Patrick Stewart's Extras Episode Almost Fell Apart Because Ricky Gervais Couldn't Stop Laughing
Before he was known for taking Hollywood to task with scathing Golden Globes monologues or putting out controversial standup specials, Ricky Gervais was quite good at TV shows. When the original UK version of "The Office" became as popular as it did, it wasn't clear how Gervais and his writing partner Stephen Merchant were going to live up to it with their next project. But when "Extras" debuted on the BBC (HBO in the US) all the way back in 2005, the pair had proven naysayers wrong.
While "The Office" and the U.S. version it inspired have undoubtedly had much more of a cultural impact, Gervais and Merchant's second TV show often gets overlooked despite being arguably just as funny and perhaps even more heartfelt than the exploits of David Brent. In "Extras," Gervais played Andy Millman, a struggling actor looking for his big break while taking on small parts in bigger projects. Andy labors away as a background performer in multiple big-budget productions, several of which provide him with the chance to meet and interact with huge Hollywood stars, from Ben Stiller to Samuel L. Jackson.
That simple setup made for, I think it's fair to say, some of the most hilarious moments in modern TV history, particularly as the guest stars mostly played outrageous, over-the-top versions of themselves — Orlando Bloom's preoccupation with whether women find him attractive or Daniel Radcliffe's insatiable horniness being two examples. But Patrick Stewart's episode remains a standout for the brief interaction between him and Andy where the celebrated thespian reveals he's written a bizarre script featuring a vulgar character that uses mind control to strip women of their clothing. This short scene seems to have been too much for Gervais, who nearly derailed the entire episode by laughing too much.
Agreeing to Extras in a grocery store
If there's one thing that's remained consistent as Ricky Gervais' career has seen its ups and downs, it's the comedian's talent for laughing really loudly. Even back in "The Office" days he was ruining takes with his seemingly uncontainable outbursts. The scene between him and Martin Freeman's Tim in David Brent's office is a prime example. At one point Freeman despairs, saying, "I literally don't know what to do." And after take 25, Gervais remarks "Take 25? [...] how embarrassing."
Unfortunately, Gervais didn't learn to control himself between "The Office" and "Extras," as evidenced by a story from Patrick Stewart's new memoir, "Making It So." In the book, Stewart recalls how he was contacted by Gervais while grocery shopping, and agreed to take a part in "Extras" without seeing a script and with no idea what the episode would entail. As Stewart recalled:
"I asked Ricky if we could meet and discuss the role in more detail. He said that we couldn't, because he and his producing partner, Stephen Merchant, would not start writing the script until I agreed to do it."
Somehow, Stewart was persuaded, and thankfully, once he did see a script, he was pleased to see he'd be playing a "fictitious, deranged, sexually perverted version" of himself. In fact, the actor — who also revealed how he was nearly persuaded to turn down "Star Trek" by another fellow actor — claimed that he "instantly loved" the "Extras" script when he saw it, adding: "All that was required was that I be Patrick Stewart ... but this version of me obviously has problems." When it came to shooting a pivotal scene between Andy Millman and this "sexually perverted" version of Stewart, however, it was Gervais who had problems.
The more seriously I behaved, the more Ricky laughed
In Patrick Stewart's "Extras" episode, both he and Andy are working on a film adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest." At one point Andy sneaks into Stewart's trailer to talk about his sitcom script, but the star takes the opportunity to discuss his own screenplay, featuring the character who uses "mind control to make women's clothes fall off."
As Andy listens, Stewart describes a particular scene in which one woman loses her clothes before "scrabbling around to get them back on again." with the actor adding ominously, "But even before she can get her knickers on, I've seen everything." Unfortunately, the word "knickers" prompted an outburst of guffaws from Gervais which he then couldn't control. As Stewart writes:
"Ricky burst into peals of laughter that he simply couldn't bring to a stop. 'Knickers' was the specific word that first set him off. But soon it was anything I said. The more seriously I behaved, the more Ricky laughed."
Stewart recounted how Stephen Merchant eventually told Gervais to "get a grip." But the comedian seemed only to get worse, prompting Stewart to start laughing and Merchant to become, in Stewart's estimation "quite cross." The actor continued:
"He told Ricky to leave the trailer, explaining that he, Stephen, would read Ricky's lines offscreen, and they would stitch the scene together later in the editing room. Ricky looked sad and irritated at this development. Stephen and I performed the scene without breaking, but it just wasn't the same. Something was missing, and that something, clearly, was Ricky. Adopting a more encouraging tone, Stephen escorted Ricky back into the trailer, saying, 'I know you can do it this time.' Ricky and I did indeed complete a usable take, and that is what was seen on TV."
'Two grown men giggling'
If you watch the bloopers from this scene, there's no doubt Gervais is the one who breaks first and continues to break throughout. But Stewart — whose show "Star Trek: Picard" has also made for some great bloopers — is often the one that laughs first, seeming particularly tickled by having to recount the moment in his script when his character rescues some female hostages from Iraq whose clothes have all "rotted off."
Regardless of who was more disruptive for the shoot, in an appearance on the The Graham Norton Show alongside Stewart, Gervais revealed that filming this one scene led to the most takes of any scene in "Extras" history. He said:
"It's still the record for 'Extras' for the most takes. Two grown men just giggling every time he said 'knickers' [...] I think it was about 45 [takes] and it just got worse and then you see the crew not laughing anymore and then I just couldn't do it. It was such a silly scene"
Despite the grueling experience of having to restart the same scene 45 times, as Stewart points out in his memoir, it did lead to him being nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. What's more, the "Star Trek: Picard" star referred to his "Extras" appearance as his "most celebrated comic turn," praising his experience of "Extras" as "one of the most fun times I have ever experienced in show business." Even if he did have to endure 45 takes of Ricky Gervais breaking, then, it was probably all worth it.