Gad Elmaleh: From Stand-Up to ’Minions’ - Comedian Reflects on Diverse Career

Gad Elmaleh is no longer an artist to be introduced. Several decades of a rich career punctuated by joys but also sorrows. While the comedian has made a name for himself in stand-up, he is also an artist who has often lent his voice to characters like Gru in "Minions 2". An adventure he enjoyed, especially since it allowed him to share a part of his career with his son. "I found Gru’s voice with my son by doing tests with him. There was something very complicit between us. Now that I’ve become the voice of this character, it’s a kind of tradition. What’s funny is that I like the Minions more than my character, they touch me enormously. We can be proud of the creation of the French studios. They allow more things compared to other creations."

But between live performance and cinema, the comedian chooses without any confusion, the stage, which according to him, is part of his DNA and is only the representation of what he really is. "With all the love I have for cinema, the stage is different and has become a need. For the adrenaline and the excitement. The difference when you’re just an actor is that you don’t completely control your performance."

When asked how he manages to write his shows, Gad Elmaleh confides that his greatest allies are his sister and Frédéric Hazan. He emphasizes that he draws inspiration from everything that passes before him, from personal experiences or experiences lived by others. He is also an artist who masters the art of improvisation. "I take elements from everyday life and transform them, it’s my job. I’m also one of those comedians who write on stage, I adapt to the audience, to the place. It’s also a story of improvisation to create an alchemy. I like the festival atmosphere, there is a real cohesion with the audience."

Gad Elmaleh is an artist with multiple hats who performs in several languages, in English as well as in French. But if he were given the choice between the two languages, he admits to preferring French, a language that has been his companion since childhood and offers many possibilities on the artistic level.

"The richer a language is for a comedian, the more it is loaded with double meanings, triple meanings. It is for me a dough that I can deconstruct, show in another light, create surprises, invent words too, it has been my passion for many shows."