Busy promoting his new film ‘David Brent: Life on the Road,’ Gervais spoke with Business Insider about Trump and the American election, making a comparison between his character in the film, David Brent, and Trump.
David Brent is the character he created for the U.K. version, the original version, of the hit comedy ‘The Office’. Gervais is the creator of the show, which was first produced in the U.K. before the U.S. version became a massive hit.
He noted Trump’s crazy ambition was akin to Brent’s and said they share a political incorrectness and both are narcissists. He called Trump an “entertainer” who has “more in common with David Brent than he has with JFK” and said he’s an example of how it doesn’t matter now how unsavory you become in the pursuit of fame.
“There’s no difference now between fame and infamy,” Gervais said. “Fame is insatiable. People demand fame forever, and they live like an open wound to stay famous. People now do bad things and they’re rewarded for it.
“You’ve got a potential president who says things like, ‘I’d like to punch him in the face,'” Gervais added. “And he gets a round of applause. There’s a new breed of ruthless ambition.”
Gervais also told BI writer John Lynch that he doubted Trump “thought about becoming president a year ago, and it’s like a joke that got out of hand.”
The mockumentary ‘David Brent: Life on the Road’ debuts February 10 on Netflix and will be accompanied by an album and a songbook.
