At the age of 53 and 28 after starting a successful stage and TV career, Martin Matte wanted to put himself in danger for the first time and work with a large team.
Quebecers’ favorite comedian is served in this sense through his live talk show Martin Matte, as he becomes an interviewer for the first time and surrounds himself with numerous collaborators to offer the public a “funny, daring and crazy” meeting.
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The comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and host spent 12 months working on this new TVA film, one of the most anticipated of the new school year. He even perfected his role as host on the Bordel stage in Montreal to avoid building the show in the air.
“Martin Matte en direct” is presented at Espace St-Denis in Montreal. PHOTO BY MICHEL GRENIER, PROVIDED BY TVA
“I’m much more excited than nervous. This is my state of mind because it has been tested, tested, selected, cut and added. We even analyzed the pilot with the team to see what we needed to improve,” he told the QMI agency, proud of his set installed at the Espace Saint-Denis, reminiscent of the talk shows of our neighbors to the south and its Hosts, all comedians like him, are so many inspirations.
“We wanted a grand look, we wanted it to be a big talk show live in Montreal,” he said.
He chose TVA – other stations wanted him too – because he had presented his hit comedy Les beaux malaises there for years. It was therefore natural for him to continue working with the broadcaster, which in turn gave him carte blanche.
“At TVA I was initially offered something that was an average fit for me. It was more of a daily talk show, but I wanted a weekly talk show. So I went to them with my idea and they agreed to it. »
Expansion of his profession as a comedian
Martin Matte, who became famous for his three shows acclaimed by almost a million viewers and his series “Les beaux malaises”, which reached an average audience of almost 2 million viewers, sees his entry at the top of the talk show as a logical continuation of his journey in public. Did he want to put himself in danger, like when he started writing Les Beaux malaises alone? Did he need a good dose of adrenaline when he decided to go live?
Martin Matte with singer-songwriter Dumas, who will take over the musical direction of the new talk show “Martin Matte en direct” from Thursday, September 28th at 8 p.m. on TVA. PHOTO BY MICHEL GRENIER, PROVIDED BY TVA
“There’s a little bit of that, but I see it as an extension of the stand-up job I’ve been doing for over 25 years. There’s something about the heaviness of television when it’s not live. It’s tedious, you repeat and everything. You go there, you have an hour, everything is perfectly prepared. »
The decision to host a talk show was instinctive. “It’s one of the rare beauties of getting older and saying to yourself, ‘I’m going to take the time to do what tempts me.’ Then I said, “This is what I want to do; Put a team together and host a talk show,” said the man who has worked alone and with his accomplice François Avard more often than with several collaborators. But he’s happy to share the responsibility because “It’s a big boat hosting a talk show, it’s more stick than I thought.”
Martin the interviewer
He admits that part of the interview “scared him a little” at first. But “it’s one of now.” [ses] Favorite pieces”.
Of course, there are also salty and sharp jokes in Martin Matte’s live set, which aims for parity at its ten autumn meetings with five women and five men as guests.
“I have a bit of a drooling side, my humor is a bit raspy, but I think television has evolved. This type of content now plays at 8pm, which was not possible at the time of Les Beaux Malaises. People are open to humor that goes further, that is sharper and more daring, so I’m very happy. »
But when the guest – the first will be Patrick Huard – takes him into more intimate territory (which Arnaud Soly did during the pilot), Martin Matte won’t hesitate to show his quiet side.
“If you do a lot of humor and fall into seriousness, it takes on a lot of depth. I did that a lot on stage and in Les beaux malaises. I think that is also reflected in the interview. Say, “Wait a minute, you’re making a joke, but you must have suffered if you’re talking about it.” Yes, that can happen, it depends on the guest and the moment. »
Since he now has “less to prove,” he can show greater “vulnerability.” He also says that he is more attentive and open to others.
Speaking of Martin Matte’s big heart, he continues his mission to help people with head injuries – like his brother – through the Martin Matte Foundation. Two new houses will also soon open their doors.
The talk show Martin Matte en direct, produced by Encore Télévision in collaboration with Quebecor Content, will air on TVA from Thursday, September 28 at 8 p.m.
An American style talk show
Martin Matte doesn’t hide his admiration for Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, who, like him, have all taken the helm of a talk show after shining on stage.
Martin Matte live will therefore have an American-style bill. “We get up at the beginning, we report the news, we have interviews and surprise concepts for the guest. We have chosen 10 guests that the audience really likes and we will design every show around them,” he concluded.
There will be a columnist every week, sometimes on set or in a report. There will also be outings with his friend Pierre Brassard, and comedians Maude Landry and Kate Levac are among the collaborators.
And the fiction “The Last Link”, in which Martin Matte plays a boat captain alongside Roy Dupuis, Alexis Martin, Isabel Richer and Geneviève Schmidt, is also eagerly awaited. “We had fun doing it! » said the man who has hosted the Les Olivier Gala and Just for Laughs.
Another TV series project for Martin Matte
It is not impossible that the comedy Les beaux malaises will return to TVA at some point, but at the moment Martin Matte has another series project in the works in addition to his new talk show “Martin Matte en direct”.
“I have a TV series that is quite advanced. It’s a little more dramatic than funny, although it could be both. It would take six hours. “I’m in negotiations, so it’s about to become a reality,” he revealed to QMI Agency, saying that he will be playing the lead role again. “It would probably be filmed next year. »
Martin Matte and Julie Le Breton in a scene from the comedy “Les beaux malaises”. PHOTO PROVIDED BY TVA
As for another Beautiful Malaysian return, anything is possible for a version 3.0. “Julie Le Breton said to me between takes, ‘It’s so much fun, you should come back every five years.’ Maybe in three or four years we could see where these characters are. If my character is in a relationship, what happens to him? »
According to his “feeling”, Martin Matte could go back on stage to offer his fans a fourth solo show, but not for tomorrow.
Martin Matte and advertising
Martin Matte is known for his funny commercials. He was the face of Honda in Quebec for the first time and has been associated with Maxi for almost eight years.
The grocery chain will soon offer a new episode featuring the comedian. “When I do a commercial, it’s as much fun as Les beaux malaises. We have a small team and we’re going to make a small film,” he told QMI Agency.
We all remember the commercial with Martin Matte and Koriass rapping about the freshness of fruit, vegetables and meat at Maxi. We also remember the ad in which Martin talks about his above-average IQ, but that doesn’t stop him from taking advantage of the low prices…
A clause in his contract stipulates that he must agree to each pub’s concept. “I have to have fun, it has to be funny and we have fun. »