Totally Wild Epic: Jérémy Ferrari’s New Comedy ‘Les K D’OR’ Stars Laura Felpin & Eric Judor!

Having entertained thousands with his sharp-witted stand-up performances, comedian Jérémy Ferrari is now taking his talents to the big screen. In “Les K D’Or,” he not only stars but also writes and directs this action-packed comedy.

He plays Noé, who, according to his mother, is the secret son of the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Now a treasure hunter, Noé is obsessed with locating his father’s gold, scattered across the Sahel following Gaddafi’s death. To succeed, he must team up with a group of unlikely allies: Zoulika, played by Laura Felpin, and Ryan, portrayed by Éric Judor, a visually impaired runner participating in the “Marathon des Sables,” which provides a perfect cover to discreetly cross borders and embark on their extraordinary quest.

The Origin of the Story

The wild idea gradually developed in Jérémy Ferrari’s mind, as he shared in an interview. “Initially, we wanted to adapt a true story, but nothing felt inspiring. Then, the crazy idea of Gaddafi’s secret child born in France came to us. Gaddafi was often in Europe during that era and had a fondness for women. We thought, why not?

After his death in 2011, his wealth became elusive, prompting treasure hunters to search for it, and by 2026, they are still on the hunt. So, we thought of a child born in France, growing up believing he might be Gaddafi’s secret son, who becomes a treasure hunter, creating a fantastic adventure storyline, tied to the daily lives of the French like this mother appearing on a show like ‘C à vous.’

We added visually impaired individuals, wanted criminals, a three-legged dog… it’s completely far-fetched, but it makes the story epic and utterly bizarre.”

Why a Trio?

Similar to his stage performances, Jérémy Ferrari wanted to create a trio to foster a dynamic different from the duos often seen in other comedies (like “La Chèvre” or “Le Boulet”).

He remarked, “The trio is super effective. It’s not the first time I’ve used a trio setup. I have my famous trio with my two buddies Baptiste and Arnaud. But I find that a trio is extremely effective in comedy. Two reconcile, the third causes chaos, opinions change, alliances form and dissolve… it’s endless! And while one is doing something, another comes in with a problem: it creates an insane pace.”

When crafting the role of Zoulika, played by actress Laura Felpin, Jérémy Ferrari was directly inspired by one of the actress’s sketches.

Either she accepted, or she would sue me for plagiarism!

“It’s a character she created and which I used as inspiration for writing the film without telling her. So either she accepted the role, or she would sue me for plagiarism! Then I called Laura, hoping she would like the script because if she didn’t want to do the film, I didn’t know who else to offer this role to. Even if I had sent this script to another actress, she would have said, ‘Are you kidding me? I can see it’s written for Felpin!’ Luckily, she said yes.”

Regarding the role of Ryan, Jérémy Ferrari did not specifically write it for Eric Judor; however, after feedback from his colleague Ramzy, the scriptwriter almost entirely rewrote the character. “After his first reading of the script, Eric told me, ‘Listen, the film is great, but I find that the character of Ryan fades a bit as the script progresses. I reworked it because I realized he was right. It was because I hadn’t written it with anyone specific in mind.”

Thanks to Eric, I’ve “upgraded” the film

“I then revisited ‘H’, ‘Problemos’, ‘La Tour Montparnasse Infernale’, and all of Éric and Ramzy’s sketches. And I rewrote the entire role because I absolutely wanted him for it. I called him that evening and told him I had rewritten everything. He accepted right away, without rereading, saying, ‘Okay, I agree! If you’re capable of writing this overnight, if I don’t like the role, you’ll rewrite it on the plane!'”

“It’s thanks to Éric I’ve “upgraded” the role and the film too. Because if you really want to “upgrade” a character, you can’t do it if you don’t dive into the script. You can’t just add jokes and say, ‘There, it’s done.’ No, no. So it challenged me and helped me improve.”

Jérémy Ferrari Was Not Supposed to Direct the Film

Although Jérémy Ferrari originated the screenplay, co-written with Saïd Belktibia and Clément Peny, he was not initially meant to direct the film. Initially, Saïd Belktibia was announced as the director, but given his friend’s involvement, the filmmaker advised him to take the helm.

“The idea to direct ‘Les K D’OR’ wasn’t mine. Initially, I was just meant to write and act, and Saïd was to direct. He’s the director of ‘Roqya,’ in which I acted, and I loved being ‘just’ an actor because usually I produce, direct, write my shows and projects. So being just an actor is easier; you only think about your performance.

“But over time, through rewrites, he told me, ‘I think it’s better if you direct it; it’s a film that resembles you, you should do it.’ So, I ended up directing, which terrified me, but I had to do it and I loved it. Being both director and actor is a dual pressure. Fortunately, I was extremely well supported, I had a great team.”

This experience turned out to be highly gratifying for the comedian, and he is eager to try it again: “I’ve never been so tired in my life, but I really want to make another one!”

“Les K D’OR” is currently showing in theaters.

AlloCiné provides daily content with over 40 articles on film and series news, interviews, streaming recommendations, and quirky anecdotes about your favorite movies and series. Subscribing to AlloCiné on Google Discover ensures you explore the riches of a site designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts every day.