Jean Reno Praises Morocco’s Culture and Hospitality in Heartfelt Interview

"The Moroccans, the cuisine, the smells, the sea, the ocean. It’s a very beautiful country. There is an atmosphere, all kinds of little things. As soon as I taste cumin, bam, Morocco arrives! But also the kindness of the people. The Moroccans are extremely welcoming and affable," recalled Jean Reno, guest of the "Une heure avec" show on February 10, 2024, broadcast on RFM. "So you feel ’one third Moroccan, another third Spanish and the other third obviously French’," the show’s host Bernard Montiel replied to him.

Jean Reno, whose real name is Juan Moreno y Herrera Jimenez, was born on July 30, 1948 in Casablanca to Andalusian parents who fled to Morocco to escape Franco’s regime. He spent his childhood and adolescence in the Moroccan city. After studying at the Conservatory, the young Jean decided to settle in Paris in 1970. He will be discovered by Luc Besson. The latter allows him to achieve fame by offering him leading roles in The Big Blue (1988), Nikita (1990) and Léon (1994). The comedy by Jean-Marie Poiré, Les Visiteurs (1993) and its sequels also allowed him to become very popular.