'You're not selling it to me': Why Ricky Gervais won't come to Aus
Fans of Ricky Gervais have been lamenting for years that The Office star won't visit Australia.
Well, now we know why.
"It's a long way, innit?" Gervais told Sunday Night.
"I mean, if you knew how lazy I was."
"I thought Branson was sorting out a thing that shoots you into space and you come down two hours later? When's that going to happen? I can afford that now."
But it's not all laziness — he insisted he loves Aussies but Australia was also far too dangerous for him.
"You've got the most dangerous spiders... snakes… jellyfish, sharks, and you walk around in flip-flops!"
It’s a common view that was not helped by reporter Alex Cullen's knowledge of funnel web spiders.
"You know with a funnel web, its 'teeth' will go through your toenail," Cullen said in the interview.
"This is my point," Gervais said, "I don't want to hear that that creature exists. I don't want to hear that as a fact."
"Honestly, you're not selling it to me."
Gervais, 55, is probably best known today for shocking and offending the world’s richest and best looking stars as host of the Golden Globes.
“I went there to tease people that should be able to take it, they weren't a room of wounded soldiers,” Gervais said.
“Do I pander to the 200 egos in the room or the 200 million people watching around the globe? No question. I am the guy at home sitting in his pants who is not winning an award.”
His latest work has taken him back to his famed alter-ego — the most cringe worthy boss in Britain — David Brent.
The movie David Brent: Life on the Road revisits the lead character of The Office as he takes leave of his day job to pursue his dream of being a singer-songwriter.
"He tries his best, I really admire that because he is not hurting anyone except himself. "
Gervais likens the character with Donald Trump.
"There's something in both of them that want to tell you how good they are."
He told Sunday Night he saw the comic value in Trump's presidency campaign but wanted to 'punch his face in'.
"I'm torn,” Gervais said.
"There's the humanitarian in me that thinks there's probably someone better, but there's the comedian in me that goes come on, let's have him as president."
"I'd like to punch his face in."
David Brent: Life on the Road is in theatres August 25
