In “50 minutes Inside”, this Saturday September 10 on TF1, Nikos Aliagas received actor Kad Merad, on the occasion of the release this Wednesday September 14 of his new film “Honorary Citizen”. The ideal pretext for the presenter to return to the sources of his guest, who, very modest, only very rarely talks about his private life. “I regretted that my father had not seen the film, he left last year” confides the actor who continues a little sadly “it was for him that I did it”. His father ? “His name was Mohamed, but all his life he called himself Rémi in his professional life. He didn’t want a problem” adds the actor. Under the amazed look of Nikos who slips that it was not the same time… And this feature film precisely addresses this problem of identity, well known by millions of French people. The pitch is simple: Samir Amin is a fulfilled writer who received the Nobel Prize for Literature. He in Paris, far from his native country, Algeria. The latter systematically refuses all the invitations made to him, until the day when he decides to accept to be made “Honorary Citizen” of Sidi Mimoun, his small native town. But is it really a good idea to see the inhabitants of this city again, who have become, year after year, the characters of his various novels?
He shares with Dany Boon the same double culture
All his own existence, Kad Merad has maintained ties with this country where he himself was born on March 27, 1964, in Sidi Bel Abbès. Even if he comes from a double culture since his mother, Janine Béguin, is of Berry origin. When he is born, Kaddour Merad already has two big brothers, Karim and Reda, then will come a little sister, Yasmina. The family is modest. His father, a worker in a company manufacturing goods wagons near Saint-Etienne, arrived in France at the age of 16. Her mother – who now lives in an Ehpad, underlines Kad – was a hairdresser then a housewife, educating her four children. With his friend Dany Bonn, he shares not only a strong friendship for 14 years, but also this double culture. Dany’s dad was Kabyle and her mom Ch’ti. The two friends have since chained successful films and have just completed the filming of “Life for real”, the next feature film by Dany Boon. After returning to another strong friendship with Olivier Baroux with whom he shared the crazy adventure of parody videos of singers or pubs, “the best years of my life as an artist” attests the actor, the observation is essential, Kad Merad has now become essential in the French cinematographic landscape.
“We will never die!”
And has fun: “When I see the videos we made for fun (in 1999, editor’s note) today broadcast on TikTok, I say to myself “We will never die! “” The man is more composed than at the time, moreover he affirms: “I no longer doubt, I have passed a course. I feel that I’m a good actor…” and immediately corrects himself: “in fact, it’s not that I’m a good actor, I think that now I know myself”. Affable, jovial and quite sure of himself, Kad Merad nevertheless feels the emotion rising in him when Nikos shows him a portrait of him as a child, in black and white, and his gaze glued obliquely to the ceiling… “What would you like to tell him” asks Nikos. Troubled, Kad replies: “I see my parents” and smiles, saying: “I always have a little side wrong. That’s what’s always followed me… and laughter, that’s it. It was even a way to avoid my father’s slippers…because I made him laugh!”. A beautiful exchange tinged with emotion and nostalgia, against the backdrop of a lost childhood…hidden behind the talented mask of comedy.
France Live
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