure you!
