“I’m like an old classic car”: Ricky Gervais talks about aging, awards shows and why we can’t take a joke
(LANGUAGE NOTE) In an article in the October / November issue of AARP The Magazine, Ricky gervais talks about being famous at 40, staying alert at 60, and how, he says, most people can’t stand a joke anymore.
The writer, actor and comedian only rose to fame when the British version of Office debuted at the age of 40, an age considered old by Hollywood standards. He then remembered a conversation with Jane fallon, his partner since 1982.
“I… remember sitting in a tuxedo, drinking wine.” I said to Jane, ‘Why didn’t I do it sooner?’ She said, ‘Because you wouldn’t have been good.’ “
Gervais Office spawned international versions, including the Emmy-winning American one, and took him to host the Golden Globes five times, where he rose to fame for his scathing comments.
“These aren’t rooms full of wounded soldiers,” Ricky breathes. “They are billionaires and the heads of huge media conglomerates. If you can’t hit the richest and most privileged people, who can you go after? “
On that note, Ricky explains, “Every joke… someone’s going to get mad. I made a joke on Twitter that sums it all up. ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ Answer: ‘F *** you. My chicken was crushed yesterday! ‘ What can you do?”
Gervais, including After life will return to Netflix for its third and final season in 2022, explains, “At 60, I’m like an old classic car. There are a few bumps and bumps… But my body is just a frame. My brain is what matters to me.
“I want to stay sharp … I will find Albert Einstein on YouTube explaining the theory of relativity or I will listen to a podcast on the depths of space. It almost makes me forget that when I play tennis now my body hurts for three weeks, not three minutes.
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