Matthieu Pepper: a succession well in the saddle in humor
Comedian Matthieu Pepper has been on a meteoric rise for several years. We see it everywhere on TV, in the media and on stages across the province. His talent was recognized once again last Sunday at the Gala Les Olivier, when he won the Discovery of the Year trophy.
But being recognized as discovery of the year when you have nearly 10 years in the business of humor behind the tie and you are already well established to the point of having your own series, is flattering or insulting?
“It's really flattering,” reassures us the thirty-year-old comedian in an interview. “The term “discovery” is really when the general public discovers you. Yes, I already had people following me, I was recognized left and right, but with the success of my series, my popularity really exploded.”
La bonne show at the right time
For the author, ideator and actor of the series Entre deux sheets (adapted to English Canada under the title Pillow Talk), the success of the show, which chronicles the daily lives of couples and roommates in the privacy of their bedrooms, is partly a question of timing. It’s because it was created during the pandemic, when “television has regained its former glory”.
“We could rely on the TV to get through those long evenings that followed long days,” recalls the comedian. As a great defender of Quebec television, he sees it as a great way to reach people and enter into their everyday lives.
Despite this success, Matthieu Pepper recently announced that the fourth season of Between Two Sheets will be the last. “I wanted to avoid going back to ground already traveled, to return to subjects already discussed, I did not want to stretch the sauce. Right now, we're still relevant, so it's a good time to stop.”
Other projects
There is also that the comedian wants to write something else for TV, to go in a completely different direction. But to find inspiration, he has to give himself time, to take a step back, to “let himself live from business”.
Until then, he continues to work on his first one-man-show,an “ultra-personal” show about [him] and [his] thoughts on that good old life.” He is running in all over Quebec, notably at the Bordel Comédie Club, which is for him like “a second home”. He hopes to be able to launch the show officially next fall.
We can also see Matthieu Pepper this spring at Noovo in Marc Labrèche's new talk show, I come to you. This participation is an honor, a privilege and a great source of pleasure for the comedian, who is a longtime fan of Marc Labrèche. “The tall blonde with a sneaky show[2000 to 2003 on TVA] was the awakening of a lot of business for me when I was young.
Matthieu speaks of the show as “a playground where there won’t be many limits” and intends to take advantage of it. “I don't know what it's going to be like yet, but I have the feeling that anything can happen,” he rejoices.
A teasing, but nice new guard
In I'm coming to you, the comedian will be part of a group of collaborators of all ages. Precisely, the last Gala Les Olivier, which was acclaimed by most, was the target of some criticism for the few comedians of the oldest generations, even, according to some.e.s, a dose of contempt towards this group.
For his part, Matthieu Pepper says he loved the gala from A to Z, regardless of the fact that it won a prize. He felt no disdain at all: “teasing left and right is not contempt.”
The comedian believes above all that teasing is not a question of generation, but a practice that has always been present in humor.
“At the Brothel, in break-in, in humorous events, I meet lots of older comedians like Sylvain Laroque, Martin Petit, Martin Matte, Patrick Groulx, Mike Ward and I don't feel any contempt between generations. We all talk to each other and we are all happy to see each other. I have the feeling that it went to hell, because two or three people were insulted, but that's all.”
Matthieu Pepper talks about a benevolent gala, representative of what happens today in humor. A gala may even be too good and positive, to the point that it was necessary to find a little sore for him.
The comedian says he is proud to be part of a changing of the guard in humor that allows comedians of his generation to be put forward more. He sincerely hopes that in 20 years, the next generation of comedians will be able to laugh at the acts he himself does today.
