in his first film, comedian Artus takes a tender and funny look at disability

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In his casting, Artus chose young actors with disabilities. Among them, Thibaut Conan, spotted in his adapted basketball team.

France Télévisions – Culture Editorial

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A scene from the film "A little something extra" d'Artus with himself, Alice Belaïdi, Clovis Cornillac and, on the left of the photo, one of the non-professional actors of the team, Thibaut Conan. (DAVID KOSKAS)

At only 25 years old, Thibaut Conan dreams big. Suffering from Sotos syndrome, a disease of excessive growth, the young man took his first steps in the cinema. He bursts into the screen in the very first feature film by comedian Artus, A little something extra, in theaters May 1.

A comedy in which two burglars, a son and his father, played by Artus and Clovis Cornillac, escape the police by infiltrating a summer camp reserved for people with disabilities in Drôme. And the troubles begin…

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Thibaut Conan, 25 years old, suffering from an excessive growth disease, took his first steps in the cinema in Artus’ first film: “Un p’tit truc en plus”.
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(FRANCE 3 MIDI-PYRENEES / S. Pointaire / E. Coorevits / L. Ennochi / A. Nebout)

In this film, Artus takes a new look at disability. It conveys a call for inclusion and a message of acceptance in all its forms. Giving a chance to young talents with disabilities allowed Artus to address the question of difference with tenderness and humor.

More than an opportunity, Thibaut Conan speaks of a “consecration”. His journey, marked by years of rehabilitation and challenges linked to his condition, has forged in him an unwavering determination: to make his difference a strength. At 2.10 m tall, he found an outlet for his illness in basketball.

“I thought it was a joke”

At the origin of his application to participate in the film, his coach, Éric Michel, who secretly sent photos of his entire adapted basketball team. He then announced the good news to Thibaut, the only one to have been retained by the production.

“At first, I thought it was a joke, but from the first day of filming, I, who am not an actor, felt in my place, at ease”he confides with a smile full of gratitude. For seven weeks, he evolved within a caring group. People like him who had “a little something extra”.

Originally from Blagnac, near Toulouse, Thibaut has now returned to his position as a mechanical controller in a work-related assistance establishment, but this foray into cinema has rekindled a long-buried passion in him.

“It made me want to pursue comedy and theater.”, he admits. Currently, he devotes three evenings a week to perfecting his acting skills, while waiting to see himself on a giant screen.


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