Fouad Yammine is a Lebanese comedian, actor, singer and TV personality known for his humorous and sarcastic style. He believes the key to his unique character is focusing on positivity and laughter rather than negativity. Yammine pursued a career in comedy after discovering in university that he was better suited to comedy than drama. While some misunderstand his sarcasm, Yammine believes the purpose of his work is to promote positive change. He advises youth pursuing an artistic career to be authentic and not take life too seriously.

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celebrityinterview
By Celine Assouad
LIFE
STYLE
meet
fouad yammine
TG: IN BOTH YOUR SINGING AND
ACTING CAREERS, YOU ARE BEST
RECOGNIZED FOR YOUR HUMOROUS
AND SARCASTIC STYLE. WHAT IS
THE SECRET BEHIND YOUR UNIQUE
CHARACTER?
FY: The idea behind what I do is to
always hide negativity and problems.
In my opinion, if you analyze your crises
and focus on them, you will never have
the chance to live life to the fullest.
Thus, the best way to live is to laugh
about it. I can say that this has been my
prerogative since I was a child. When
I was a kid, I used to laugh at almost
every single thing. Mourning about
something simply doesn’t solve it.
TG: WHAT DROVE YOU TO JOIN THE
COMEDY WORLD?
FY: Like any other student, I took
theatre classes in university because
I love acting. During the courses, I
discovered that more people were
drawn to me when I practice comedy
as opposed to tragedy. And so, what
drove me to enter this field was my
personality. Also, my figure helped a lot,
since I don’t have a “sexy appearance.” I
can’t act in James-Bond-like parts. I am
a person with a comfortable outlook,
who makes people feel comfortable in
their own shoes. I am therefore better
at comedy than I am at roles that require
a charming or serious character. I also
never get into something I am not sure I
will succeed in, and comedy is something
I knew I would always excel at.
TG: HAVE YOU EVER ENCOUNTERED
PEOPLE WHO MISUNDERSTAND YOUR
SARCASM OR HUMOR?
FY: Many people. On a daily basis, I get
texts or bump into critical people on the
streets. However, I never react to them
angrily and try to make them understand
the purpose behind my job. For example,
CHI NN aims to fight sectarianism within
our society. But in order to transmit the
message during the show, we do exactly
the opposite by talking about sects.
Unfortunately, not everyone understands
the humor or sarcasm behind our show.
Another example is during the 2006 war,
I wrote a song called “Kamlou el Harb”
(Continue The War), and many people
were offended by it, taking its title
literally. They didn’t get that the purpose
was exactly the opposite: Stop war, and
stop killing innocent people. When I
explain to people the message behind
each of my projects, around 80% of them
understand. At the end of the day, deep
down, I am always convinced of what I
am doing, and strongly believe in it.
Characterized by his inimitable humor, positivity to live life to the fullest, and
determination to promote change among the youth, Fouad Yammine is no
ordinary actor, singer or comedian. In fact, he is also a philosopher who strives
for revolution and spreading cheer through his artistic work. Brining gaiety to
people’s hearts – from children to the elderly – is what he does, professionally!
The Gate sat with Yammine to discuss his renowned Lebanese music band, Meen,
his unique style, and his upcoming projects in the theatrical and charitable fields.
TG: WHO DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE A
TV COMEDY ICON?
FY: In theatre, Ziad El Rahbani.
TG: DO YOU HAVE AN IDOL?
FY: My father.
TG: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL
OR INTERNATIONAL COMEDY SHOW?
FY: To be honest, my favorite local
comedy show is CHI NN, not because I
am part of the team, but because I’m
honestly fond of the show’s comic style.
I respect each and every single comedy
show on other television channels
because I know the hassle one must
go through to produce such a show.
But I am not very fond of the style they
adopt. On an international level, my
favorite show is “The Colbert Report.”
TG: AS THE FRONT MAN OF THE
HILARIOUS LEBANESE BUZZ ADS,
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO YOUR
SUCCESS? DO YOU NEED TO ACT TO
MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH OR ARE YOU
SIMPLY YOURSELF?
FY: The secret is honesty. The honest
flair the character portrays tricks people
into thinking that I am being myself,
but in reality, I am just playing a role.
This is not really me. The idea behind
the Buzz ads is the classical clash
between comedy and beauty. In other
words, I don’t need to be attractive in
order to attract a beautiful girl; it’s my
personality that makes her fond of me.
TG: IN YOUR OPINION, SHOULD
ACTING BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY? IS THE
FIELD REGARDED AS A RESPECTED
PROFESSION HERE IN LEBANON?
FY: I think each person should use his/her
experience and make something good
out of it. When I first started, I used to
constantly hear negative reviews from
people who believed I would fail, and
get nowhere with this job. The problem
is not with the profession itself, but
with the general opinion about acting
in our country and with the audience
and people who work in this field. For
instance, people who know me well
know that I have been working to get
to where I am now for almost ten years.
It’s thanks to the workshops and my
personal efforts over the years that I
finally reached to where I am today.
TG: WE HEARD YOU LAUNCHED
AN ACTING WORKSHOP CALLED
BANADOURA. CAN YOU TELL US
WHAT IS YOUR AIM BEHIND IT?
FY: My brother Toni and I came up
with something called the Banadoura
Award. The idea is inspired from the
fact that in the old days, people used
to throw tomatoes on the stages of
plays they did not like. We thought
it would be cool if each group or
team that brought something new or
exceptional to audiences would be
rewarded with a Banadoura Award. In
2005, we wrote the first song ever by
Meen, entitled “Nashid El Bandoura”
(Tomato Anthem). In fact, Banadoura,
is a production house, where acting
and photography classes are given. The
classes we currently offer are beginners
and advanced acting, as well as
beginners photography. Soon, we will
launch a song writing workshop too.
Our aim is to offer different things than
what’s available in the market.
TG: HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO START
THE MUSICAL BAND “MEEN”?
FY: Toni and I used to write songs and
play them for our friends at school.
When I started university, I used to
always play the guitar and people would
gather around and like my music. So I
went back home and talked it through
with my brother, and we decided to
create a band with our close friends.
Meen includes Bernard Najam, Ralf
Choueiri, Jospeh Hammam, Makram
Aboulhusn, Toni Yammine and I. When
we organized our first concert in 2006
for our close friends, their friends,
relatives and some acquaintances, it
proved to be a success and the audience
loved our performance.
TG: WHAT AUDIENCE DOES MEEN
MAINLY TARGET?
FY: The hardcore fans of Meen are
between the ages of 17 and 25. We do
however encounter older and younger
fans that are fond of our music.
TG: WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT
TO DELIVER TO THE YOUTH THROUGH
YOUR SONGS?
FY: The message I have behind
everything I do – and not just within my
music – is that life is not that serious. My
theory is that one has to be a clown in
order to be happy. A clown is a person
who appears to be stupid and convinces
others that he is so, and that he is aware
of it. But in reality, he is very smart. The
only reason he continues to appear
stupid is so he can make you laugh. In
my opinion, everything we believe to
be too serious or tragic is not really that
big of a deal. Once faced with a certain
crisis, you can either mourn or laugh
about it. I chose to laugh about every
single thing that comes along.
TG: IN YOUR MUSIC, YOU ADOPT THE
LEBANESE DIALECT CONTRARY TO
TRADITIONAL ARABIC. WHY?
FY: I don’t see myself singing in any
other language than the one I speak in.
We never hear about a French or English
singer singing in Arabic, for instance.
I want to sing in the same language
I speak in order to make everything
explicit.
TG: TELL US ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING
MUSIC TOURS, CONCERTS AND
PROJECTS.
FY: I am currently working on the new
Meen album. Of course, there is more
to come for CHI NN, and Impractical
Joker show on MTV. I also play a
character named Dr. Clown for children
who have cancer in hospitals. This
comes as part of my collaboration with
Ibtisama organization for children with
cancer. I am also writing a new theatre
play, and in May 2014, I will step out
of my comfort zone and play a role in
a Lebanese movie that my fans have
never seen me in before.
TG: AS A SINGER, ACTOR AND
COMEDIAN, WHAT DO YOU ADVISE
THE LOCAL YOUTH OF TODAY WHO
WANT TO PURSUE AN ARTISTIC
TALENT?
FY: My advice is, don’t imitate anyone,
don’t take anything in life seriously, and
do whatever pleases you!