Rick Gervais: Golden Globe - The Office

Rick Gervais, the British comic and creator of "The Office", admits he was surprised when he was asked to headline the Golden Globe ceremony this year. He accepted because he wanted to see if he could do a better job this year. He claims he thought he was "a little too safe" last year. Gervais claims his comedy is not to offend anyone but to see if people who think they do not know how to laugh, laugh. His real enemy, he says, is "anodyne comedy," which seeks not to offend. "No one has the right not to be offended," he states.

Gervais states at the Globes ceremony in 2004, he transformed his life in ways he still can't quite fathom - it awarded him the Globe for lead actor in a TV comedy for "The Office," then a little-known British series. "Everyone says this, but we really thought we had no chance," Gervais recalls. "The next day, I filmed my first piece of acting that was not in 'The Office,' on 'Alias,' because J.J. Abrams was a fan. I've never seen it because I can't bear to look at myself trying to be cool.

"Later that week, I had an audience with Matt Groening and Al Jean, who asked me, 'Do you want to be in 'The Simpsons?' Also that week, I met with Ben Silverman and started work on the American remake of 'The Office.' " ("The Office" has inspired seven different remakes worldwide.)

To read more about Rick Gervais check out Variety.com.