ricky Gervais: “We’re all a bit David Brent sometimes”
As he reprises his infamous character David Brent for a new film, Ricky Gervais talks reality TV and why he won’t be following in James Corden’s footsteps
t’s hard to believe it was 15 I years ago that Ricky Gervais’ iconic mockumentary, The Office, first hit TV screens. But in that time reality TV has taken over with everything from fake tan and feuds on TOWIE to explicit sex scenes on Love Island and Ricky, 55 – who is starring in a new film David Brent: Life On The Road – hangs his head in disbelief about how easy it is for people to become famous now.
THE FAME GAME
The comedian says: “The Office came out of me watching quaint docu-soaps where normal people got their 15-minutes of fame. But now people live their life like an open wound. We’ve seen a new breed of people who are fame hungry; people would rather be despised than not known at all.
He adds: “These people go into the I’m A Celeb! jungle and Big Brother and say things like: ‘I’m hoping to change the public’s opinion of me.’ Why? The public want you to fail again. They want to laugh at you. They want you to go crazy. We’re all prats. Every day. It’s just that we’re not being followed by cameras.”
AMAZING SUCCESS
Since The Office finished in 2003 – Ricky has had huge success with sitcom Extras, Life’s Too Short and Derek. He’s also continued to write, present and do stand-up as well as landing roles in Hollywood films, A Night At The Museum and Muppets Most Wanted, and he presented the Golden Globes awards an incredible four times. But Ricky insists The Office was his biggest challenge.
He says: “It was the hardest I’d ever tried at anything. When I first started, I didn’t want to know what people thought of it because it would put me off. So I’ve probably got slightly more chilled and now I know I don’t have to take their opinion, I ask for it.
“We’re all a bit David Brent sometimes. We all want to be loved and respected, it’s just how smart you are about going about that. Brent’s mistake is that he has confused popularity with respect. Doing the film was like putting on an old pair of slippers. It almost didn’t feel like going back because it’s like he never went away.”
PRIVATE LIFE
Ricky – who lives in London’s Hampstead with his partner of 34 years, author Jane Fallon, 55, and their Siamese cat, Ollie, who was given to him by pal Jonathan Ross – prefers to keep his personal life private and instead garners attention for his campaigns for animal rights. Despite his popularity in the States, Ricky isn’t keen on following in fellow British star James Corden’s footsteps and landing his own US talk show.
He says: “I became a comedian so I didn’t have to sit behind a desk and wear a suit five days a week. I’m a comedian, so I want to do more of that. I don’t care whether people laugh or not, or whether it’s understood or I get a backlash, I just want to make sure I don’t fluff the joke.”