Gervais is Hosting the 69th Annual Golden Globes Airing on NBC January 15
The Interview Will Air on “Today†on Friday, January 6 and “Dateline†Sunday, January 8 at 7p
NEW YORK –- January 5, 2012 –- Ricky Gervais, who is hosting the 69th annual “Golden Globes,†sat down with Matt Lauer for an exclusive interview that will air on “Today†Friday, January 6 and “Dateline†Sunday, January 8 at 7pm ET. In the interview, Gervais talks to Lauer about the “Golden Globes,†and says “I do it my way. I get final edit on everything. And everything I do turns out like I wanted… And they don’t know what I’m gonna say. And they won’t know what I’m gonna say till I say it.†He also discusses his childhood, what it’s like to be famous, the criticism he faced after hosting the “Golden Globes†in 2010, and why he’s up for doing it again this year.
Sound bites from the interview follow. If used, must include the following mandatory credit with airdates and times: “Today” Friday, January 6 and “Dateline” Sunday, January 8 at 7pm ET.
MATT LAUER:
All right, I didn’t see this coming. Why are we here?
RICKY GERVAIS:
Why are we here in the rain?
MATT LAUER:
In the rain, in the cemetery in the rain, in the wind?
RICKY GERVAIS:
Or why are we in the graveyard? Because it’s lovely. It’s lovely and peaceful.
MATT LAUER:
Do you come here sometimes?
RICKY GERVAIS:
Yeah, yeah, we often walk through here. I sit here and write jokes for the Golden Globes.
MATT LAUER:
You don’t write jokes here.
RICKY GERVAIS:
Yeah, and there’s stones here that are older than America.
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MATT LAUER:
You are about to host the Golden Globe Awards. Have you done them before? (LAUGHTER)
RICKY GERVAIS:
Yeah, this is my third time. And I remember telling you last time that– I think both times — I said I’m not gonna do it again, didn’t I?
MATT LAUER:
Yeah.
RICKY GERVAIS:
Well, okay. The reason I did it in the first place –was I thought it’d be fun. Also a world audience of like 200 million people.
MATT LAUER:
Was it fun the first time?
RICKY GERVAIS:
It was, but I didn’t quite nail it. I got it a bit wrong I think the first time. I tried too hard with the shtick, the comedy, and I should have just gone out there and done zingers, I think, because the attention span of someone at an award show, particularly the Golden Globe, is about a second. They’re drinkin’, they’re talkin’, they’re seein’ someone. You know, you’ve gotta grab their attention. It’s not a great place for a comedian to play because they’ve got other things on their mind. They’re there to see if they’ve won an award, but they don’t wanna see this guy come out and telling jokes. Certainly not jokes at their expense.
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MATT LAUER:
When they agreed to have you back or asked you to come back, where any restrictions placed on you?
RICKY GERVAIS:
No.
MATT LAUER:
Did they say any subjects are off limits?
RICKY GERVAIS:
I wouldn’t do it.
MATT LAUER:
So you are free to do whatever you want no matter the consequences?
RICKY GERVAIS:
And they don’t know what I’m gonna say. And they won’t know what I’m gonna say till I say it.
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MATT LAUER:
So going back to this idea that you knew the truth as the kid and you felt smarter than other kids, although you felt guilty about it. I think you also said one time you said, “I went out of my way to act normal. I did all the normal things.” I think you said, “I didn’t run around with a beret on saying, ‘Isn’t Oscar Wilde cool?'” So you tried to fit in, but inside did you feel like an outsider?
RICKY GERVAIS:
This makes me sound like a freak. This makes me sound like my dad came to me and said, “Ricky, you are special, but you must hide it. With great power comes great responsibility.” I found that, I am normal. But what I mean is — whatever was around me, I’ve never really succumbed to peer pressure. And this feeds into my humor. I deal in taboo subjects for that reason…. Not only am I fascinated with them, but I like to take the audience to places that it hasn’t been before. Otherwise, what’s the point? There’s enough anodyne comedy out there. And I like that feeling of– no harm can come with dealing with taboos. You know, they are taboo because people don’t deal with them.
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MATT LAUER:
How do you feel about fame today? You are arguably one– if not one of the most famous comedians in the world right now.
RICKY GERVAIS:
But what does that mean?
MATT LAUER:
I’m asking you.
RICKY GERVAIS:
It means strangers think that they know you. But what I went through when I became famous– I feared the– press intrusion. I thought my reputation was everything. And I worried about the backlash. I worried about a bad review. And then a bad review happens and you think, “It’s one person’s opinion.” … And then you eventually come to the conclusion that your reputation is what strangers think of you, but your character is who you really are.
And, again, it just makes you bulletproof. You know? What do I care if someone likes what I do or not? I just don’t anymore. If you get your own way, if you get final edit and you enjoy what you’re doing and things turn out exactly as you wanted ’em, what– what else is there?
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MATT LAUER:
When you’re on stage, am I watching Ricky Gervais or am I watching a character that you’ve created who happens to share the same name?
RICKY GERVAIS:
It depends. I think the audience are smart enough to know when I’m being ironic, when I’m playing the idiot, when I’m playing the fool, when I’m getting something wrong– and when I’m down the line saying, “Isn’t this terrible?” or, “Isn’t this funny?” But– it’s a bit of both.
The guy on stage is a lot brasher, more arrogant, more confident than me. I take a deep breath and go out with swagger, ’cause I think you need to trust a comedian. And by trust I mean not that he’s just being honest or that he’s a nice guy, but you’re in safe hands. No one wants a comedian to go out there and apologize — you’ve gotta go out and nail it. You’re in a uniform. You know? You got to feel safe with this comedian.
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MATT LAUER:
So Sunday night the 15th we’ll see that swagger?
RICKY GERVAIS:
Yeah. I might even really be drunk. (LAUGHTER)