Madame-N°2 | Page 35

Homme du mois I man of the month Madame nouvelair changé ma manière de vivre , mes habitudes ou mes fréquentations . Il m ’ est impossible de prendre la grosse tête , je garde les pieds sur terre parce que tout ce que je vis en ce moment peut disparaître en un claquement de doigts à cause de n ’ importe quel faux pas et j ’ en suis conscient . Mais ce que j ’ apprécie le plus c ’ est l ’ amour des gens , ça me donne encore plus d ’ énergie pour continuer dans le bon chemin .
M . N : Vous avez joué à guichets fermés cet été . Comment expliquez-vous le succès de Harba ?
AJ : Sincèrement , j ’ ai fait un théâtre de niche pour une cible bien déterminée , donc j ’ appréhendais la réaction du public et je ne m ’ attendais pas du tout à ce que ça ait autant de succès . Comment l ’ expliquer ? Je pense que le sujet abordé dans Harba est universel surtout qu ’ il a été tunisifié . J ’ ai repris des scènes de vie et puis , tout compte fait , chacun de nous peut s ’ identifier dans l ’ un des personnages de la pièce .
M . N : Quels sont vos projets futurs ? AJ : J ’ ai une idée de projet mais je ne peux pas en dire plus pour le moment .
Madame nouvelair : Tell us about your childhood . What kind of environment did you grow up in ? Aziz Jebali : First , I need to give you some context . When people hear the name Aziz Jebali , they immediately think of my uncle ( Taoufik Jebali , ed .). But what most don ’ t know is that I only met him relatively late . So , I can ’ t say I was immersed in the theatrical world from a young age . My family environment was unique ; my father and uncle are very funny , so I had to be at least somewhat charming to avoid being the family bore ( laughs ). I was also a very wellbehaved child , maybe too much so . I was so shy that I couldn ’ t even express myself . But I found refuge in humor . My mother and friends always found me funny , and some even suggested I should consider doing a show , but I never took them seriously .
I also played handball for 14 years and was quite good . However , I had to think about my future . After passing my baccalaureate , I ended up at ESSEC Montfleury . That first year of college was tough , and I wanted to quit and take a gap year . But my mother wouldn ’ t hear of it and signed me up for theater classes at El Teatro to clear my mind . It was love at first sight ! I was so captivated that I didn ’ t want to leave . I attended all rehearsals , all plays , and even sessions of other groups . I sometimes sold books there just to soak up the atmosphere .
Madame nouvelair : So , can we say theater was your first passion ? AJ : Without a doubt , yes ! But I was so shy as a child that I didn ’ t dare pursue it . Theater allowed me to really come out of my shell . I was never the favorite in my family or my handball team , but in theater , I was . The funniest part is that I wasn ’ t even aware of it . This love and passion for theater gave me the wings to also focus on my studies .
Madame nouvelair : What career did you dream of pursuing back then ? AJ : I can ’ t say I had a specific dream job , but at one point , I considered becoming a copywriter in a communications firm to stay connected to writing and creativity . I could never work a standard office job with fixed hours . I knew I needed a job where I could express my creativity . Honestly , I was so obsessed with theater that it was all I could think about . Despite everyone around me saying that passions couldn ’ t pay the bills , I still earned my master ’ s degree because it ’ s a valuable asset and a safety net for the future .
Madame nouvelair : When did you know that theater was your true calling ? AJ : From the first day ! I was lucky to be trained by Naoufel Azara , who is one of the best instructors in my opinion and who shared his passion for theater with me . During my second year at El Teatro , Moez Gdir offered me the chance to
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