In full promotion of his latest film “Maestro”, Pierre Arditi is touring sets and microphones. Invited by Sonia Mabrouk, this Monday, December 19, as part of his program “L’Entretien” on Europe 1, the actor returned to a difficult period in his life when he used “phony excuses” and false signatures to hide his great addiction to those close to him. An actor’s role after all in the city as on the stage… In his latest film, directed by Bruno Chiche and in theaters since December 7, Pierre Arditi embodies François Dumas. A brilliant international conductor who ends his career thinking he has achieved his ultimate dream: conducting La Scala in Milan. But, unfortunately for him, there is a misdeal: it is his son Denis, played by Yvan Attal, and also a conductor, who has actually been chosen!
“One day, my narcissism saved me”
Faced with the journalist who also officiates on “CNews”, the actor has given up a few rare secrets of which he is not proud about his past and his old demons. For years, Pierre Arditi was addicted to gambling. To the point of putting his family in financial danger. He admits bluntly: “At one time, I was on fire. I was a real gambler, that is to say that I was going to play in clubs and in casinos. One day, my narcissism saved me because I was losing myself. I said to myself: ‘It will take me maybe ten years to pay back what I owe’ after having ‘stupidly’ lost it and having lost my mind. I put actually ten years to get out of it”.
“I didn’t like my face in the reflection of the mirror”
This is not the first time that the actor returns to this period of his life. In 2019, with the magazine “Gala”, he remembered having become aware of his dangerous situation when he lost the money for the holidays, while his wife Evelyne Bouix and his son Frédéric (born from his relationship with the actress Florence Giorgetti) were waiting for him to leave. He then said: “One evening, I lost the vacation money. My wife and my son were waiting for me to leave that morning. When I left the circle, I had fifty bullets left (…) Between 5 am and 7 am, I made phone calls to collect this money. I lied one last time (…) Disfigured, defeated, crumbling. I said to myself my friend, there are two schools: ‘you shoot yourself, or you stop everything and you reimburse’. I did not like my face in the reflection of the mirror. An addiction and terrible torments from which he has now emerged… not without difficulty.
VF
See also: “I’m disgusted because I’m addicted”, Inès Reg reveals behind the scenes!