Ricky Gervais talks about Golden Globes hosting gig

Q: Does the fact that it is a three hour telecast so does that give you any sort of pause? Your bursts, your spurts at these award shows have always been the best part about them but, in terms of carrying that forward for a full three hour telecast, does that give you pause at all?

Ricky: Well, if there’s one man that can burst and spurt for three hours, it’s me. I’ll be exhausted at the end of it but honestly I’m going to try my best just don’t sit in the front row.

Q: So earlier of course you were talking about these targets, the gentle ribbing that you’ll be doing. Have you been like trying to dig up dirt on certain people like Tom Cruise or anything like that to get him with like something embarrassing from their childhood or something?

Ricky: No not at all. I don’t care whether it’s true or not.

Q: What kind of subjects do you think you’ll go for?

Ricky: I’m probably going to try and prick the bubble of people taking themselves too seriously. Not that they do but, it’s not just the people in the room, it’s the 25 million people in America watching and the other 500 million people around the world watching.

I think there’s got to be something in it for them. So I’m going to strike a blow for the common man sitting at home in his pants who can’t afford, you know, laser surgery and teeth whitening and hair transplants and Armani underpants.

So I want it to be good for everyone. I’m going go have my teeth whitened and wear a wig and Armani underpants. But after the show I’m going to go home and watch it in my (unintelligible) eating beans on toast.

Q: In regular underpants.

Ricky: Regular underpants, yes, not in size obviously they’re huge bloomers like Bridgette Jones would wear. I like to be comfortable.

Q: Just a quick follow up regarding The Office. You sort of pioneered the sitcom with the mockumentary style and now we see that not just in the US Office but, you know, shows like Modern Family, Parks and Rec. Do you think it’s getting played out? Do you think some of these people are being lazy using that technique?

Ricky: Well firstly I can’t claim that. I stole – I stood on the shoulders of giants …

Q: Spinal Tap and …

Ricky: Yeah. Spinal Tap, a direct influence, you know, mockumentary style. Larry Sanders where it was all about the ensemble piece, no laughter track and I stole from Laurel and Hardy. I got empathy from Laurel and Hardy and relationships. And that’s in The Office. And I stole from the Simpsons.

I think an artist should steal. I think it was Rousseau that said it’s not where something comes from, it’s where you take it. And so I don’t think I can claim any innovation except that we put it all into one show.

And I think if there was one thing that was different about The Office, it’s that we were a slave to the realism and the way people acted and spoke was much more about nonverbal, it was much more about body language. And it was the first comedy about comedy I think and that was hidden.

But all those other things I stole from greats.