Clint Eastwood: Just say NO to Ricky Gervais

Everyone loved The Office, didn’t they? Every single freaking last person on the planet loved it to death, right? Well, not everyone…

Surly Hollywood misery Clint Eastwood has turned down an offer to appear in Ricky Gervais’ new sitcom Extras. Well, screw you then punk.

Ricky Gervais (DVDs), so much more than that flaming Office programme, has managed to recruit some of the biggest names in Tinseltown to send themselves up in his new show. Even hinting at getting Tom Cruise to sign on the dotted.

"We’ll do one if people watch it. I think if we got Tom Cruise we’d do two."

Extras has been in the pipeline for Gervais ever since The Office Christmas Specials were all done and dusted a couple of years ago.

The show’s about a guy (Gervais) who gives up his day job to find
work as a movie and TV extra. Needless to say he doesn’t find it an
easy business to crack.

Extras is co-written by The Office scribe Stephen Merchant and promises to be funnier than wheelchair trampolining when it finally arrives on BBC2 this summer.

Despite every man and his dog being impressed to death by Gervais just breathing in their direction, Clint Eastwood (DVDs) remains unmoved.

He declined a personal invite to appear in Extras, even though several of his peers, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Stiller and Kate Winslet included, had already signed on.

Clint famously remarked "Who the fuck are they?" when Ricky Gervais and his team collected their Golden Globe for The Office in 2003. Which probably didn’t bode well for any future collaboration between them.

A big man, Clint. Though not big enough to have a laugh it seems. Except when he’s playing Philo Beddoe, and then it’s all right to kiss an orangutan.

Right turn, Clyde!

[story by Chris Laverty]