There is this tenderness, this complicity, these little habits that we only see in old couples. Thirty years of sketches, radio, television, cinema and jokes have left their mark. The friends welcome us in a Parisian palace in unequal moods. Tired and anxious, Kad Merad looks at the clock. Tonight he plays Victor Hugo at the Marigny Theater. “I’m saving my voice for the piece,” he says immediately, turning up his collar. However, the silence will only last a few minutes; chase away the chatterbox and he will come back at a gallop.
Olivier Baroux, in turn, compensates for his sidekick’s silence. He speaks of the always too strong air conditioning in “these American-style hotels” and makes fun of the large plastic lamps that stand on all the tables. Before we trace the crazy epic of one of the most creative friendships in the history of the small and big screen.
It all started in 1991. Kad Merad landed at Oüi FM after being a singer, drummer, Club Med GO and theater actor. At the same time, Olivier Baroux has just left RVS, a station in Rouen with 500,000 daily listeners, where he hosted a show on Sunday mornings. He is also preparing to join Paris rock radio. Kad’s morning follows Olivier’s, and since their paths were supposed to cross, the two hosts can’t help but chat. Sometimes it takes half an hour for Olivier to finally leave the studio in the middle of Kad’s show.
Two great workers with the same sense of humor
These great workers share the same humor, the same will to fight and the great passion for their profession. They are on the same wavelength in every respect. Their understanding is not lost on the station management, which offers them a common format. They then joined forces and formed Rock’n’Roll Circus, which was founded in 1992 for six seasons. And already sketches, often improvised, some of them will follow them throughout their career – “The songs of Philippe Jantrel”, “The stunts of the Logan brothers” or even “But who killed Pamela Rose?” “.
The public recordings are sold out, the audience is demanding more. But fate has other plans for them. One day a man with a New York cap on his head came to them after filming. “I saw what you did. I’m looking for two comedians for a show, would you like to be one? » he asks her over a beer. Like in a movie, Jean-Luc Delarue has just changed his career.
We don’t have time for Saint-Tropez and champagne showers, we work too much
Kad Merad
Out of that meeting came “The Last 30 Minutes” on France 2, a particularly long-in-the-tooth sitcom that deals with daily life and the setbacks of writing a television show. The year 1999 offered them the direction of “La grosse emissions” on Comédie! and the first stage of their crazy rise. In this newly launched American talk show, they invite a personality who is sometimes amused and sometimes annoyed to witness the antics of the presenters.
Their pool of crazy, ridiculous, caricatured characters, but not too many – Sheriff Pepper, the Silver brothers, the stars of “Sorrow and Jealousy”, the failed doppelgangers – is illustrated in formats that have become cult – Kamoulox, “Toilet Zone”. RenKontres…producers snap them up. We hear them on Europe 2, we see them on Canal+, with Thierry Ardisson on stage… “The big head, us? We stayed with both feet on the ground. We could have crossed the border, but between Olivier’s mother and my parents, says Kad, it was straight ahead. And we don’t have time for Saint-Tropez and champagne showers, we work too much. »
For Kad and Olivier: thirty years of sketches, radio, television, cinema and jokes. Pascoandco / © Eric Garault
What makes the couple strong and unique is, above all, how it works. When Omar and Fred, Eric and Ramzy called themselves couples, KDO, as Delarue called them, always refused to be considered a duo. “We are two solos who found each other well,” they describe.
Finding us is not a need, it is an obligation!
Kad and Olivier
While Kad has always wanted to do comedy, Olivier has never hidden his desire to write and get behind the camera. The latter officially became director in 2007. “Tonight I’m sleeping with you”, with Jean-Paul Rouve, Mélanie Doutey and Kad Merad – “What do you want, he really wanted to be there, I couldn’t do anything!” Baroux laughs – received a mixed reception, but marks the trademark of the new director who is making a series of comedies. For his part, Kad, who stood out above all in “Les choristes”, has multiplied the films and is preparing for a change of dimensions thanks to a first role offered by Dany Boon: Philippe Abrams in “Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis”.
Despite their numerous solo projects, Kad and Olivier make it a point to meet regularly. “It’s not a need, it’s an obligation!” » they proclaim. “Of all the people I’ve met, he’s the person I most want to work with,” Kad says. You didn’t know that, did you? » Teasing response from the person concerned: “I would like to tell you the same thing!” »
Pamela Rose’s world is her favorite meeting place
These two tell each other everything, share everything, trust each other about their professional projects, their desires, their lives. “There is no jealousy, no malice. We know that we don’t have to seduce each other to please each other, we come from the same place,” says Olivier. “Cinema is an overwhelming, very difficult environment. Together we are stronger, Kad is recovering. Even if we can’t do everything together, the knowledge that we can count on each other has kept us going so far. »
Pamela Rose’s world seems to be her favorite point of contact. What now resembles a real franchise has come a long way since its appearance on “Rock’n’Roll Circus.” Starting with “But Who Killed Pamela Rose?”, a feature film that was released in theaters in 2003. Kad Merad and Olivier Baroux play Richard Bullit and Douglas Riper, respectively, two FBI agents responsible for solving the investigation into the murder of a stripper.
The structure is different, it radically changes the situation and the course of action
“When they were kids, they played FBI on the playground. They do the same things as adults. They don’t really understand how to behave, but they love to bring out their badge, their weapon and sometimes they find the culprits too. They have been with us for thirty years, they are like our friends,” explains Olivier Baroux. This first cinematic installment presents this fun universe where French people play Americans in a French setting that is supposedly American.
Nine years later: “But who killed Pamela Rose again?” » makes poor Pamela’s coffin disappear. It’s a failure. So much so that this sequel climbs into the rankings of the least profitable films of the year. “Maybe we got a little too delirious,” admits Kad, who faces a much more optimistic Olivier. Regardless, Pamela Rose is still her baby.
Even when it came to talking about YouTubers, we said to ourselves: we might as well use real YouTubers!
After starting their podcast during lockdown, they wanted new formats. It will be a series. “The structure is different, it radically changes the situation and the way the plot develops.” We have time to discover the characters in their private areas. » Canal+ is enthusiastic about the idea and follows them in “Pamela Rose, the series”. A funny title, just a wink, because the investigation has nothing to do with the Pamela Rose affair.
The basic idea: Today in the USA, a group of YouTubers who molested a young girl and pushed her to commit suicide are being murdered one by one. The opportunity to invite new faces: Shirine Boutella, Panayotis Pascot, but also the YouTube stars Mister V and Seb la Frite.
We are not making anything up, the America we portray exists
Olivier Baroux
“Even if it was to talk about YouTubers, we said to ourselves: we might as well use real ones!” It is believed that humor must be based on an existing foundation to be effective. Without wanting to denounce anything, that’s not our style, we thought it would be good to talk about cyber harassment and its consequences to show that it exists. » The very serious context surrounding the crimes offers a striking contrast to Bullit and Riper, completely incompatible with the reality of their time. At home, WhatsApp is a music group; the FBI cybersecurity specialist a truffle dog for their forgotten passwords. The United States is not left out either, the scenario has fun with the codes of American fiction and at the same time provides sharp criticism of a country where police violence is legion.
“We are not making anything up, the America we represent exists. It is a schizophrenic, divided country where everything is connected to money. They lose their power, their unity, they become less and less dreamy,” comments Olivier Baroux. True to the saying, “The best jams are made in old pots,” the couple is preparing to conquer a whole new generation. Was Kad and Olivier? Never! Clemence Duranton
“Pamela Rose, the series”, from November 20th on Canal+.