--- title: 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais | TIME description: Watch comedian and executive producer of The Office Ricky Gervais talk about Steve Carell, Gary Shandling and Richard Lewis canonical: https://time.com/video/xUbIPBDl/ og:title: 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais og:description: Watch comedian and executive producer of The Office Ricky Gervais talk about Steve Carell, Gary Shandling and Richard Lewis og:url: https://time.com/video/xUbIPBDl/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xUbIPBDl/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais twitter:description: Watch comedian and executive producer of The Office Ricky Gervais talk about Steve Carell, Gary Shandling and Richard Lewis twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xUbIPBDl/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais [Watch (HLS stream): 10 Questions for Ricky Gervais](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xUbIPBDl.m3u8) (9:55)  _Published 2007-12-05. Watch comedian and executive producer of The Office Ricky Gervais talk about Steve Carell, Gary Shandling and Richard Lewis_ --- Jul 27, 2023 12:34 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Golden Globes 2016: Ricky Gervais' Comments on Caitlyn Jenner](/video/ASSoJjOT/) ### Golden Globes 2016: Ricky Gervais' Comments on Caitlyn Jenner [Questions for Ricky Gervais About the TIME 100](/video/8oaiY7c3/) ### Questions for Ricky Gervais About the TIME 100 [Joel Stein with Ricky Gervais](/video/Y3mWfszn/) ### Joel Stein with Ricky Gervais --- ## Transcript >> We're here with Ricky Gervais, and we are asking him questions submitted by the readers of Time Magazine and time. com. So, Ricky, hear the questions. >> Well, I will hear them. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Cool. >> I'm not gonna rag on this guy, but Dave Collins in Melbourne has submitted-- I don't even know how this softball made it through the internet. Ricky, what's the worst thing about being the funniest man on Earth? >> See, I can't criticize discerning gentlemen like that. He's obviously got taste. Well, what's his name again? >> Dave. >> Well, Dave, the worst thing about being the funniest man on Earth is that very few people on that planet agree with you. That's the thing about comedy. People say out to me, " Oh god, you know. Everyone loves The Office ." Well, no, I don't. No, I don't. Now more people hate The Office than like it obviously. Luckily, you don't need everyone on the planet to like you. So you know, you do your comedy for you and like- minded people. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And some people don't find me beautiful, which is-- yeah-- >> Uh huh. -[ unk ] it? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> I find that surprising. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So obviously I've got a nose like Karl Malden; crooked, green teeth; fat little face; but they don't see me as I do. In my head, I look a bit like Brad Pitt. >> Uh huh. >> I do. I'm walking down the street thinking, " Yeah, oh yeah ." And then I get a reflection, I go, " Awful ." You've got the whole town down [ unk ]. >> Okay. Nicole from Houston. How did you change The Office to fit an American audience? What types of gags were left on the cutting room floor? >> Well, the correct answer is I didn't change it to fit an American audience. They did. Initially, they wanted it [ unk ] Steven to direct it, and at one point, they thought I could play the new David Brent, which I thought was bizarrely pointless. >> We purposely didn't get too involved because we thought it should be made by Americans for Americans. And so after the initial meetings, when we worked out what they [ unk ] was, and you know, what-- why David Brent was a funny person, and it was-- after the first season, all there [ unk ] work. And also those little citizens of the-- they were better at their job. They were still more dynamic. And I thought, well, American offices are more dynamic than English offices. You know, you could survive-- you can retire in England having not done anything. You just keep your head down and you will not be discovered. And America's have got whiter teeth. I think Steve Carell is brilliant. I mean, just the funniest, hardest working person in TV, in Hollywood. And now he's a megastar, and I think he's earned over two billion dollars since we've been sitting here. But [ unk ] a nicer bloke. >> But you get 70 percent. >> I get 70 percent of all his earnings until he's sixty. >> Uh huh. >> And then he faces out-- those down until he dies. >> Rodney Rice. Why did you end the original Office after only two short seasons? >> We put everything into it. It's so dense, you know. It's a big, thick meat sandwich-- The Office. And you know, we wanted it to be like that because we wanted to do a comedy that was as good on the tenth viewing as on the first. So we really packed in everything and we tried to, you know, absolutely put everything we had into it. And also, it became a franchise anyway. You know, The Office, it's still showing in like in its original format in 90 countries. >> What would you care to say about the quality of the jokes in the German Office? >> Well, from-- it's a bit controversial actually because they did it without asking us and then denied it was based on it, and it was like ridiculous. And then they went, okay, it may be a bit like yours. And they handed over the marks. >> Uh huh. >> Yeah. But he's a-- it looked very good. Obviously, I couldn't understand what they were saying, but it did, you know, it looked great. >> And who wouldn't be funny in German? So I'm sure-- >> Right. >> it's absolutely fine. >> Racist. >> It's not racist. That's a historically accurate anti- nationalism. >> It's not-- it's not German to take something that wasn't theirs. You made me do it though. >> Whatever. Tom Hale, New York City. It's grammatically incorrect. I'll read it anyway. Who would fire who? David Brent or Michael Scott? >> I love it. You pulled up someone on their drama. Poor bloke. >> I expect the " m" [ unk ]. >> Right. Now, read it as it should be-- read it as it should be read. Go on. >> I did-- Who would fire who? That's what he says. It's whom --" Who would fire whom" is the correct-- >> Yeah. I know. >> Yeah, who would fire whom? >> Yeah. That did-- >> David Brent or Michael Scott? >> Why did you embarrass him? Why didn't you pretend you wrote that? >> I should have pretended. But I don't know Tom Hale. >> Who would fire who? Oh, I think Michael Scott would fire Brent. I think Michael Scott is probably slightly better at his job than David Brent. It's quite an interesting question actually because the English office, they're bigger losers I think. It's slightly more existential than the American one. And not too many good things can happen to the English-- the English lot. And then again, that is a direct parallel between our two nations. Americans grow up to believe they can become the next president of the United States. British people totally grow up [ unk ]. You know, it's-- You love success. We sort of look-- at success, we sort of like, oh well done, then we go. That-- how did they get their money? You know, don't leave your Rolls Royce out on the street because it'd be scratched. >> Your review with Gary Shandling was notoriously awkward. What do you think the problem was? Were you disappointed with the results? >> No, I loved it. I enjoyed the day and I-- we left-- we left it all in because it was-- that was the real me and then it-- and it-- it really went like that. I don't know why I said this. I was nervous about meeting him, okay, and I knew I shouldn't have [ unk ] up. But I pointed out either to be like Bingo from the Banana Splits. And then, I see he didn't know who that was. And then I even got one of his assistants to go in and print out a picture of [ unk ] and I went, oh-- I said-- and I go-- I said, " Oh, this is really insulting, isn't it ?" He went some of that-- He went, " Well, that would be insulting ." And I thought it was just a ridiculous thing for him to be able to do. I say, " You know, man, you look like one of the banana splits ." And then compounded by sharing my picture of what is the weirdest looking animal type thing that's ever existed and saying he looked like that. And he's a hero of mine, so I apologize. Am I boring you? >> Yeah. >> He's doing this? >> Yeah. You didn't see me just-- >> I'm boring me. >> You didn't see me just-- >> Can you edit this and make me look articulate? >> No, no, no. We don't have editing equipment. >> Okay. I mean, I know for a fact you will point out any grammatical mistakes. >> Come on. Yes, that is actually true. Gina, in Cape Town, how did it feel to win an Emmy and not be at the ceremony? >> I felt a little bit disappointed actually. I couldn't-- I couldn't make it. I was playing the Albert Hold. And I really didn't think we'd win. But I'm glad I wasn't there in the sense that Steve Carell's acceptance, it was just the best I've ever seen in an awards ceremony, the way he ran up like he'd won. And he just lost. And to do that was great. Won an Emmy last year for the American Office and I went-- and I'm at the luxury lounge with my girlfriend. It was the first time we've-- we going round there. All the Sopranos were there with Helen Mirren. And then I was like-- we were all good at first. Then you know, I can't go round-- was like millionaires walking around getting free sunglasses. I got over there and I got these really lovely pair, and I was trying them on. They were sort of big and glamorous and I thought, " Yeah, I look pretty good. Maybe a bit like Elvis ." And I heard a voice behind me go, " You've gotta be [ unk ] kidding me. You look like a gay ant ." And it was Richard Lewis. Why would we say that to me? I mean, I-- Why would he say that? I thought I looked great. And I went-- I went dammit. [ unk ] that right? Can I please? I took them. >> I see that's Richard Lewis now. He's been wearing the same thing-- >> I know. >> for forty years. >> I'm the queen of the nest, you know. >> and then-- >> Oh, not-- >> Can I see? And he tried to look them. Oh what? I realized I'm on camera. That's so rude. Sorry. I was-- You know, that was sort of [ unk ] with it, you know. >> Right, [ unk ]. >> And I'm not-- well, I can't get away with this 'cause this is being filmed. No [ unk ]. >> Yes. >> It's [ unk ]. >> Yeah, that's great. Why don't we lock the doors as we [ unk ]? Do that [ unk ] for that-- >> Oh, dear. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"10 Questions for Ricky Gervais","description":"Watch comedian and executive producer of The Office Ricky Gervais talk about Steve Carell, Gary Shandling and Richard Lewis","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xUbIPBDl/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2007-12-05T23:07:17.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xUbIPBDl.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/xUbIPBDl/","duration":"PT9M55S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/xUbIPBDl/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```