Ricky Gervais Reveals Far Too Much In Funny Reddit AMA
Between the nine Emmy nods for its first original series "House of Cards" and the "Orange Is the New Black" buzz, Netflix is killing it right now.
The online streaming service has entrusted Ricky Gervais to complete the hat-trick, with a new series titled "Derek."
The British dramedy follows Derek Noakes, a nursing home caretaker who sees only the good in people. Gervais produces, writes, directs, and stars in the series, which arrives — in full — on Netflix on September 12.
He is best known for creating the original "The Office," "EXTRAS," and "The Ricky Gervais Show" — and for ruthlessly battering celebrities as host of the Golden Globes.
Gervais answered redditers' questions about the new show, his Atheism, and his affinity for taking selfies in the bathtub in a recent /r/AMA.
Here are the 10 best reveals to come out of “Hello, I am Ricky Gervais. Ask me Anything”:
10. He's close with other comedians.
“What is the worst thing you've experienced in your entire life?” —vicstudent
“I saw Louie CK naked.” —RickyGervais
9. He has a big heart.
“What was the first thing you splurged on when you first hit it big with The Office?” —jpcrecom
“I donated my money to an orphanage. (Only joking - I bought a mansion in the country. I must go there someday.)” —RickyGervais
8. His family inspired the "Derek" series.
“Is Derek based on a life experience?” —th3greg
“The situation certainly is. Half my family growing up were carers of some sort, mostly retirement homes (stroke, Alzheimers), and Derek is like my fictional superhero of an everyday gentle outsider. I suppose they're all little fables about kindness. And possibly, a love letter to my lovely, poor and humble family growing up.” —RickyGervais
7. He watches one of Netflix's other original series.
“whats some other shows your into right now?” —Jints488
“My favourite shows of the year are House of Cards, the Scandinavian versions of The Killing and The Bridge, and my guilty pleasure is everything MMA. Ultimate Fighter is amazing.” —RickyGervais
6. He's still a non-believer. Stop asking.
“How does it feel to be known as "The King Of The Atheists" by people? I've heard it here on reddit.” —im_swedish
“I prefer ‘God of the Atheists.’” —RickyGervais
5. He already casted his future biopic.
“Who would play you in a movie about your life?” —gracechristie
“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?” —RickyGervais
4. He's not shy about his figure.
“What are you wearing?” —charlimonster
“This.” —RickyGervais
3. He credits "The Office" as his catalyst into Hollywood...
“How did you transition from Brit phenom to American fixture? Was there a magic gnome who "discovered" you?” —allenahansen
“I guess winning the Golden Globes for The Office in 2004 against all odds started it all. When I went up to collect the first award, Clint Eastwood was overheard to say ‘Who the f--- is that?’
(*Haha, I so hope that's true).” —RickyGervais
2. ...but he's most proud of...
“What do you view as your biggest accomplishment?” —t3rrapins
“I fought a bear once. But it started crying, so I let it off.” —RickyGervais
1. He takes unsettling selfies in the bathtub and shares them with the Internet.
“What was the inspiration behind the very first ‘bath pic’?” —apadden
“I like my baths really deep and hot. But washing everything only takes a few minutes. So I thought it would be a waste to just flush all that water away. So there was nothing else to do but take pictures of myself trying to look as horrendous as possible. Oh my, what have I started?” —RickyGervais
Here's an example of one of Gervais' bath pics, which he uploads to his Twitter.
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.
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