Ricky Gervais' Office Favours

1 month ago 09th Oct 13:30

Ricky Gervais believes celebrities only appear in his films because of 'The Office'.

The British actor, writer and director says Hollywood stars like Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ed Norton - who both appear in his latest movie 'The Invention of Lying' - are only interested in working with him because he played overweight office worker David Brent in the comedy TV series.

He explained: When 'The Office' came out, if there was an article about office chairs there'd be a picture of David Brent

He said: "That's the best thing about fame - the access. I'd like to think that I'd be their friend if I'd just written and directed 'The Office' and had not been in it, but I probably wouldn't have been on their radar. Everything has come from 'The Office'."

Although the 48-year-old star is thankful for the opportunities the show has brought, it has also left him in some uncomfortable situations.

He explained: "When 'The Office' came out, if there was an article about office chairs there'd be a picture of David Brent. Once, right, on the front cover of the paper, there was a story about a boss who'd groped a woman and was guilty of misconduct, and because she had said, 'he was sliming up to me like David Brent', they had put a picture of me in there! Surely a picture of the bloke would have been better?"