>> Stephen: YOU STAY RIGHT HERE AND WE'LL DO ONE MORE.
HEY, EVERYBODY, WE'RE BACK HERE WITH STAR OF STAGE AND SCREEN--
STAGE?
STAGE.
STAGE AND SCREEN, RICKY GERVAIS.
YOU HAVE THIS NEW SPECIAL NOW CALLED "SUPERNATURE."
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND YOU STARTED WORKING ON THIS IN 2018?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: AND, OBVIOUSLY, HAD TO STOP-- HOW LONG DOES IT
USUALLY TAKE YOU TO PUT TOGETHER A SHOW?
>> WELL, I DO LIKE, 40 OR 50 OR EVEN MORE WARM-UPS, AND THEN I
GO ON TOUR, AND I MIGHT DO 150 GIGS.
SO I'D DONE THE WARM-UP, I STARTED GIGGING THE END OF 18,
AND IT STOPPED THE END OF FEBRUARY, AND STARTED AGAIN IN
JULY '21, AND I FINISHED IT.
>> Stephen: I'M GOING TO GUESS YOU HAVE NEVER TAKEN A TWO-YEAR
BREAK WHILE WORKING ON A PROJECT?
>> NO, NO.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID IT DO TO A SHOW?
DID YOU CHANGE THE JOKES?
>> IT WAS ALWAYS EVOLVING.
THERE WAS A THOUGHT, "WILL THIS BE OUT OF DATE?"
AND I REALIZE WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH, YOU KNOW, FAMINE,
AIDS, CANCER, HITLER, THOSE DUDES ARE EVERGREEN.
>> Stephen: YEAH, SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO.
THEY DON'T DATE.
>> Stephen: THERE IS NO AUDIENCE THAT ISN'T GOING TO
LOVE THAT.
>> BOOO!
NOT HITLER!
IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
>> Stephen: GET OVER IT!
( LAUGHTER )
YEAH, BUT YOU ALWAYS EVOLVE, YOU SPICE IT UP AND THINGS HAPPEN.
>> Stephen: WHEN PEOPLE GO TO A RICKY GERVAIS COMEDY SHOW, DO
YOU CALL IT A CONCERT, SHOW?
>> YEAH, THEY START OFF SMALL, AND THEN THEY GET TO, LIKE,
ARENAS.
>> Stephen: WHEN SOMEBODY GOES, THEY HAVE TON YOU'RE GOING
TO BE DEALING WITH SUBJECTS THAT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT FIND
OFFENSIVE.
LIKE YOU DON'T GO TO A RICKY GERVAIS CONCERT FOR JUST FEEL
GOOD.
>> THEY DO FEEL GOOD, AND THE AIM IS TO MAKE THEM LAUGH AND
THEY DO LAUGH, BUT THEY KNOW I DEAL WITH TABU SUBJECTS, BUT I
DEAL WITH TABOO SUBJECTS BECAUSE I WANT TO TAKE THE AUDIENCE TO A
PLACE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN BEFORE.
AND I THINK PEOPLE GET OFFENDED WHEN THEY MISTAKE THE SUBJECT OF
THE JOKE WITH THE ACTUAL TARGET, AND PEOPLE KNOW YOU CAN DEAL
WITH ANY, PARTICULARLY WHEN DEALING WITH IRONY.
IN THE NEW SHOW, I EXPLAIN IRONY AT THE BEGINNING AS A JOKE, JUST
TO WARN THEM.
AND THEY GET IT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU MIND SHARING YOUR DEFINITION OF IRONY
FOR US?
>> I CAN'T-- AND I SAY SOMETHING AND I SAY, "THAT WAS IRONY.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A BIT OF THAT THROUGHOUT THE SHOW."
AND THEN I SAY SOMETHING LIKE, "WHEN I SAY... I DON'T MEAN AS
COMIC EFFECT, AND YOU AS AN AUDIENCE, YOU LAUGH AT THE WRONG
THING BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT THING IS.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE PART OF THE GAME.
>> HUMOR GETS US OVER BAD STUFF.
THAT'S WHY I LAUGH ABOUT TERRIFYING BAD THINGS.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY COMEDIANS ARE OBSESSED WITH DEATH BECAUSE,
YOU KNOW, IT GETS US THROUGH-- IT'S AN INOCULATION TO THE REAL
THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND I THINK WE SECOND GUESS, PARTICULARLY ON TELEVISION, EVEN
IN AFTERLIFE, WHICH IS ABOUT A GUY WHO IS SUICIDAL BECAUSE HIS
WIFEIDIZE OF CANCER.
PEOPLE SAY, CAN THE PUBLIC TAKE THIS?"
OF COURSE THEY CAN, BECAUSE REAL LIFE IS WORSE.
REAL LIFE IS SCARIER.
AND PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE THINGS EXPLORED AND THEY LIKE TO SEE
THEMSELVES.
AND I NEVER HAD A REACTION LIKE IT REQUEST "AFTER LIFE," AND
PEOPLE SAY, "I LOST MOI MOM, OR I LOST MY HUSBAND," AND IT
HELPED.
THEY WANT TO SEE IT NOT COMPROMISED.
THEY WANT TO LIVE THROUGH IT.
AND IN FICTION, WE ■CREATE OUR OWN HEROES AND VILLAINS, AS ROLE
PLAYING FOR THE SOUL.
WE GO THROUGH THOSE EMOTIONS AND IT MAKES US STRONGER.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT'S FOR.
THAT'S WHAT COMEDY IS FOR TO MAKE US FEEL GOOD.
>> Stephen: I THINK IF IT'S AN HONEST HUMAN EXPERIENCE THAT
YOU'RE DESCRIBING OR EXPLORING WITH YOUR JOKES, THE AUDIENCE
RECOGNIZES IT.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: IT'S LIKE "I'M A HUMAN BEING, NOTHING HUMAN IS
FOREIGN TO ME."
>> YES.
>> Stephen: SO IT'S NOT SO DARING AS IT IS UNIQUE.
>> I DO-- I THINK I CELEBRATE ALL THE BEST AND WORST THINGS IN
HUMANITY.
I SAY WE'RE ALL IDIOTS, SO IT'S OKAY.
AND I THINK THAT'S.
>> Stephen: ISN'T THAT NICE?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: BACK TO YOUR LIKE, "I DON'T MEAN WHAT I'M SAYING
BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT."
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHEN I WAS-- I DIDN'T USED TO LIKE MY CHILDREN
TO WATCH MY OLD SHOW "THE COLBERT REPORT" BECAUSE IT WAS A
CHARACTER AND IT HAD MY NAME AND MY FACE, REQUEST AND I DIDN'T
WANT THEM TO SEE ME AS A PURELY IRON IRONIC FIGURE AND ONE DAY I
WAS ON THE PHONE WORKING ON A SCRIPT WITH A FRIEND OF MINE,
AND I DIDN'T REALIZE MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE ROOM WATCHING THE
ENTIRE TIME LISTENING, AND SHE WAS THE CORNER.
AND I HUNG UP THE PHONE AND SHE WAS LOOKING AT ME LIKE THIS OUT
OF THE CORNER OF HER EYE.
AND I SAID, "WERE YOU LISTENING TO THAT?"
AND SHE SAID, "UH-HUH.
I THINK I UNDERSTAND."
I SAID, "WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
SHE SAID, "YOU DON'T MEAN WHAT YOU'RE SAYING."
AND I SAID, "THAT'S RIGHT, DADDY DOESN'T MEAN WHAT HE'S SAYING...
FOR A LIVING."
>> THAT'S IT.
THAT'S IT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK.
STICK AROUND.