Ricky Gervais has revealed the thought process behind his cameo stand-up role in GTA IV, stating that he chose to pick on fat people in his Liberty City performance because it's a "universal" theme.
"It had to be sort of, like, quite universal, because it's played all around the world. So, no parochial cultural references," Gervaise told MTV in an interview.
"So, uh ... fat people. Got 'em everywhere, haven't you? Got fat people everywhere. [The U.K.'s] got some ... America's got a lot - I saw one on 'The Jerry Springer Show' and he was about 1,000 pounds, which was incredible.
"They had to take the side of his house off to get him to the hospital. Which is fine, and I felt sorry for him, but my first thought was, when he got to, say, 500 pounds, didn't he go, 'That's ... a lot, isn't it? For a human.' Didn't he then go, 'You know what, I'm only going to have eight breakfasts today.'"
Gervais also revealed the surprising revelation that he originally turned the GTA IV role down: "They called up my agent, and like [I say for] most things, I went, 'Nahhh,'" he said. "And then they said, 'Are you mad? This is the biggest thing in the world. You're crazy.'
"I went to New York and they put me in Lycra for the day. ... I assume that was necessary [and not] them just having a laugh," he added. "[The designers] showed me what it would look like, and it was incredible. They made me thinner.
"And it did about $20 billion on its opening minute. People queuing around the block. Some of them don't even have anything to play it on! Some of them don't even live in houses!"
If you live in America (and not Europe, because MTV's video player doesn't like us) then watch the rest of the interview here.
...Gervais taking the p**s out of fat people is like Lee Evans taking the p**s out of people with overactive sweat glands, Alan Carr slagging off gays, or Johnny Vegas picking on alcoholics. Though he perhaps understood the irony by mentioning the GTA guys made him slimmer.
...if anyone else says 'is it just me or am i the only one who doesn't find Ricky Gervais funny' I'm going to scream. There have been about 5 Gervais stories over the last month, each one had about 7 or 8 people uttering those very words on the message board.
...the American Office wasn't funnier - it's a fact (I saw it on the news). It was/is neither original, unique, groundbreaking, English, or funny. Fact of the matter is, the English do comedy better. There are some great American comedies (off the top of my head, Curb Your Enthusiasm), but the majority, including the American Office and dozens of other generic sitcoms, do a perfect job of 'dumbing down' the subtleties of humour that makes British comedy the best in the world. If you prefer the American Office, well, you're living in the wrong country.
...Ben Stiller isn't funny either, so don't even start. He is the perfect comedian for 14 year old boys and people who laugh at the adverts in cinemas (i.e. idiots).
...I will probably get a lot of stick for not writing 'in my opinion' after any of these statements.
...Gervais taking the p**s out of fat people is like Lee Evans taking the p**s out of people with overactive sweat glands, Alan Carr slagging off gays, or Johnny Vegas picking on alcoholics. Though he perhaps understood the irony by mentioning the GTA guys made him slimmer.
Of course he understands the irony. He takes the p**s out of his own ample girth just as much.
not funny at all, was the only bad thing in gta 4, jimmy carr is much better
WOOOOO JIMMY CARR.....he should have definately have been in the game!!! great comedian and even better LIVE!!!
Jimmy Carr, decent as a presenter - lacking as a stand up, i think. Plus, I swear he has about 1 hour's material and has recycled it throughout the last 5 years. I think I've heard that pregnant woman stood up on a bus/fat girl sat down crying joke about 50-60 times.
The man is a comedy genius and a living legend. His appearance in GTA4 is a very welcome addition. It seems some people just do not get his humour though, i suppose i can understand that but it's their loss.
I guess they offered it to Gervais cos he's making a big splash (geddit?) both sides of the Atlantic, or maybe he just thinks he is. I would have preferred Chris Rock & if they had to use an English comedian that was reasonably offensive then I suppose Carr but he is equally as irritating. I would have got Frankie Boyle, he's very funny, can do offensive but probably unheard of over there, but he would have been great.
...Gervais taking the p**s out of fat people is like Lee Evans taking the p**s out of people with overactive sweat glands, Alan Carr slagging off gays, or Johnny Vegas picking on alcoholics. Though he perhaps understood the irony by mentioning the GTA guys made him slimmer.
Of course he understands the irony. He takes the p**s out of his own ample girth just as much.
You wasting your time mate, most people here I.E the ones that hate Ricky Gervais don't seem to get irony and can't understand Gervais' humour, and yes The British Office is a lot better then the US version, anyone who thinks it isn't is a moron. Jimmy Carr is mildly amusing but hes not in the same class as Ricky Gervais, half the stars that praise Gervais even don't even know who Jimmy Carr is. You don't have to go to the comedy club in GTAIV so all the mugs that go in there and moan about it are just idiots, you know you're gonna get Gervais or Kat Williams (who was mildly amusing and if you really wanna see him go on youtube but in my opinion Gervais is better) in there so don't go there then moan!
I guess they offered it to Gervais cos he's making a big splash (geddit?) both sides of the Atlantic, or maybe he just thinks he is. I would have preferred Chris Rock & if they had to use an English comedian that was reasonably offensive then I suppose Carr but he is equally as irritating. I would have got Frankie Boyle, he's very funny, can do offensive but probably unheard of over there, but he would have been great.
Chris_ Gower, I was going to say that you win this topic for the Curb Your Enthusiasm reference, but then you said that Jimmy Carr is lacking as a stand-up comedian. FAIL!
I've seen Jimmy Carr live and he is freaking hilarious. Very witty, very fast at coming up with jokes on the spot, great dialouge with the audience, varied jokes.
In regards to Ricky Gervais, he used to be great but his own arrogance and inflated sense of self-importance means that he has gone downhill fast in the comedy stakes. Watched Fame, laughed maybe once.. What happened to you, Ricky? You used to be cool..
you have got to be american... its his sense of humour!the fact he is fat and taking the pi$$ outta ppl is what is funny. in most of his gag's he knows how ugly he is..and the fact he is uber rich makes it ok (i think he has stated that in a few jokes) he even made a joke about gta developers asking him ti get into lyrca - and not loling at him! ITS A JOKE GET OVER IT
you have got to be american... its his sense of humour!the fact he is fat and taking the pi$$ outta ppl is what is funny. in most of his gag's he knows how ugly he is..and the fact he is uber rich makes it ok (i think he has stated that in a few jokes) he even made a joke about gta developers asking him ti get into lyrca - and not loling at him! ITS A JOKE GET OVER IT
I qualified that statement later on by saying he clearly realises the irony with the comment about GTA managing to make him slimmer. calm down, i like gervais.
Chris_ Gower, I was going to say that you win this topic for the Curb Your Enthusiasm reference, but then you said that Jimmy Carr is lacking as a stand-up comedian. FAIL!
I've seen Jimmy Carr live and he is freaking hilarious. Very witty, very fast at coming up with jokes on the spot, great dialouge with the audience, varied jokes.
In regards to Ricky Gervais, he used to be great but his own arrogance and inflated sense of self-importance means that he has gone downhill fast in the comedy stakes. Watched Fame, laughed maybe once.. What happened to you, Ricky? You used to be cool..
I bought the first stand up DVD which was good - but not fantastic. I really like him in his TV shows, from Distraction, Your Face or Mine to 8 out of 10 Cats, but I seem to hear the same gags over and over again. Also, for my girlfriend's Xmas party they got Jimmy Carr to perform - and she had the phone on her table - all of the gags I'd heard several times before - saying that, I'm sure he doesn't use new material on those gigs, but a few new ones would have been nice!
As for Gervais, I like the guy, think he's funny, loved the office, liked Extras, generally think he is damn funny with his public appearances (particularly at the Golden Globes "I'm from a little place called Britain; we used to rule the world before you did".
But I'm a bit Gervais'd out at the moment - didn't see Live Earth (thankfully) but apparently his Fame tour was a bit crappy.
I target fat people on GTAIV as well. Bigger they are the more there is to shoot at.
and they punch alot slower so its 10x easier to combo them
I dont find Gervais all that funny, but I also heard that stand up isn't his strong point. I know many people personally that are not comedians but are way funnier and more witty than Gervais. The 'comedy' I hear from Gervais is on the same level as 'funny' stuff I hear in everyday conversation with mates, I just expect someone that is famed for it and gets payed alot for doing it to be a bit better at it then your average person that isn't evem trying.
The problem with Jimmy Carr is that far too often he'll say something that isn't funny, and then rely on "the look" he gives the audience to get a laugh.
Everyone's probably done with this thread, but I need to complain about Ricky Gervais. He's s**t. The man just rambles. He's the same in every show, he only has one "humorous" persona he uses for everything. On stage? Same act. The Office? Same act. Those movies I saw him in? Guess what... same act! His whole appeal is based around taking half an hour to work his way through a simple sentence because of the amount of times he goes off spouting waffle that's overly long, unfunny, and practically identical to the last stream of bulls**t he emitted 2 minutes ago... even his "Yeah?" every few seconds p**ses me off. He sucks. Him and Simon Cowell rank as the top two Worldwide celebrities that don't deserve it - one has no variety and isn't funny to begin with, and the other just gives out to people.
Also I disagree that British comedy is better than American comedy. I like tons of American comedy shows but can count the amount of British ones I like on one hand. In fact, at the moment I can only think of two: Spaced and Big Train. The Simpsons is American... surely they've already won?
The problem with Jimmy Carr is that far too often he'll say something that isn't funny, and then rely on "the look" he gives the audience to get a laugh.
HAHA thats whats so funnny about Jimmy Carr
WOOO Jimmy Carr Repeat Offenders Show Nxt Week!!!!!
The Simpsons is American... surely they've already won?
LOL.
The Simpsons are ok, but seriously, it's low brow getting-hit-in-the-groin humor. It lacks much subtlety, but I guess we Americans love obviousness that approaches terribly painful levels.
You'd find him funny if you looked after yourselfs better. No one likes a critic.
I though he was well suited to the Liberty City backdrop, his "Favorite War" sketch was a bit off topic. Other than that, he's just concerned about peoples health really. He was ripping into himself a lot if no one noticed...
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