” Good. What do they want to know? » Martin Matte has just grabbed his coffee. The comedian, actor, author and new talk show host is preparing to answer readers’ questions. Does he think he knows the most popular of all, the one that La Presse received in several copies? “I have no idea…” Here’s what you always wanted to know about Martin Matte.
” Yes. But not right now. For now, the talk show [Martin Matte en direct, Thursdays 8 p.m. on TVA] is taking up all my time. It’s been wall to wall for several months. Afterwards, I’m going to get back into writing. I’m going to continue writing a TV series that I had put aside. Because it’s a project under negotiation, that’s all I can say about that. I did three seasons of Les Beaux malaises and, five years later, I came back with Les beaux malaises 2.0. In a few years, I could make Les beaux malaises 3.0 to show where the characters are, their children who are getting older… It could be a film, but I think there is more potential as a TV series. I feel like I would have more freedom writing for 10 half hours. »
“It’s something that was close to me. I used it around a table to make my friends laugh. It wasn’t like: “Oh hey, I’m going to try this technique!” At the School of Humor, when I wanted to do an act like that, they told me: “Phew… It’s not something that’s likely to attract people’s sympathy.” This reaction excited me more than anything else. The first time I tried it was at the Maison des arts in Laval. I wrote down the number, I put it in my drawer for months. I spoke about it to Christian Bégin, my director. He found it very good, very daring. But I was trembling. Then people started laughing in the room, and I said to myself: “Ah well cuddly! They understand.” There are a few people who didn’t understand the second degree when I said that Yvon Deschamps was not very good. »
“The French language has always been an important concern for me. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’m trying to inspire the next generations. I work very, very hard to find the right word. Back in the day, I had thesaurus. Today, with the Internet, I have something else. When I was at the School of Humor, I made a lot of French mistakes. It annoyed me. At 26, I took private lessons to improve my French. Because I am proud of our language. I didn’t want to make big mistakes on TV, like we sometimes hear. I never found it beautiful. »
“That’s very, very funny! I would answer yes. Pierre is a very, very long-time boyfriend. In Les beaux malaises, I wrote a scene in which a girl asked me: “Pierre Brassard… yé, are you funny?” Then I punched in saying: “François Avard, is it true that he smells like piss?” It was a wink to my friends. But a year later, I learned that it had caused Pierre a lot of anxiety. He wasn’t sure if it was a joke, if it was irony, if it was true… I said to him: “Let’s see, Pierre! I always found you funny!” In life, there are people you meet and there is instant complicity. With Pierre, that’s it. We met on Caméra café. We have very different senses of humor, but we always made each other laugh a lot. »
“It came late, compared to other comedians with whom I was at the National School of Humor. I was funny, but I didn’t think I would do that job at all, because in my environment, in my family, it wasn’t very encouraged. We were going to see very few shows. I had finished college at 23. It was boiling inside me, but I didn’t know how to start. I knew that the School of Humor existed while watching a Claire Lamarche show. That’s when I said: “Ah well, I could quit my job and go study there.” When I told my father that I was leaving the company to go into comedy, it was a big, big tragedy. I remember it very well. For my father, I was going to starve and die, while with my mother, it was: “Live your dream! At worst, you’ll go work for your father again afterwards.” It insulted me. Because for me, I was going to succeed in humor. So I really left without a net, without a plan B. I was very determined. »
“I would probably say Francine Trudeau. I can’t answer Yvon Deschamps because we know each other. But he’s someone who impresses me a lot. When I was young, I was a fan of U2. Maybe I’d be impressed to meet Bono. And Barack Obama, for his eloquence. So I would say, in order, Francine, Bono and Barack Obama. »
