Jamel Debbouze Returns to Cinema in "The New Toy" Remake

In "The New Toy", Jamel Debbouze plays the role of a night watchman hired to be the court jester of the son of a CEO played by Daniel Auteuil. For 2000 euros a day, he agrees to give in to all the whims of Alexandre (the CEO’s son). When asked if everything can be bought, Debbouze replies that "it depends on where you stand, if you desperately need it. He’s expecting a child, he has no more money, he has no more job. His wife is putting pressure on him because she’s 8 months pregnant. He has to pay his rent, fill his fridge and then buy new clothes for his baby. When you have debts, you lie, you hide, I know from having lived it a bit. You become someone else, you no longer love yourself when you have debts," reports RTBF.

He explains that his role in the film allows him to relive a period of his life. "I have the feeling of having grown up with nothing other than the crisis. I’m a child of the crisis, I was born in 75 and I’ve only heard about it! When it wasn’t the oil crisis, it was something else. Today, obviously, it is more gaping, perhaps. It still exists, this fracture and people try to cope with it."

"The New Toy" also raises the issue of inequalities. For the actor who has only fought this battle throughout his career, even if inequalities still exist and in all compartments, he is pleased with the results obtained. "So from where I am, yes, I have seen things progress and I am very proud of it. Not everywhere, obviously. We can’t solve all the problems, but in general, I have the feeling that, even if it’s infinitesimal, it’s progressing."

Today the actor is campaigning to impose improvisation in schools. "It’s an extraordinary tool to give you self-confidence. It allows us to look for work, to find it, to seduce, to love each other! Thanks to theatrical improvisation, I was able to be applauded and I assure you that it is better than any diploma," confides the comedian.