Ricky Gervais, the Golden Globe-winning star of British sitcom The Office, has a bit of a problem. The self-styled "fat bloke from Reading" has suddenly become rich and famous, but he doesn't know what to do with all the money.
The 42-year-old, who wrote and starred in the hit comedy, has received a flood of lucrative offers since his BBC series found success in the US. But he has been turning down many of the projects, saying that he already makes too much.
"I earn more cash than I ever dreamed of," admits the self-deprecating funnyman. "I really haven't changed my spending habits too much, but we have a much nicer house. I don't drive, so I haven't bought a flash car. I don't smoke, I don't really spend money on clothes. I don't take drugs or gamble or take stupid risks with shares."
"With this much money it's pretty hard to fritter it away, especially when your habits are the odd pint with your friends or a takeaway pizza."
And it seems likely that Ricky will be burdened with this conundrum for quite some time to come. He is currently working on a US version of the show, and studio bosses stateside are falling over themselves to sign him up to new projects.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
