Ricky Gervais On Ghost Town

25 February 2009

After the success of The Office and follow up show Extras funnyman Ricky Gervais has seen his career soar on both sides of the pond.

After some small movie roles in recent years Ghost Town sees him take the lead for the very first time. After an operation goes wrong, dying for seven minutes, Bertram Pincus discovers that he can see and talk to the dead.

Had many film offers in the past, you seem to have held out for the right project with Ghost Town?

I think you’re exactly right. I’ve been offered films for about five years and I’ve turned them down for various reasons. Some I did, I did some cameos for various reasons. For Christopher Guest, which was two days ad libbing - he’s a comedy hero of mine.

I did Night At The Museum, again a couple of days ad libbing with Ben Stiller, returning the favour for him being in Extras. Stardust, a couple of days ad libbing with Robert De Niro, you don’t turn that down. I got him in Extras. So it ticked more than one box.

I read this, and I don’t even usually read scripts because I’m not looking, I’m busy. But I read this and I got a funny feeling, I thought this was the one for me. I called up the director and he said it was mine if I wanted it, I was the first on board.

He came over and he let me re-write it with him, I ad libbed through the film, it was shot in New York. I just thought that if I don’t do this I’ll never do a film because it’s perfect.

What I always thought is I’ve never regretted saying no to anything, so I want to make sure that when I say yes to something I don’t regret it. It couldn’t be a better vehicle for me, I think.

Was it tailored for you?

Of course, not only was it written with me in mind but then I tailored it and added stuff on the day as you should. I assume when I’m hired I’m not hired to stand in one place and deliver the lines as they’re written.

I think you’ve got to have fun, it is the creative process. I get no joy out of seeing my fat face on the finished thing, so I’ve got to enjoy the process and for me the process is the creativity.

There’s nothing better than sitting in a room coming up with ideas with Stephen Merchant, that beats everything. I love the film and I love acting now, this has made me really love acting. I’m still not looking for films but if another one comes along that’s this perfect I’ll do it.

I’ve just finished directing my first movie, called This Side of the Truth which is me and Jennifer Garner and Rob Lowe and Jeffrey Tambor, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey the comedy cast of the decade and just finished the film that me and Stephen will be directing next year called The Man From The Pru. So the diary’s full, but it’s the creative process that excites me.

Does the line about hail being the stupidest form of precipitation owe anything to Karl Pilkington?

Yeah, well the thing is with these characters you do draw on them. I get much more inspiration from real life than I do from other films or other tv shows. The Office was straight from real life, I worked in an office for seven years.

My English teacher always told me to write about what I know. I worked in an office, I did Extras because I had worked in that world. And when I play a role I’m thinking ‘what would he say?. Who can I draw upon?’.

And Karl crops up more than you’d think, particularly if you’re playing a buffoon. If you’re playing an idiot savant, stupid man who made up his mind about everything when he was eight and hasn’t changed his opinion since then, then Karl’s you’re man.

If you want a goggle eyed freak call Stephen Merchant, that’s my advice. If you want a short, fat bloke from Reading who will do a Reading accent, it doesn’t matter who he’s playing. And I’ll have this hair. I’m not getting into make up an hour early.

If I played Genghis Khan he’d look like this and he’d talk with this accent. So if you’re watching Spielberg, them’s the rules.

Rich generation of British comics in Hollywood now with you, Pegg and Coogan?

I think the British have always been popping up there, I don’t think it’s changed really. We’ve got a few films stars, we’ve Kate Winslet and those guys [she’s from Reading] and Kenneth Branagh’s from Reading as well, and people like Michael Caine.

I don’t know, I’m not really trying to make it by popping up in loads of films. I go the other route really, if I’ve made it in Hollywood it’s through the things I’ve created like The Office and Extras and This Side of the Truth. But these are fun, it’s fun to pop up in Night at the Museum but I don’t think it’s part of what I do.

It’s a sideline, which is a terrible thing to say to people who are trying to just be an actor, but I’m much more interested in the writing and directing really.

How tough is it to keep the character just likeable enough for the audience to care about him?

I think that’s really important, it was important with David Brent and with Andy Millman. I think what people saw in Pincus is that he’s only hurting himself really, he’s missing out and so I think they want you to redeem him.

I think as an audience member you want him to see the error of his ways, and you feel that you’ve won, you feel that good has prevailed. And, without giving too much away, that certainly happens.

But I must stress, this is not a formulaic, schmaltzy Hollywood film, this has got a lot more in common with those early films of Woody Allen and things like It’s A Wonderful Life and Groundhog Day.

I mean look at me, I’m no Brad Pitt am I? Well, disagree.

Brad Pitt is no Ricky Gervais...

That’s the clip, that’s the clip.

Ghost Town is released on DVD on March 2nd