On November 2, 2011, the world premiere of the French comedy-drama “The Intouchables” directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledan took place. The plot about friendship, which is far from judgments and divisions, attracted real crowds to cinemas, breaking box office records. Who are hers? Get to know their moving story.
An unlucky flight changed his life. After the accident, he did not recover
The inspiration to create the script was the book “Second Breath” by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo. He was the prototype of the paralyzed hero created on screen by Francois Cluzet. He came from an aristocratic family from Corsica and made his fortune as a pioneer of the champagne industry. For him, paragliding was an escape from duties and a way to relax. In 1993, he had a serious accident that changed his life forever.
On the fateful day, he went on a flight, regardless of the forecast deterioration of the weather. When the storm came, he lost control of the parachute. He hit the ground from a great height and although he survived, a serious spine injury led to paralysis of his body. Despite the difficult situation, di Borgo did not break down and treated his experience as a painful but important lesson.
He reluctantly became his guardian. Work quickly turned into friendship
In turn, the inspiration to create the character of Driss (Omar Sy) was di Borgo’s friend, Abdel Sellou. He came from Algeria, but as a child he emigrated to his family living in France. He spent his childhood in the suburbs of Paris, where he fell in with the wrong crowd. He began to have problems with his behavior, he often had conflicts with the law, and after reaching the age of majority, he was in no hurry to take up paid work. However, he could not obtain unemployment benefits because one of the key conditions was to prove that employers did not want to employ him. During many job interviews, he did everything to achieve his goal, so when he was sent to di Borgo, he was convinced that this time there would be no complications. The businessman did not allow himself to be manipulated and offered him the position of his assistant and guardian.
Due to the nature of cooperation, they spent most of the day together. The business relationship quickly resulted in true friendship. Di Borgo believed that he would change Sellou’s life, and with his attitude he tried to prove to him that his fate depends on the decisions he makes. And indeed, their conversations together finally resulted in a change in his attitude. – The only thing that united us was our sense of humor, everything else divided us. But maybe because we were so different, we didn’t argue – Sellou. Soon they both found love and decided to end their cooperation, but not their friendship, because it lasted until the death of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo in June 2023.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
