Ricky Dene Gervais (/dʒərˈveɪz/; born 25 June 1961) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, and singer.
Comedy and drama are different sides of the same coin. And the thing about comedy and drama is about likability. It's about character first. It's about story. And for me, it's about empathy, and I think the realer someone is, the further you can go either way with them.
I'm not a film snob at all. I much prefer a really good Hollywood blockbuster than a thought-provoking art house movie because entertainment is sort of where it's at.
A Christian telling an atheist they're going to hell is as scary as a child telling an adult they're not getting any presents from Santa.
My greatest hero is Nelson Mandela. What a man. Incarcerated for 25 years, he was released in 1990 and he hasn't reoffended. I think he's going straight, which shows you prison does work.
Take a picture not a trophy This is how real men shoot animals
The simple fact is, offense is taken, not given.
Someone asked me what three things I would save if my house was on fire. I said my cat, my salamander and one of the twins.
Honor is a gift a man gives himself. You can be as good as anyone that ever lived. If you can read, you can learn everything that anyone ever learned. But you've got to want it.
You do your own thing and you see if you survive.
Body language is more powerful than words.
When you think of things like The Sopranos, The Wire, Damages, they are beating film on a regular basis. Most films are terrible. It's only the 2% that are good. There's things you can do on TV which you can't do on film. There is something about those episodic, serialisations that are grand and operatic.
I don't think humans are meant to be looked at when we're buying pants.
Spirituality really lost its way when it became a stick to beat people with: ‘Do this or you’ll burn in hell.
Daniel Day-Lewis would play me as a baby. He can do anything. Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt are fighting out for me now. And Meryl Streep will play me after the sex change. I haven't told you about that, have I?
I've got three friends that you'd call famous, but I'm sure after 20 years, most of my friends will be famous or work in television, because that's the nature of what your work is. When I was working in an office, most of my friends worked in offices.
I get so sick of people asking: "What's your demographic?" Or: "Oh we've got to aim this at. . . " No, you have to aim it at you. You do the thing you would love. . . make the thing you would love and be proud of. There's enough people in the world that, if you do that and do it well as a single vision, they'll go: "That's my favourite thing ever!"
Being on the edge isn't as safe, but the view is better
Never fear the truth. No bad can come of discussing a true subject. No bad at all.
I am not a wolf in sheep's clothing, I'm a wolf in wolf's clothing.
I like every part [of the film process ] except the business and admin stuff. The initial idea. Writing. Re-writing. Casting. Directing, Editing. If I had to chose I'd say writing, followed by putting music on the picture. That is magical.