Today, Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache (brother of comedian Geraldine Nakache) have nothing left to prove, but they struggled for a long time to make a name for themselves in the film industry. In a recent interview with Cedric Cizaire on Tuesday, April 14th, the two collaborators who have always worked together revealed a surprising detail. Before they became famous, they frequented television sets, appearing on various game shows, in the hope of being discovered. “There was a time in my life when I had a pathology. I wanted to be on TV all the time! So I signed up for all the games and even ended up on ‘Blind Date’,” explained Eric Toledano, admitting that he even won but ultimately didn’t end up with the woman he left with.
However, Eric Toledano didn’t have this obsession alone. With his partner Olivier Nakache, whom he met in 1995, they made mischief and constantly made wild bets before finding success. “It was a challenge we set ourselves,” he said, before Olivier added, “Yes, we went on public shows, where there was a large audience… We thought ‘maybe someone will notice us and say, you want to do cinema?'” This challenge made them laugh, but unfortunately, it was not a resounding success. “It didn’t happen, it’s weird, right?” Eric Toledano responded, laughing.
Both friends also participated in “Une famille en or.” For the Toledano family, the experience was memorable. “The entire Toledano family was on ‘Une famille en or,’ with a central character who is Martine, my brother-in-law’s sister. When Patrick Roy spoke to her, she froze, stopped speaking. The idea of being on TV completely froze her. We laughed about it in the family for a long time, asking ‘why did you freeze, Martine?'” Eric Toledano recounted, amusing the whole set.
According to Olivier Nakache, the amusing anecdotes didn’t stop there. “Oh, there’s better than that!” he exclaimed before revealing, “Eric was an extra on ‘L’île aux enfants’ with Casimir!” Faced with the surprise of the host and others present on the set, he admitted to being “crazy” at that time. “I really wanted to be on TV!” he concluded. In the end, they didn’t need to be discovered because it was their talent that made the difference. Today, they are directors and screenwriters of numerous cult films like “Nos jours heureux,” “Intouchables,” “Samba,” “Le sens de la fête,” and “Une année difficile.”
