Actor Gérard Darmon Reveals Reasons for Obtaining Moroccan Citizenship

Facing Manu Katché, the host of the show, the Franco-Moroccan actor and singer Gérard Darmon let himself go to some confidences about his origins, his childhood, and especially about the question that many French people ask about the reasons that pushed the actor to request Moroccan nationality.

For some, even if the actor has recently revealed that Morocco remains the land of his ancestors, it is obvious that behind this sudden desire to have Moroccan nationality, there are other reasons. But for Gérard Darmon, this is not the case at all. "I was discussing with one of the Moroccan personalities (EDITOR’S NOTE: Prince Moulay Rachid) about my attachment to Morocco, which I have been visiting for more than 40 years. I told him that it was the land of my ancestors, my forefathers. One day, this personality came back to see me to tell me that he had told his brother (the king) my story and that he was very moved by it and he decided to grant you Moroccan nationality. Which is an absolutely exceptional fact."

Following this, Prince Moulay Rachid asked Gérard Darmon to write a letter of motivation in this regard. Which the actor eagerly accepted. "So I wrote a letter of motivation with my heart. That’s why he read it and accepted my request. So I went to Rabat to do in 2 hours what some take 15 years, 20 years or never to do. So I have my passport, my Moroccan papers. And it’s for the honor. Not for all the fiscal things. I have nothing there. It’s just for the love of Morocco that I love so much."

For those who accuse him of not being a Frenchman in his Jewish origins, Gérard Darmon finds it amusing. "Yes, I feel eminently French. I feel all the more French when they try to tell me that I’m not really."