Ricky Gervais, in his characters on popular Brit comedies "The Office" and "Extras," found ways to be despicable yet human and relatable at the same time.
The Brit takes that persona to the big screen for the first time in the form of "Ghost Town," where he plays Bertram Pincus, a dentist with an aversion to social interaction. Then he dies for seven minutes, comes back to life and can see and hear ghosts, who take a deep interest in him.
One ghost in particular, Frank (played by Greg Kinnear), promises to get the other ghosts off his back if Pincus helps tear apart his widow (Tea Leoni) and a cold blanket of an attorney. Naturally, Pincus falls in love with the widow. Sure, the endgame is obvious, but the journey has plenty of chuckle moments.
Amiable, self-deprecating and self-aware, Gervais joked about his teeth, fame in the U.K. and "Celebrity Big Brother" in a recent chat:
Q: How does it feel being a leading man in a major film for the first time?
A: I couldn't have imagined any of this 10 or 15 years ago. I actually resisted films for a long time. I've seen a lot of British stars try to do American movies then quietly back out of the room, come back here and do what they do. I didn't want to be that guy. I didn't want to water down what I was doing, writing and directing, with diversions.
Q: So what made "Ghost Town" click for you?
A: When they first offered it to me, I said, "You don't want me. You want John Cusack!" No one would go see a film with me in it. But then I read "Ghost Town." I realized I'm the only person for this job. It's my film. ... I'm glad I did it. I'm proud of it. I can't imagine doing 290 interviews [like this] for a movie that I know stinks. It's a throwback to "It's a Wonderful Life."
Q: Your character in the beginning really goes out of his way to avoid people. Is that you, too?
A: No way. But I can identify with the character in a sense, that sometimes I feel like being a famous person in England, I want to hide. I have my blinds permanently down in my house. You can't take the Underground late at night or sit in a pub with a bunch of drunks. On the plus side, you can jump queues! [Laughs.]
Q: You think that could happen in the States for you?
A: You don't have quite the gutter press here. And there are loads of more famous people here than me. We've got 10 A-listers in the U.K. You have 10 every couple of streets.
Q: How come there was no kissing in "Ghost Town"? Isn't this supposed to be a romantic comedy?
A: That was on purpose. I never felt that does anything at the end of a film. It's too pat. And you don't want to see this little fat bloke with my teeth! I had a journalist at a junket say, "I love the gag in which you're a dentist and you've got those wanky teeth." I said, "Sorry! Those are my real teeth!"
Q: Are you surprised most of the early reviews have been positive?
A: Yes. I didn't think it would get as much attention as it has. It's not a blockbuster. It's not aimed at kids or parents who want them to be quiet for two hours. It doesn't have Will Smith or Tom Cruise in it. It's just a really sweet, quiet movie. Hopefully, it will be the type of film you'll watch in 20 years while flipping around the telly.
Q: How would Andy in "Extras" react to your real-life success?
A: He would think it's amazing. He wasn't that wrong. He was just confused, just wounded. He didn't know why he wasn't getting what he wanted. I made that finale a morality tale. I punished Andy. He sold out so I needed to punish him.
Q: Andy going on "Celebrity Big Brother" was classic.
A: That show is my guilty pleasure. You watch for conflicts. I don't know what it does to me, but I watch to despise someone, which is a bad place to be. Nobody wants to see 12 people getting along well. I watch for that person. I get an adrenaline rush. I want someone to punch his face. Shame on you for watching it. Shame on me!
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