Ricky Gervais Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions

Hi, I'm Ricky Gervais and today I'll be doing

the Wired Autocomplete Interview from home.

[cheerful melodic music]

Let's see what the internet wants to know,

so these are frequently asked questions about me,

I don't know why anyone wants to know these things,

but let's go on, I'll answer some, if I know the answer.

Where Ricky Gervais?

Where does Ricky Gervais come from?

I mean, do they mean biologically or what's that?

My Dad

gave half of his genetic material,

my Mum gave half of hers, I come from Reading,

which is I don't know what you'd call it,

it's a big town 40 miles outside London.

Where is Ricky Gervais house Hampstead.

Right, obviously, imagine if I just said the address.

That's close enough, it's in Hampstead, yeah.

Why Ricky Gervais?

Why doesn't Ricky Gervais drive?

Laziness, I guess, I've never bothered.

I've lived in London since I was, you know, 19,

so the Tube or buses was easier or take a cab.

I wish I could, but I can't be bothered to learn,

I think that of everything, I wish I could speak French,

but I can't be bothered to learn,

so laziness.

But you can't drink and drive, so what's the point?

Why did Ricky Gervais roast Hollywood?

I think it's what I was paid to do, you know,

I'm a court jester, I make a decision,

I've done it five times over the last 10 years

and every time it's like

do you pander to the 200 people in the room

or the 200 million people watching at home?

There's no competition, the people at home

aren't winning awards, they're not millionaires,

what's in it for them

to watch the richest, most privileged people

in the world just win an award,

well, no, I try to make it a spectator sport,

so that's why, they can take it.

How Ricky Gervais?

How can I meet Ricky Gervais?

You can't, I've got armed guards

and electrified fences and lasers,

I've got a moat around this castle with alligators.

How rich is Ricky Gervais?

Well, I've got a moat with alligators, that's how rich,

I haven't got a moat with alligators.

None of your business.

How does Ricky Gervais pronounce his name?

Ricky Gervais.

If you did it sort of like phonetically,

it'd be like J, it's be a J apostrophe,

V-A-Z-E, Jvaze,

I don't know if that's correct pronunciation,

it's French obviously, of Gervais?

Dunno.

Oh, I've heard everything from Jarvis, Jervis, Gervis,

the most common one is they make the S sound

with sort of a Z sound, so they'll go Gervais,

I think that's the most common, particularly in America,

Jarvaze, but I say Gervais.

Is Ricky Gervais a US citizen?

No, I'm not, I'm a British citizen,

nothing more to add to that really.

Is Ricky Gervais wealthy?

Well,

alright, yeah, don't worry about me,

I'm doing alright, yeah.

Is Ricky Gervais related to David Bowie?

Well, yeah, I suppose so distantly,

we're all related, aren't we?

But no, not in the immediate sense,

I haven't worked it out,

but we're all related, aren't we really?

I mean, we're great apes.

I think I looked like him when I was younger a little bit,

or I tried to anyway, I've got his teeth as well.

I suppose we talk similar

to an American.

Is Ricky Gervais married to Jane Fallon?

Not legally, not in the eyes of God.

We are really, but we haven't done the paperwork

or had a wedding, no.

Is Ricky Gervais canceled?

Every day I reckon, every day by someone,

but luckily it means nothing.

What Ricky Gervais?

What inspired Ricky Gervais After Life?

I was on tour with Humanity

and I was only doing like 90 minutes' work a day

and I felt a bit guilty

and I thought I should probably do another TV series.

Unlike all the other ones I've done,

where the character came first,

like David Brent existed before The Office,

Derek existed before Derek, et cetera,

this one, the idea came to me rather like a movie idea,

like a high concept movie idea

and I thought imagine a man

who didn't care about living anymore

and one day was gonna commit suicide,

he could do what he wanted, 'cause he didn't care,

if he could just have one last hurrah,

he could do and say what the [bleep] he wanted

and he's always got suicide to fall back on,

so it was like a superpower,

like nothing could hurt him, he was invincible

and then the next thing I thought,

oh, why would he nearly kill himself?

Oh, 'cause he lost everything

and what would be losing everything?

I thought well, for me it'd be your soul mate,

your life partner

and I suppose that's when it got a little more serious,

but the big concept

was imagine you could say and do everything,

'cause you didn't care whether you lived or died,

that was the idea.

What made Ricky Gervais famous?

I guess being in The Office, but I don't know really,

I think you're famous

to different people for different things,

like kids recognize me from the Night at the Museum

and The Muppets and then some people recognize me

just because I don't even think they know I'm a comedian,

they notice me because I do lots of animal activism

and they're into that, so I don't know,

but I'd say what follows me round would be

the creator of The Office or David Brent, yeah.

What did Ricky Gervais say to Mel Gibson?

Oh, I think I know what they mean,

when he was at the podium,

like the last time I introduced him,

I said what does sugar[bleep] even mean?

I think that's what they're referring to,

they must have bleeped out the word, [bleep].

What was Ricky Gervais drinking?

I think that means at the Golden Globes as well, doesn't it?

It was a beer, a standard beer, I think it was Fosters,

because I think that's like,

you know, 3.6 or something,

so you can drink those all night and not be drunk,

that's how professional I am,

I will only drink beer all night when I'm working.

What did Ricky Gervais do?

I think that's in general on the internet,

like if my name's trending, people go what did he do now?

What did he say, who did he annoy?

It depends, it depends what date you're watching this,

what did I do?

I didn't [bleep], sorry.

Did Ricky Gervais?

Did Ricky Gervais cancel his tour?

No, no, it's all postponed.

I've never canceled a gig, I've never canceled a gig,

I've been ill, I've been up there, I've been up there dying.

One gig, I had sort of flu and I was there

and I was coughing, the worst thing you have,

I mean, I had a temperature, I felt sick, nauseous,

I had to be near a toilet, but the worst thing is a cough,

'cause you can [bleep] up a punchline.

I was drinking sort of like cough medicine

and I was having, you know, cold remedies,

still had a beer, a little beer, that never hurt anyone.

But no, I haven't canceled a tour, I've postponed.

What did Antonio Banderas sat to Ricky Gervais?

I've no idea.

Oh, didn't I introduce him like as a joke once,

that I didn't know what he was,

I didn't know what he was saying?

So I don't know what he said to me,

I couldn't understand him.

What did Ricky Gervais study?

Well, everything I guess at school,

I went to university to study biology,

I got to university and I thought why have I done this?

This is real work, this is a proper science and stuff,

I've got 40 hours a week, nine o'clock lectures,

this is not, I came to university to join a band.

After a few weeks of that I did philosophy,

which was seven hours a week

and I got my degree in philosophy.

When Ricky Gervais?

When is Ricky Gervais Humanity on Netflix?

It's on now, so these questions are three years old,

they're just getting that,

imagine someone did that, right, three years ago

and then watching this and they're going,

oh, great, thanks, thanks for answering me, it's on now.

When did Ricky Gervais get Ollie?

Autumn of 2016 on The Jonathan Ross Show,

which is like our Jimmy Fallon or whatever,

he knew that we'd recently lost our cat, Colin,

he checked with my girlfriend, Jane,

that we'd want a new cat, so it wasn't just a gifted cat

and he kept it secret from me and then on air,

he said he'd got a cat for me

and he gave me lovely little Ollie

and she died a few weeks ago,

she would've been 17 on July the 9th.

When did Ricky Gervais start comedy?

I've always been doing it, I've always been annoying people

from the age of about six or seven,

I just wasn't getting paid for it, until I was about 38.

Who Ricky Gervais?

Who did Ricky Gervais say was coming for you?

Oh, again that's the Globes,

when I said this isn't just about the people

in front of the camera, people behind the scenes here,

producers, execs, from all different backgrounds,

but they've all got one thing in common,

they're terrified of Ronan Farrow, he's coming for you.

Who did Ricky Gervais make fun of?

Everyone,

everyone.

Who does Ricky Gervais support football?

England, I don't really have a team,

I haven't had a team, probably in my twenties

was my last time I ever said I supported a team

but England, the only time I watch soccer,

as you make us say now,

'cause you've stolen the term, football

for a ball that you don't kick,

you hold it in your hand, it should be called handball.

Football, we had football, we kicked the ball,

it's called football.

Why did we have to change our name to soccer?

We had football.

So yeah, England.

Does Ricky Gervais play guitar?

I do, yeah, one there.

I've played since I was about 14,

I sort of taught myself, I'm okay.

I did it to be a songwriter,

I didn't do it to be a guitarist, I did it to write songs,

so as soon as I knew three chords, I was writing songs,

but then so was Bob Dylan and he's amazing.

Does Ricky Gervais like Steve Carell?

Yeah, I do, he's brilliant, lovely man as well,

lovely family man, just good at his job,

I know I tease him publicly, but he knows

and he sent me a lovely email

about After Life one and two.

Yeah, I do like Steve Carell, lovely, talented, hardworking,

brilliant, funny, clever actor, so yes.

Can Ricky Gervais?

Can Ricky Gervais tap dance?

Can Ricky Gervais tap dance?

Oh, I know why, Muppets movie, where we're doing a dance,

that's the magic of movies.

Can Ricky Gervais speak French?

I can order a beer in most European languages.

I'd have to say no, no, I can't speak French.

Thank you very much for your questions

from the internet over the last 10 years,

people waiting patiently for the answer.

I've been Ricky Gervais.