“I do it for me and like-minded people. That’s it. That’s it. My career, I look at it in a Darwinian framework. I’m going to do exactly what I want, and I’m going to survive or I’m not. I’m not going to pander, I’m not going to change things, I’m not going to do focus groups. I’ll live and die by the sword. I don’t care. Because I couldn’t live with myself…Everything I’ve done has been existential. Everything, really. Everything is always about, ‘Am I living a good life? Am I making the most of my life?'”
Clips from GQ.com (Note “R” rated for vulgar language): Chris Heath on Gervais: “…I think there is a sense that someone who seemed like one of us, and on our side, may have slipped his moorings.”
Yet, here’s Gervais on his performance at the Golden Globes where he “clearly reveled in a self-appointed role as provocateur of, and truth teller to, the wealthy and overcoddled. ‘I’m the jester in the court of the kings there…Who am I meant to have a go at? The homeless? This wasn’t a roomful of wounded soldiers, this was a roomful of the most privileged people in the world who are about to win an award.'”
And here’s Gervais responding to the question that he’s cocky: “I think I’m a very sweet, considered man who worries about people’s feelings in real life, and I think I’m a performer. I go up there with a swagger, I take a deep breath, and I go, “All right, losers—who wants a piece of this?” That’s what I do. Do I like to annoy people? No, I don’t really, unless they’re friends and it’s funny.”
Gervais is in the midst of filming the next Muppets movie: “In terms of Hollywood, that’s arguably the biggest thing I’ve done. I’m the lead in a big film. I’ve been a bit part in a big film, and I’ve been the lead in small films.I’m laughing all day. I love the Muppets. Honestly, I get there in the morning and they go [he mimes the humans slipping their hands into their puppets] and I go [talking only to the newly animated Muppets] “All right?” It’s terrible. I wish they were real. I’m disappointed that I know there’s a man’s hand up there. Who doesn’t want a frog as a mate? Is that a weird thing to say? It is, isn’t it?
Gervais on animals: “I love animals. Growing up, the two things that made my blood boil were religious intolerance and animal cruelty. I’ve never understood it. I can’t stand to have an animal in pain. I’ve got to get it out of my head. It makes me angry, I want to cry, I want to stab someone. I don’t know where that comes from, really.”
“Ricky Dene Gervais, 51, was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter. Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office Gervais has also starred in Hollywood films. He has performed on four sell-out stand-up comedy tours. He has written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred in the most downloaded podcast in the world as of March 2009, The Ricky Gervais Show. More recently, he hosted the Golden Globe Awards consecutively between 2010 and 2012. He won seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, two Emmy Awards and the 2006 Rose d’Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2007 he was voted the 11th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 3rd greatest stand-up comic. In 2010 he was named on the TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people. His Father was French Canadian (from Ontario) and his Mother was English.” (Source: Wiki)
Credits: Quote – GQ Magazine via Explore. Image – Mirror.co.uk
Live & Learn 
It all sounds so right..and yet I wonder in Hollywood if that’s really possible, or whether he’s honing his image of being irreverent…
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Did you happen to get to the bottom of the post on his view on animals?
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I love him. Particularly fond of one of his movies, can’t remember the tittle exactly but it’s when nobody is able to lie but instead just tell horrible truths…
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Thanks Carissa. I’m a fan too (although he could soften up on the mean spirited attacks and continue to be very good). Believe the movie is called The Invention of Lying. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1058017/
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Yes! That’s the one, i definitely agree on softening up the meanness sometimes they’re too much
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I actually love that guy…one of the funniest people out there…AND, he loves animals. I love that guy.
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Wow, I’m surprised. I had you on the other side of liking him. Good. And yes, love his views on animals.
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Well…people don’t know EVERYTHING about me here in the blogging world…like how I like to laugh…and funny is funny. He’s a funny guy, a bit crude a lot of the time, but funny. 🙂
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Glad you keep some secrets. 🙂
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My favorite part is this: “Everything is always about, ‘Am I living a good life? Am I making the most of my life?’” Good question for me to ponder as I move into this new day. Thanks, as always, David, for sharing.
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Thanks Vicki. Me too…
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At first I thought he was selfish but then when I read that he can’t stand intolerance and animals in pain, I thought, okay, there’s hope for him.
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🙂 There’s hope for all of us.
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I loved seeing him with Elmo – they were wicked. Hope he tones it down for the muppet movie!
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Muppets have a family/kid brand. No way they’ll let him do his schtick. It has to be kid friendly.
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I’d love to see the outtakes
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Me too…
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Think the Muppet movie will be great with him.
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Be interesting to see.
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Maybe the Muppets will teach him that it’s not nice to be mean (they taught me that). 🙂
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yes!
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LOVE this… I’ve always admired his perspective on intolerance and animal cruelty (a HUGE advocate). Great post!!
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Yes, I froze when I read that passage in the article.
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