EXCLUSIVE – Laurent de Funès, grandson of Louis de Funès: “Bearing this name is slippery. It’s like climbing Everest in flip-flops and shorts, and without a guide!”

By Jérôme Goulon.

Laurent de Funès stars in Pfiou-Pfiou, a play by Olivier Martinez currently running at La Scène parisienne in Paris. In this zany comedy, he embodies a world where everything changes in barely 24 hours. Ludo, the main character, finds himself penniless, in a forced civil partnership, and brutally confronted by his past. Very quickly, everything collapses around him. Modern, fast-paced, and resolutely hilarious, Pfiou-Pfiou is a parody comedy as absurd as it is irreverent. The play gleefully skewers theater, sitcoms, and good taste, at a frenetic pace that promises audiences an evening as wild as it is effective. In this play, Laurent de Funès opens up about this unbridled theatrical adventure, but also about his illustrious grandfather, Louis de Funès, whose shadow and legacy continue to profoundly mark the French cultural landscape.

Jérôme Goulon: You are currently starring in the play Phew-phewTell us about this comedy…
Laurent de Funès: This play tells the story of a guy, a bit of a con artist, played by the author Olivier Martinez, who ends up ruining his girlfriend (Ludo, played by Gilbert Diaz), who was supposed to be rich when her mother died. He made her lose all her money. The only way he can get his hands on the inheritance—because he always takes 20% of everything his girlfriend earns—is to enter into a civil partnership with her, in accordance with her mother's wishes, who wanted her to be married so she could get the rest of the fortune. And of course, everything goes completely haywire. That's the nature of comedies.

How would you describe this room?
It's wacky, totally farcical and offbeat. Throughout the play, you realize everything is about to go haywire. The civil partner won't be who you expect, but a colorful character played by the excellent Maxime Van Laer. A gold digger tries to get her hands on poor, unsuspecting Ludo's money; the sparkling Jessica Mompiou plays this role with great energy. And let's not forget the one who sets this whole gang of crooks ablaze in the finale, in the role of the slightly hysterical notary, the irrepressible Delphine Saroli.

Speaking of quirky, your character is quite comical. You're wearing a magnificent pink apron and Mapa gloves. Are you playing the concierge?
Yes, let's just say she's a rather strange character, but she's actually a kind of spy, the spy of the deceased boss. She's a recurring theme throughout the play. She's a very farcical character. A bit of a busybody. There's less dialogue, but a lot of physical presence, a lot of playfulness in her glances and gestures, in her posture. When she comes to sting, she really stings the characters. She's a very fun character to play.

Can we say that this play is a kind of parody?
Yes, it's definitely a parody. Some people will say it's a bit over the top, but that's intentionally meant to be the case. In fact, at the beginning of the play, people ask themselves the question: "What is this crazy thing?" And then afterwards, they really start laughing, because they can see that everything is deliberate and intentional: the gags, the poses, all that. Even me, as a concierge, dressed with bright colored earrings and tights and my Spanish accent, it's quite comical, let's say.

This concierge is a key character in this comedy. Did you like him right away when you read the text?
I reread Oscar twice not so long ago, to understand the mechanics of laughter. And indeed, when one reads OscarYou don't laugh on every page. It's a beautifully crafted, well-oiled machine that leaves room for interpretation. What's funny isn't so much the well-constructed plot, but rather the way it's acted, how it's staged. My grandfather played it fabulously well, and that's what brought it fame.OscarWhen he took it over, everything changed. So, to answer your question, a play can seem neutral at first glance. You really have to delve into your imagination to see how it would translate to a stage production…

What would you like the audience to feel when they leave? Phew-phew ?
Last Sunday, when I performed it and the audience really laughed, someone came up to us as they were leaving and said:"We had a great time." Here. "We had a great time." That's what we love to hear. It's very simple. It's a big waltz on stage, it's a riot, and you can see that the actors are great together and having fun. It's a play to relax with.

"The pressure of that family name doesn't necessarily condition you to go in the same direction. You have one monster, and then there are the others."

Let's talk a little about you. Before you got into comedy, you worked in advertising and communications. How did theatre come into your life?
In fact, I was already drawn to theatre when I was a kid. Recently, a friend told me:You know, I'm not surprised you're getting into theatre, because when you were a kid, you were always putting on something, improvising, and you could tell that all of a sudden, you'd lose your temper. You, who are such a shy boy, on stage, you weren't the same anymore. And I'd forgotten all about that. But it's also true that the pressure of having that last name doesn't necessarily predispose you to go in the same direction. You have one monster, and then there are the others. So I made my life in graphic arts, photography, and then I created an advertising agency. For 20 years, I was successful in my career, I had a blast.

So, what was the trigger that really made you take the plunge?
One day, during a rather dark period in my life, the death of my younger brother made me realize that life can be shorter than expected, that everything can end overnight. My brother used to tell me: "I'm leaving without ever having been able to do what I truly wanted to do." That was a major turning point for me. I then thought: "Well, I'm going to decide how I want to fill the second part of my life." It's a significant risk, we know that, but at the same time, life itself is a risk. You know, there are the turbulent rivers that flow and carve their way through the rocks and eventually reach their destination, and then there are the great lakes, which hardly move. Me, I'm not a still lake. When things ripple a bit, I don't mind it.

Is being Louis de Funès' grandson a blessing, a burden, or both?
It depends on the circumstances. When I was young, there weren't all these media outlets, but we were still exposed, so it was a bit complicated while I was still alive. I was a very reserved boy, so I had to deal with that and I made my way, successfully. At a certain point, I decided I wanted to take the plunge: to do what I'd wanted to do since childhood, something that had remained buried deep inside. So yes, it can be a burden to have that name in this industry. It's a bit like wanting to climb Everest in flip-flops and shorts, without a guide! It's a slippery slope. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't, but I think you shouldn't pay too much attention to it. Easier said than done. I have always noticed that people who went for it, who didn't care too much about what others thought, were more successful than those who constantly worried about whether or not the person opposite would agree with what you were doing.

There's a funny little parallel that can be drawn between you and your grandfather, Louis de Funès: he achieved success in comedy quite late…
Yes. That's true. I even learned of a confidence he shared with my father. He told him: "You know, I think I'm going to stop." My father replied to him: "What do you mean, you're going to stop?" He retorted: "I think I'm going to quit acting, I can't take it anymore, I'm fed up with this job, I'm struggling. You can't imagine the compromises I make, the efforts I put in." It's incredible, this reflection. And just when he'd lost all hope, his work was finally recognized by the public. Before the success, there was a lot of despair; the critics were never kind to him. It was very hard. He often talked about it. He said it was eating him up inside.

Was it making him anxious?
He was terrified every time a film came out. He'd sneak into theaters and hide to see if the audience laughed; it was his most reliable indicator. He also needed our opinion. He wanted to talk to us on the phone to find out if we liked it or not. But he was terrified of the professionals, who were very harsh judges of him. Back then, newspapers were tearing him to shreds. It was tough.

Speaking of him, what kind of grandfather does Louis de Funès keep quiet about?
As I said in a previous interview, he was a normal grandfather. But my words were twisted by a freelance journalist who then picked them up in another magazine for clickbait, which is very trendy these days. They feel free to distort things to generate buzz. So no, my grandfather wasn't someone "ordinarily" As they misspoke: he was a normal person. There's a difference. He didn't come home putting on an act. You see what I mean? That's the difference. So there you have it, the answer is this: he was a normal grandfather, meaning he listened.

Being a good listener is already a great quality…
Yes. That's not the case for everyone. He was always worried about what we liked. One thing he loved was when we recited La Fontaine's fables. That was his pleasure. It's little memories like that that have stayed with me. I was just a kid! He even recorded a La Fontaine album. I still have it. And in memory of that, I also recorded fables and children's stories. It was important to me to do that, in his memory. And I love La Fontaine for the moral lessons he conveys through his Fables. You find all social classes and their petty squabbles there…

"Without Gérard Oury, Louis de Funès might not have become de Funès."

Of all your grandfather's films, which is your favorite?
I really like MegalomaniaThe first half hour is breathtaking, it's so fast-paced. All of Gérard Oury's films are enjoyable to watch because they're well-written. They're rich. They move very quickly, there's never a dull moment. It's American-style cinema, in the best sense of the term. The editing is effective, it's rhythmic. They were a perfect match, the two of them. Without Gérard Oury, Louis de Funès might not have become de Funès… and vice versa. A perfect partnership.

How do you explain the fact that these films are still so popular decades later?
The answer comes from my grandfather. My father had asked him the question, and he had given a rather surprising answer: "I pay attention to one thing: I always take my jokes at face value, always at face value, no second degree." He wanted every joke he told to be understood by everyone. Universal. His humor is intergenerational and transnational.

After the play Phew-phewWhat are your upcoming projects?
I've just finished writing a film, a chamber drama about contemporary society and its flaws, particularly "wokism." If all goes well, I should have a film in which I play a lead role, coming out in France for Christmas 2026…

Does wokism annoy you?
Wokism was born from things that likely generated it in the past. And like any reaction led by extreme people, it's violent. We need to unravel all of this, analyze the causes, and not assume that those who practice it today are solely responsible. We all bear some responsibility, and we need to acknowledge it, but denying our past is a mistake. The past helps us see clearly into the future.

It's still difficult to judge one era from another era…
Yes, we must avoid that. I never judge the past by today's standards. That's impossible. We must leave the past as it is and use it to build a better future. Things will calm down. Everyone will find peace again. At least, that's what I hope.

You said earlier that you didn't want to regret anything. What would be your ultimate achievement, after which you could say "Now that I've done that, I can die in peace."
That's a very premature question. I haven't done everything I want to do yet. I want to try my hand at many things, and not necessarily following in my grandfather's footsteps, because times have changed. I've already written two feature films that haven't been made yet, because distribution in France is very complicated.

That you yourself have experienced?
We had assembled a fantastic cast with a producer for an adventure film. Many well-known actors had responded positively. But we weren't able to get the film made; the casting didn't materialize.

And what was this film about?
It was an adventure film, beginning in the age of piracy and returning to the 21st century. A central, malevolent character traversed the centuries, and the descendants affected by the tragedy that unfolded at the beginning of the 19th century were brought together by fate, their paths crossing at first without them recognizing each other, but magnetically drawn together by a force that had been at work since that tragedy. Among other things, they resolved a love story destroyed by cannon fire and the theft of an emerald with transmutation powers, the consequences of which would be catastrophic if it fell into the hands of the one who had been hunting it for over 200 years, unleashing a curse like the eighth plague of Egypt upon the world for centuries to come. Incredible sets and scenes with very funny situations, very cartoonish characters, starting with piracy in the Caribbean islands, this destroyed love that only asked to be reborn two centuries later, epic battle scenes in a castle lost in the mists of the Carpathians, that in summary is what it was all about.

"I wrote the synopsis for a modern sequel to Hibernatus. I presented it to Luc Besson."

It makes you want this project to be completed!
Yes, I still have it in my files. I've also written the synopsis for a sequel to Hibernatus, but modern. I showed it to Luc Besson, who really liked it. He even called me one day when I was on vacation and said: "I need to see you in Paris." I went to see him, I showed him this synopsis. I wrote loads of things that would be bankable today. Maybe I did it too early. Good timing is important.

Is the film industry locked down in France?
One of the biggest agents in Paris said he found it a shame that in France, only 10 artists, always the same ones, were on screen, while 12,000 actors were starving. He's obviously right, but the market is the market, and fighting against it is complicated. It's difficult for actors to find an agent, and even harder to find work. This theme was actually somewhat the subject of my one-man show. At the beginning of my show, I go on stage, I'm on the phone with an agent, and he hangs up on me, saying: "At the moment, we are not looking for new talent." At one point, I replied: "That's perfect, I don't have any at all. So, when are we going to meet?"

Is that what you experienced?
It's true. That's how it is in France. The film industry is very closed. We'd love to see other talents emerge, to be given a chance. And not just young people. There are also fabulous older actors. I could name many. I see actors who have small roles but are excellent. But that's the way it is. Fortunately, live performance is still here to stay for a while, with all its diversity, and we must encourage it by going to the theater. It's vital for the artists who work so hard, experiment, and give us live emotional experiences.