Currently in the midst of promoting his new film, Gérard Jugnot shares the screen with a host of stars like Philippe Lacheau and Michèle Laroque. Also part of this cast is his Splendid colleague, Thierry Lhermitte. The two men have known each other since the 1970s, when they were in high school together, and this strong friendship clearly allows for some quite comical liberties. Speaking on Rire et Chansons on April 2, 2026, the director told Cédric Cizaire how he almost lost his temper after receiving a mysterious letter.
“Here comes the guy!” : Gérard Jugnot fooled by a fake tax visit
It all started with the reception of an official document announcing an imminent visit from the tax services. “He had sent me a paper saying, ‘I will come to your house’,” recalls Gérard Jugnot. “I hadn’t committed any fraud,” he adds. At that time, the actor was worried about being questioned about the purchase of a “huge” videotape recorder on his company’s account. “Ah, maybe I don’t have the right to do that,” he thought before straightening things up in his house. Thierry Lhermitte watched him agitate and jokingly offered to help him move the 40-kilo machine to hide it.
The pressure increased when the intercom finally rang. Gérard Jugnot then saw a red-haired man appear on his screen. “I open the door and I see a man, a redhead, and suddenly I recognize Thierry with a wig, with a mustache,” he explains. Still thinking that the real official would appear any moment, he sharply rebuked his friend. “What are you doing? No, stop! Here comes the guy,” he scolded.
This habit of Thierry Lhermitte pranking his partners does not end there, as he repeats the same prank with Christian Clavier. Faced with these repeated provocations, the two victims decide to join forces for a counter-offensive. The opportunity arises on the evening when the prankster plans to attend a Julio Iglesias concert with his wife. “We crushed 70 stink bombs in his car,” Gérard Jugnot proudly recounts.
“The neighbors attended the concert with a guy who stank of feet at the head. It was revenge, you know,” the actor concludes with a laugh. This escalation in jesting testifies to the strength of the bonds uniting the members of the Splendid. Capable of turning a little scare into a comical memory, they prove that humor remains the driving force of their fifty-year-old friendship.
/2026/04/03/69cf885797866722542807.jpg "The Drama, Yellow Letters, Compostelle, Behind the Palms… What are the films to see (or not) this week at the cinema?")
