Comedian Gad Elmaleh Reveals Childhood Rivalry with Brother, Now ’Very Close’

The Moroccan comedian starring in the series "OPJ", and his brother and actor revealed in 2001 thanks to his role in "Change-moi ma vie", have experienced moments of tension in their relationship. The two Elmaleh brothers look back with humor on these moments. "We used to fight. One day, in Morocco, I really pushed Arié to the limit, but he didn’t react right away. In the evening, as he was warming up in front of the pan, he calmly told me to come. He then took my hand and pressed it against the hot window," Gad confided to Télé Star, during the promotion of the film "Despicable Me 3" for which they lent their voices to two rival brothers.

Gad Elmaleh realized that his fame was preventing his brothers from blossoming. "One day, my sister Judith said: ’In this family, we only talk about Gad’. It’s a sentence from Judith, straight from the heart, in total improvisation. She must have wanted to say it for twenty years! I didn’t realize I was taking up so much space. She was fed up, my sister, my brother too," he said in the newspaper Le Parisien. Arié spoke of his exasperation at being constantly associated with Gad. "When you’re served 10 times a day ’are you Gad Elmaleh’s brother?’... It’s a bit annoying because you say to yourself: ’They don’t appreciate me for who I am at the bottom but just because I’m Gad Elmaleh’s brother’," he revealed on the show "L’instant de Luxe" on Non Stop People in 2021.

And to add: "What’s very funny are the people who try to reassure me, saying: ’You know, I find you a much better actor!’ or ’You’re much better looking than your brother!’ Under the guise of wanting to be kind, they say a bit of crap. People can’t help but put us in conflict and rivalry." But the two brothers have a "very close" relationship, despite their differences. "It’s a reality and it’s human, we’re brothers... even if it’s very complicated to be Gad Elmaleh’s brother... I have a lot of admiration for what he does. It’s always been a reference to have an older brother like him, the way Gad looked at me has always been important to me," says Arié.