In By your side (our opinion), rebroadcast on TF1 this Monday, December 16, 2024 at 9:05 p.m., Jarry plays a role far removed from that of the high-energy comedian that viewers know. In this TV film, the actor, who participated in the writing, draws inspiration from his personal experience of his complex relationship with his father, who, seriously ill, asked him to accompany him until the end. He plays Anthony – his real first name – opposite Didier Bourdon, who plays his father. Encounter.
By your side : “We come from a modest family where emotions are complicated to verbalize.“, says Jarry
Télé-Loisirs: To what extent did you draw inspiration from your own life in By your side?
Jarry : What corresponds to reality in the TV film is the relationship between the father and the son, this incomprehension which lasts for years, then the illness which brings them together and makes them understand what binds them, the love they have for each other.
You took your mother's name, Jarry, to go on stage. How would you define your relationship with her?
My mother has always saved me, she is a woman that I love enormously. My mother understood everything, never forbade me anything and was always lurking in the shadows to make sure I didn't put myself in danger. She always made sure I could do all the things I wanted to do. She never judged me or asked any questions. She waited for me to verbalize things. Even today, we have trouble telling ourselves that we love each other when that is the case. We come from a modest family where emotions are complicated to verbalize.
Why did you choose to tell such a story?
What interested me was talking about family, about things left unsaid. We have all had, at some point, this feeling of not being understood by our parents. Often, something somewhat serious has to happen for people to talk to each other. Family is the one thing that touches everyone. These are our roots, what gives meaning to our lives.
By your side : “I want a more peaceful Jarry“, explains the comedian
Have you considered that an actor other than yourself could play Anthony?
I wouldn't have let anyone else play my role. This TV film allows me to show a range of my acting skills that people don't necessarily expect from me yet. I also want to move away from the Jarry of the stage or TV. I want a more peaceful Jarry.
How has your own experience with your father influenced the relationship you have with your children ?
It’s been quite a journey to be able to be a dad. My relationship with my father fueled my desire to be a father myself. Today, I am an extremely present dad, I want to control everything in my children's lives, to know everything. I want them to experience a thousand and one things. I overprotect them so that they are not bothered by my job, by the notoriety. I tell them fifty times a day that I love them, and my son sometimes says 'Dad, it's okay, we know' (laughs).
