Jonathan Lambert : " I am fascinated by the roofs of Paris ".

Apr. 25 2013

by Julien Chadeyron

You couldn't miss him in Laurent Ruquier's show on Saturday night, where, according to the guests, he played his extravagant characters, including the now famous Damien Baïzé. Jonathan Lambert is currently on stage in his one man show, and will be very soon in the cinema. In short, his agenda is very full. To discover who is behind all these characters, we went to meet him.

For those who don't know you, can you introduce yourself ?
Jonathan Lambert: My name is Jonathan Lambert. I was born in Paris. Well, I don't remember, my mother told me, but she never lied to me so I guess it's true. I grew up in a comfortable environment. I went to drama school and then film school and now I'm an actor.

How did you start?
I started on the channel Comédie in La Grosse Émission. We were a whole team with Kad and Olivier, Stéphane Guillon, Cyril Hanouna, Nicolas Deuil, Philippe Lelièvre. From 6pm to 8pm we were live, we had the keys to the show so we did absolutely what we wanted: it was extraordinary. There was a big room with accessories, costumes and wigs and we would pick from them. Sometimes a simple prop would make us laugh and it would give us the idea for a sketch. That's where I created my first characters, which I then remade on other channels, notably with Ruquier.

Why did you choose the wig as the theme of your show ?
The idea quickly became obvious. It brought a concept to the show. Of course, at 15 years old, I didn't tell myself that I would do a show on the theme of wigs. In fact the wig has been a common denominator in everything I've done and I thought it would be nice for my second show to be in line with what people know about me, that is to say these characters
As I explain in the show before I play the characters. ... I always liked to make characters, it amuses me, even if obviously all is false, well I hope. And then, I said to myself that it would be funny to make a show where the only accessory that one finds in each character, it is the wig.

Aren't you afraid of becoming schizophrenic?
This question always makes me laugh. You know, when you are a salesman in a store, you are very smiley, but you can have problems in your personal life. There is a duty to put up a front in any profession. I remember my drama teacher telling me "if you're playing a criminal you're not going to kill someone to see what it really feels like". So no schizophrenia: that's what acting is all about. And above all I hope not to be like my characters, who are often not very nice, not to end up like them.

Where do you find your inspiration?
I think it is a gloubiboulga in my head which is the result of observations, of people you know in your environment, in your family, in your friends. It can be the haircut of a guy I meet, a tic, a way of speaking that comes back... It's probably put in a corner of my head... and the sum of all that gives my characters. There is no rule, it often starts from a detail.

What memories do you keep of your passages at Ruquier's?
Very good. I had total freedom, which is quite rare today in TV on a big channel. It was a great 4 years because as soon as it worked, I was trusted completely, it was pretty great. Moreover there were means, so if one day I wanted a pony, or if I wanted Russian singers I had them.

Which character(s) did you enjoy playing the most?
Of course, Damien Baïzé is always very pleasant to play, especially when it works. But there were other good moments. I know that facing Olivier de Kersauson was great, Marie José Perec too. I really liked the cucumber lawyer, at a time when cucumbers were reputed to be dangerous.

Apart from your show "Perruques", what are your projects?
At the moment I am touring in a play with Richard Berry (ed. note: "The beginning of the end"), until April. I'm in a movie with Alain Chabat and Elodie Bouchez, which will probably be released in a year. And there are other film projects, but until that's done...

What is the big difference between cinema and one-man show?
Thecinema is a long process, between the financing, the writing, the agreement of the actors. This is the advantage of the one-man show: when I promise myself something, I keep my word. We decide to write the show, we go to a producer, if he agrees we write the show, we play it, we rent a hall, there is no filter, much less intermediaries, and above all it is a great space of freedom, there is no censorship. It works on the meritocracy... you just have to fill the room and make people laugh.

Your opinion on gay marriage?
It's very easy to say "I'm for it". Of course I'm for it, but because I'm not attached to institutions at all. I have an aversion to institutions and religion. I am even a "Taliban of secularism". So marriage in general does not interest me. But I think it's great that most gays want that today. That's what Philippe Besson and I used to say to each other: "there has been an incredible gentrification of this community". And I think it's great: it means that they become like everybody else, stupid and boring like everybody else, they aspire to their little bourgeois life, they want to buy together, to get married. If they think it's good, I think it's good. If I'm married, it's because my wife wanted it, but my life would have been the same without it. What pisses me off is that people want to appear very tolerant in this way. On the other hand, I don't understand why people who are attached to the institution of marriage are opposed to it. It's rather nice that two people who love each other want to get married by the book, isn't it? The English say it's a return to the institution of marriage. There are really many different ways to analyze this phenomenon... All this to say that I am for it because I don't give a damn (laughs).

And now our travel questionnaire...
What would you advise a tourist to do in Paris ?
Go up the Eiffel Tower, without hesitation. I like Paris a lot. I like to go back and see the rather clichéd monuments like the Sacré-Coeur or the Eiffel Tower. I love having a view of Paris, it's a very interesting city to see from above. Unlike London. I went up in the London Eye, and in fact it's a deadly bore, since London is a rather flat city, with a sky that often looks like powdered depression, everything is gray, no light. Whereas in Paris, whenever I go to Beaubourg for example, I climb to the top floor, for the view. I am fascinated by the roofs of Paris.

Where do you like to stroll in Paris?
There is a place I like very much: the quai Saint Bernard. There are sculptures, people playing guitar, flamenco classes... the cultural mix is very nice. When the weather is nice, it's a great walk to do. There's room to sit, you can have a beer and watch the fly boats go by
By the way, I also love to fly boat. Without the dinner in love on the other hand which seems to me to be very sad. But it's great to visit Paris on the Seine when the weather is nice. When I was 18 or 19 years old, I knew someone who had a small barge, and sometimes in the evening after dinner we would go for a walk, we had the Seine to ourselves: it was great.

Which country has marked you the most?
Japan. I dreamed about it for years because I love Japanese culture. I was afraid to be disappointed. And it exceeded all my expectations. It was completely crazy. It is the most separate country from the rest of the world. First of all, it's an island. The culture is so different, even compared to its Asian neighbors. The architecture, the design, the language, the cuisine: everything is so particular. They have this intelligence, this "Nazi" side where everything is so well organized. I find this country fascinating.

Is there an object you always bring with you on your trip?
Not at all. Or rather, my wife and my children, but they are not objects (laughs). Otherwise my camera and my credit card.

A place to travel as a couple?
I had the chance to go to the Golden Gazelle in Taroudant, Morocco and I must say that it is a place out of time. At the time, there was no TV in the rooms, nothing ostentatious. It is a hotel where the great ones of the world have stayed, but it is very simple. It's a wonderful place where you can eat divinely well. There is a real finesse, a real serenity and simplicity that emanates from this place, extraordinary
I could have said Venice too. When I went there, I said to myself that I had to go there, and it's great because in fact, it's completely beyond the pictures, it's so beautiful when you see it in 3D.

Which city or country is the best to party in?
Guantanamo must be nice (laughs). There's something pretty great about Spain. There is a real ease in dealing with people ... I like it a lot.

Which city did you find the most gay-friendly?
Iwas in Los Angeles a few months ago, and I had the impression that the gay community was quite scattered, present everywhere and finally very integrated.in San Francisco, I didn't feel that way. But at the time, there was a lot of talk about the community. I think it must have been the spearhead of the gay neighborhoods but today it must be, as in many cities, a gay neighborhood, like the Marais in Paris.

Your next trip ?
Wedon't plan anything... Or maybe I'll make you dream: I'm going to Toulon this week. And I was in Nantes a few days ago!

Your dream trip?
I dream of going to Saigon in Vietnam.

Find Jonathan Lambert on facebook and twitter.