Why I Walked Away from Being a Physical Comedy Legend episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 1, 2026 · 1H 13M

Why I Walked Away from Being a Physical Comedy Legend

from The comedians paradise

The Comedian’s Paradise is the interview podcast giving you the inside scoop on global comedy scenes and the mavericks who define them. In this episode, host Marvin McCarthy sits down with the legendary physical comedian Michel Courtemanche. Known as the "Human Cartoon", Michel reveals why he walked away from international fame to pursue his true passion for directing.Here is an overview of what we discussed:[[01:00]] My journey to being a physical comedian and how I eventually transitioned to my passion [[08:40]][[13:00]] My process for refining and creating bits: Building characters, placing them in situations, and immersing myself in that world [[21:43]][[25:32]] What is "the wave"? [[30:28]][[31:00]] What makes Jim Carrey and Robin Williams such great performers, and why it is tough to film physical comedy [[42:00]][[43:00]] Analysing why Karl Porter's bit is so effective [[46:00]][[48:11]] What you need to be a successful comedian [[50:00]][[50:00]] Teaching clown workshops in Italy [[52:39]][[52:45]] Why I left physical comedy and what I learned from teaching [[58:43]][[58:43]] Why my attitude towards others using my bits differs from how stand-ups respond [[01:02:50]][[01:11:00]] Why I teach movement in the evening [[01:13:00]]Here are some of Michels famous numbers, the drummer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEHt49wA5zA, the samurai:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA3NtiS7Hdw and the weightlifter:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lguRWs8h2Zw.You can follow this podcast on Youtube at https://bit.ly/41LWDAq, Spotify at https://spoti.fi/3oLrmyU,Apple podcasts at https://apple.co/3LEkr3E and you can support the pod on:https://www.patreon.com/thecomediansparadise. #standupcomedypodcast #michelcourtemarche #physicalcomedian #visualcomedian

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 1, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Why I Walked Away from Being a Physical Comedy Legend

0:00 1:13:00

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The comedians paradise?

This episode is 1 hour and 13 minutes long.

When was this The comedians paradise episode published?

This episode was published on March 1, 2026.

Can I download this The comedians paradise episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!