Gad Elmaleh’s New Film Explores His Journey to Catholicism

In this new film, Gad Elmaleh recounts his path of faith and his conversion to the Catholic religion. In a short video posted on social media on September 7, the actor confessed to having passionately followed theology courses at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris. "I am on the path" he keeps repeating for a few years now. A path initiated by Jean-Marie Lustiger, former Archbishop of Paris. It is this first name that Gad has chosen to take at his baptism.

The most famous comedian in France is attracted to the Catholic religion. He goes on retreats to the sanctuary of Paray-le-Monial, to the abbey of Sénanque, and even meets Cardinal Robert Sarah, former prefect at the Vatican, of the Congregation for Divine Worship. "I am not a stranger to spirituality, to faith, to the personal path, to the quest. These are moments when I need to be in front of people who live something purified, a truth without artifice. This allows me to reconstitute myself in relation to what I am living, the notoriety, the world in which we are," confides Gad.

Invited on the "C à vous" show on May 18, the Moroccan-Canadian reveals some elements of his spiritual journey. "The Blessed Virgin, I discovered her by chance, as a child, at Notre Dame de Lourdes in Casablanca. Without the agreement of my parents, even though their belief forbade it, I pushed the door of the church and found myself face to face with a gigantic representation of the Blessed Virgin looking me straight in the eye... I was petrified. [...] Since then, having received a medal of Mary, convinced that I have been under the protection of the Virgin for a long time, I keep it as a good luck charm," he detailed.

Proposed as a co-producer of the show "Bernadette de Lourdes" in July 2020, Gad joins the adventure and agrees to come to the Marian city. "I am just a comedian. I am of Jewish faith, but I try to understand all beliefs. And this story of Bernadette touched me," he explains. His new film "Reste un peu" tells the story of his journey as a convert preparing for baptism. At 50 years old, will he or will he not receive this sacrament? The suspense is total throughout the film. But "to believe is to doubt," admits Gad.