Pierre-François Martin-Laval: “Time to reunite with Éric”
We were able to meet Pierre-François Martin-Laval, co-director with Sophie Reine of “Week-end Family” during a press day on the set of the series, an authentic apartment in the heart of Paris.
Why did you accept this project?
Pierre-François Martin-Laval: “When I read the screenplays, on the one hand I had a good laugh, on the other hand having grown up in a blended family, with separated parents and many mothers-in-law, I felt like home. I was happy to share the production with Sophie Reine. But I felt that for the show to succeed, we needed an actor who might be a mainstay to play the father of the family. I was really happy that Éric Judor accepted the role…”
You have a long history with Eric Judor…
” Oh yeah. It began in 1994. I wanted to stage a single for Pascal Vincent, when our troupe was not yet called Les Robins des Bois. We find ourselves experimenting in a cafe-theatre in Paris where we see sketches that are most often completely failed. Except two guys who were above everyone: Eric and Ramzy. I go to see them, to see if I worked with them on the staging. They accepted, and in a few years, we went from café-theatres to the Olympia or Bercy. It was crazy. Then with Eric, we argued over a trifle. We haven’t spoken for 20 years. But time has healed the scars and this series has sounded the hour of reunion with Éric, and we laughed together as if we had parted the day before. »
So is it the right atmosphere during filming?
“It was a real moment of fun. Éric has a desire to please me, Daphne or the children. We let his mess happen because he always sends good vibes. Even if he is a joker, he is respectful of the shooting. »
