A clever and daring mix of comedy and thriller. So far, so good, available this Friday on Netflix, is the first serial creation from Nawell Madani and Simon Jablonka. A series in which the Belgian comedian is 100% invested, combining the roles of showrunner, producer, director and main role! Nawell Madani portrays Fara, a 24-hour news reporter, whose life descends into chaos when she shelters her brother from the law, inadvertently dragging her family into a baron’s ruthless plot. drugs… A fiction that highlights the strength of sorority. Interview with the star of the stand-up, that 20 minutes met at the Series Mania festival.
Can you tell us about the genesis of the project?
This project was born during the lockdown. Like everyone else, I watched all the series that were broadcast from Succession To Snowfall Passing by Valid. I said to myself: “Hey, and a series on women? “. I wanted to put the family at the heart of the story and talk about strong and courageous women. Being at home a lot, I read various facts and wondered how some people manage to commit the worst? How do they fit into this gear? Slowly, the thriller challenge arrived. And what started as a comedy continued in the dark.
How do you find the balance between comedy and thriller, without falling into caricature?
As in stand-up, you always have to stay authentic. What I like about American series like Succession, is that we feel empathy for the characters. They’re not just mean. How can we give them body? By giving them chat, verb. I didn’t put any gags. The valves arrive through the dialogues. I was also helped by my co-writers, who are more thriller specialists, like Simon Jablonka with whom I created the bible and who worked on Engrenages.
Is the title “So far so good” a nod to “La Haine”?
It’s a phrase that we say quite often: “Are you okay? », « So far so good, then we will see, inch allah! It is a nod to this sentence that everyone comes out and which comes from Hatred. “So far so good, until the landing” is a small nod to this film that marked my generation.
“So far so good” showcases the strength of sisterhood…
I have three sisters and a younger brother. I put in my story a bit of me, of my sisters, of the women I meet. You see, my makeup artist behind you is my sister and next to her is my niece. The family is quite present in my life. If I didn’t have my sisters in my life, I wouldn’t be where I am. They protect me and tell me the truths that are not necessarily pleasant to hear. I wanted to tell this. No matter what can happen in life, when you have a problem, you turn to your family or the one you have created for yourself. in my movie That’s all for me, I had not been able to explore the whole family. One of my sisters has been veiled for more than ten years and has an invalid child… I fed the series of intimate things to make it ring true.
Who inspired the character of Gara, whom you play?
When I looked 66 minutes with Aïda Touihri who kept her curls on TV, I said to myself: “wow! She looks like us! She has the same hair as me, the same skin color and she is on M6. I said to myself: “Hey, it’s changing, it’s new and we have to talk about it”. »
With series like “Oussekine”, “Miskina, the poor” and yours, do you think he has an improvement in terms of representation?
To tell you the truth, I would never have dreamed of making a series before the arrival of the platforms. The platforms have democratized a lot of things. There is a freedom of tone and casting. No one imposed on me! I even did wild casting. Netflix gave me carte blanche. I am a showrunner, screenwriter, director, main role and I co-produce! The series is released in 186 countries, it’s an unexpected dream. Women will recognize each other, even if they don’t come from where I come from. I come from Watermael-Boitsfort, a small Belgian town, and today I am streaming on Netflix. I have a double culture which has enriched me and I hope that it will invite itself into French homes and throughout the world. There is a message in the series, but also in the history of the series. I am a mother, I had my baby during the series. I want to tell women that you have to fight, but you can do it! We have great stories to tell and we can touch everyone. It’s not just women talking to women. Couples and people from other cultures will be able to watch the series!
Your multiple hats on the project, it was not difficult to manage?
It was a first for Netflix! We had to learn together. It was difficult. When there is a Covid case and we have to stop shooting, I have to change the script because the producer knows that if we stop, there will be financial consequences, the director also wants to go at the end of his day of filming… We are torn. Showrunner is a new role in France. I had underestimated this role. I now look forward to making a film, because it will be hands down, a series is butchery.