Ricky Gervais has come a long way since he burst onto our TV screens in The Office a few short years ago. He's done another hit show (Extras), performed sellout stand-up tours and a series of hugely popular podcasts, written a couple of kids' books and now he hits the big screen thanks to Hollywood pal Ben Stiller. Neil Davey caught up with him for a chat...
As well as being the big family film for the holidays, Night At The Museum is notable for at least one other reason. It marks Ricky Gervais's Hollywood debut. A slightly unexpected Hollywood debut? "I wouldn’t have thought it was the next thing for me," agrees Ricky, "or even one of the things I thought I'd have done. I'm not a film snob — I'd rather see a really good Hollywood blockbuster than a thought-provoking art house movie, because entertainment is where it’s at." The film stars Ben Stiller, one of Ricky’s Extras recruits — and it was via that connection that Ricky got involved. "I got an email out of the blue saying, 'I've got a part for you in this new film I’m doing. Do you want to return the favour? No pressure'."
Suggestions that it's a mutual appreciation society are denied — "it’s only for press conferences ... I hate him" — as are suggestions that this film makes him part of the Ben Stiller / Owen Wilson / Vince Vaughn comedy fraternity. "I don’t think I'm a member of any club. It's nice to be asked, it's nice to be asked back. But I don't see myself as part of any fraternity, I see myself as more of an aspiring writer / director. I don't necessarily mean in film, although we would like to do that.
"For me it was a challenge, dipping my toe in the water. It's funny, people have been saying I've got a cameo. That's very flattering, because I appear to have missed out the 20 years where I build my parts up and just do cameos." He laughs. "I'm like Roger Moore."
Fans worried that this is the start of a slippery slope needn't panic. Ricky isn't going to slim down, beef up and go the action route. "I'm a lazy man. My ideal film would be Phonebooth. It was what, a nine-day shoot? And for some of that he was sitting on the floor. Running around? Noooo. Sitting down..."
Given the historical nature of the film, perhaps it's time for a clichéd question. If you could meet someone from the past... "I've done lists like that before. I'm ready." Ricky laughs. "I’ve never been asked, I just do lists like that. Laurel and Hardy. Charles Darwin. I like brave people. I'd say, 'God you took a risk there'. As an atheist myself, he was on dodgy ground, saying "You know what? We came from monkeys." "And Laurel and Hardy because I just love them. And I wish Homer Simpson was real." Which, arguably, he is. And he’s called Karl Pilkington, Ricky's regular podcast sidekick. "Karl saw Finding Nemo and said it was really good. I told him how much animation costs. He said, 'Ridiculous. Just get a real fish and prod it with a stick'."
Visit Ricky's website at rickygervais.com