10 Actors That Have Been In Multiple Ricky Gervais Projects
Ricky Gervais first shot to fame with his mockumentary series The Office, followed by a number of other series and films including Special Correspondents. His work is always arguably well cast, with actors that suit every role included in any piece.
Over time, fans have found themselves pointing out that they've "seen that actor before," and it's usually a previous show by Ricky Gervais. It appears he writes a part, knowing who he'll get to play it, carefully selecting the best actors that have continued to impress audiences.
Ashley Jensen is often thought of as having her first role in a Ricky Gervais project portraying Maggie from Extras. But some viewers who were well tuned in, would've recognized the gentle Scottish accent in The Office Uk, when she played the interviewer. Admittedly, she's not actually seen on camera, therefore making her part as Maggie a bigger break. After some time apart from Gervais' work, she has most recently starred in After Life, delivering some of the most meaningful quotes in the show, as the dedicated carer and loyal friend to Tony, played by Ricky Gervais.
As well as creating comedy, Gervais clearly loves anything or anyone that makes him laugh, namely Karl Pilkington. They first worked together on the radio station XFM, which lead him to co-host the Ricky Gervais Show. His first small television appearance alongside Gervais was in Extras, as an autograph hunter. However, his own personality became a focus as he took on the job in An Idiot Abroad, whereby his bluntness was toyed with, as Gervais and Stephen Merchant sent him on trips to various countries to partake in odd activities. His dry sense of humor was later incorporated in the role of Dougie in Derek, the caretaker that just wanted to get on with his life in peace, much like Pilkington himself.
There's a number of actors that started off with a cameo role in Ricky Gervais' work, before landing a bigger role. Tom Basden is one such actor, who can be seen in an episode of Derek as an autograph expert, before starring in Life On The Road as David Brent's exasperated sound engineer. After Life gave him the opportunity to act in a part with greater significance, as Tony's brother-in-law. The character was seen to be at a complex point in his life with the loss of his sister, a rocky relationship, supporting Tony and the trials of parenthood, all of which Basden successfully portrayed.
Kerry Godliman has put her stamp firmly on the comedy scene, with regular stand up sets and appearances on comedy panel shows such as Mock The Week. Whilst she had acting parts in various shows, her skills as an actor truly came to light when she played Hannah in Derek.
Not only did the role showcase her already proven talent in comedy, but also her ability to turn her hand to drama and warmth. After Life brought yet another role which dialled up the intensity, playing Tony's wife before and during her cancer diagnosis, which Godliman portrayed with care and believability.
A number of Gervais' shows have been in collaboration with Stephen Merchant after the pair worked together on XFM. The Office UK was their first onscreen project, with Merchant co-creating and playing a small role. Next up was Extras, again as co-creator with Gervais, but this time he had a regular part as the dim but undeniably hilarious Darren. From there, his credits with Gervais include Life's Too Short, An Idiot Abroad and even film work on Cemetery Junction and The Invention Of Lying, proving his aptitude for acting, directing and writing.
The success of The Office UK, resulted in the mockumentary film David Brent: Life On The Road, which brought a new cast with Ricky Gervais being the exception. Among the new faces was Jo Hartley, playing a timid, doe-eyed work colleague. The soft persona was somewhat continued for her part as June in After Life. Though a calm character, June delivered some of After Life's best quotes, bringing profundity and humor. Hartley was the perfect choice to tackle those characteristics.
Characters don't always have to be a main role to have an impact on the show or film they're in. As Keith, Ewen Macintosh made his mark on The Office UK, with his minimalistic dialogue being hugely effective in the comedy plot.
Later on, he guest appeared in Life's Too Short as himself, before Ricky Gervais cast him in his final instalment of After Life, as a trivial story about a man who was banned from a restaurant for the Tambury Gazette.
Any fan of The Office UK, will know that the cringe but hilarious David Brent was an aspiring singer, with little hope of ever making it. Still, he persisted and in his pursuit he wrote a song called Equality Street, which he decided required a rap artist and of course a music video. Ben Bailey Smith took the part as the rapper and was also in David Brent: Life On The Road, as band mate Dom Johnson. A couple of years prior to his appearance in the film, he was in 1 episode of Derek as Deon, conveying his strengths in deadpan humor.
In series 1 and 2 of After Life, Mandeep Dhillon was an integral and superb cast member portraying Sandy, a new employee at The Tambury Gazette. The character was kind and caring, giving another perspective to Tony's grief. But it wasn't Dhillon's first time in one of Ricky Gervais' projects. David Brent: Life On The Road, saw Dhillon as the receptionist at the company David Brent worked for. Although a slightly smaller part than in After Life, it was no less professionally acted.
David Earl can be found with main roles in both Derek and After Life, playing Kev and Brian respectively. Both parts are similar, in their desperation and vulgarity. Yet, Earl managed to separate each character, allowing audiences to clearly differentiate between the two. After his stint on Derek, it was evident that there was only one actor that could portray Brian, one of the best character's from Ricky Gervais' work and David Earl was the performer for the job .