by Troy Rogers
The 67th Annual Golden Globes airs live Sunday,
January 17 at 8pm in a three-hour telecast with
Ricky Gervais, creator of The Office and Extras,
playing host and master of ceremonies to the top
of the pops in Hollywood. Although Ricky Gervais
may see the American version of The Office nab
a few Golden Globes statues, movies such as Avatar
and Up in the Air lead the Golden Globes pack
in the Drama field while actress Meryl Streep
is nominated twice in the same Golden Globes category
for Musical or Comedy with It's Complicated and
Julie & Julia.
As the 67th Annual Golden Globes begin, Ricky Gervais will have his work cut out for him to keep all of Hollywood's A-listers on their toes, which include Golden Globes presenters Sophia Loren, Mickey Rourke, Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson, Reese Witherspoon, and Taylor Lautner of The Twilight Saga.
With the stars about to hit the red carpet at this year's Golden Globes, we got a few minutes with host Ricky Gervais to find out how the Golden Globes gives him room to be himself onstage, if his Golden Globes experience could turn out to parallel his hilarious BAFTA scene in Extras, who Gervais will be rooting for to win a few Golden Globes, and how Ricky Gervias is preparing to carry the three-hour broadcast of the 67th Annual Golden Globes on NBC.
THE DEADBOLT: You mentioned the Golden Globes gives you free reign as the host. All that I keep picturing is you and Ronnie Corbett at the BAFTAs in that Extras episode.
RICKY GERVAIS: [laughs] Do you know who Ronnie Corbett is?
THE DEADBOLT: Yes, I do.
GERVAIS:
A national treasure who certainly hasn't done
anything wrong in his entire life. And it was
just so sweet, someone in his 70s to be willing
to do that. What a sport. I still look back
and pinch myself for the things that we got
people doing.
Morris Stewart is like our Katie Couric and she was the drug dealer. Kate Winslet dressed as a nun talking dirty, saying she'd only ever do a holocaust movie to win an Oscar, and it came true. Wow, I couldn't believe my luck. That’s the thing, to be funny and prophetic.
THE DEADBOLT: So if it descends to the last hour where you’re drinking [like in the Extras episode], will it look like that?
GERVAIS: Well, I'll be drinking throughout, it’s just how drunk I get. [laughs] But it’s not just the Golden Globes that are saying you've got a free reign, it’s more the fact that it’s live. So they couldn't say anything else, really. I mean, that’s the exciting and the scary bit, just like doing stand-up. The reason I love doing stand-up is because it is the last bastion of self censorship; there’s no one to tell you what you can and can't do. That’s the same as a live show, you know?
The problem with me is that I've got these two people in my head. One of them says, "It'll be all right," and the other one says, "You don't need to say it. What’s the best that can happen? It might go terribly wrong." The other one goes, "Yeah, but that’s what life is about. See what happens." And the other one goes, "Don't do it. It could be the end of your career." Then the other one goes, "You've had good endings."
There’s always a little fight up there, so I don't know which one is going to win. Oh dear, but that’s the fun. That’s the fun for me and I think that’s the fun for the people at home.
Other Conference Call Highlights:
Do you have a specific TV comedy that you’re rooting for this year?
GERVAIS: Well, obviously I'm involved with The Office and I think they've done a great job. If the show wins, then I win. I think it could be my only chance to win anything ...
Any chance you might be back on board with the show maybe directing, writing? Anything like that in the works?
GERVAIS:
Well, I'm executive producer on it and I wrote
one episode. But I think that after 100 shows,
it’s really found its own feet. It’s certainly
gotten out of the shadow of the UK version.
So I think maybe I could pop up for a bit of
fun, maybe a little cameo, maybe David Brent
bumps into Steve Carell at a world conference.
I don't know. It would be fun, but I'm enjoying
its success from a distance to be honest.
I love the fact that it’s probably the only successful UK remake for about 30 years. I think the last one that really worked in comedy was probably Sanford and Son or All in the Family. So I'm very proud of it. But it’s their hard work. The idea coming from me and I won't let Steve Carell ever forget that. But they've all done an amazing job, from Greg Daniels down to every member of the cast.
I don't want Steve Carell ever to take a holiday. I'm working him like an old horse. He’s going to collapse before I end that show.
Which celeb are you looking most forward to roasting?
GERVAIS: Anyone who’s younger and thinner and richer and more attractive than me, they're the ones I'm going for. Rainn Wilson is safe again, Steve Carell is on the cusp.
In terms of carrying that forward for a full three hour telecast, does that give you pause at all?
GERVAIS:
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 I'm going to try my best.
Just don't sit in the front row.
What kind of subjects do you think you'll go for?
GERVAIS: 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 laser surgery and teeth whitening and hair transplants and Armani underpants. 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 underpants, eating beans on toast.
