Ricky Gervais is sensitive about his weight. You can tell he’s sensitive, because he’s used public and media criticism of his weight in his stand-up acts and in his scripts. He’s trying to get to the criticism before the critics, but you can tell that it bothers him. Call me crazy, but I’ve always loved that Ricky is a little fluffy, and I think he wears his weight well. So he’s got a belly… more to love! Anyway, Ricky has lost some weight recently – he still looks a little fluffy, and he’s still cute, but his image does seem a bit sleeker and tighter. The British tabloids noticed that Ricky had lost the weight, and they began reporting (in a snotty way) that Ricky had “gone Hollywood” and lost weight because he wanted to be a bigger star. So, when The Telegraph finally got Ricky for an interview, and got to ask him questions about his weight loss, Ricky sort of went off about how much he hates all of the Americans who want him to get skinny, fix his teeth and be our next big British import.

Ricky Gervais has launched a withering attack on Hollywood over suggestions he dramatically slimmed down to kick start his film career. Gervais, 48, said he would never ‘starve himself’ just to land a part and insisted his loss of three stones in weight is due to a new fitness regime following the installation of a gym at his home in Hampstead in north London.

In an interview to promote his new film Cemetery Junction, Gervais said: “The Hollywood pressure is that you do have to be of a certain standard or a certain type. I see everyone doing it, even good character actors. I think, ‘Why are you starving yourself?’ The pressure is there to have white, straight teeth…”

Warming to the theme, Gervais, who has recently bought an apartment in Manhattan with his long-time partner Jane Fallon, went on to rant against the Hollywood system, sprinkling his language with swear words.

In an interview with The Times newspaper, Gervais said: “What is in America? I don’t give a **** what they think and if I don’t get a film role because my teeth are crooked, then **** them, I don’t want it. I just go, ‘It’s ridiculous.’”

“I hate them, and I hate that people think that I would. It makes me angry. I remember when a newspaper said, ‘He’s lost three stone for Hollywood.’ I went, ‘No, I haven’t lost three stone and I would never ******* do it for Hollywood. I did it ‘cos I work out and I wanna be fit.’ And that annoys me.”

Gervais shot to fame with the television comedy series The Office which was then followed by the highly acclaimed Extras. He has since switched to movies.

Cemetery Junction, which opnes on April 14 and is co-directed and co-written by gervais and Stephen Merchant, stars Gervais alongside Emily Watson and Ralph Fiennes.

It is set in the 1970s in reading in Berkshire where Gervais grew up.

[From The Telegraph]

Note: Ricky isn’t saying he hates Americans in general or America in total. He seems to be limiting his obscenities to “the Hollywood system”. And of course he has a point – the Hollywood system that promotes homogenous “beauty” gives way to monstrosities like Heidi Montag. I’d much prefer to look at Ricky’s crooked teeth and Buddha belly than people like Heidi or Kellan Lutz or any of the people we’re told we should find “sexy”. Now, all that being said, it seems to me like Ricky is a little sensitive about why he lost weight, which makes me think that part of the reason might have been for health reasons, but part of it might just be simple vanity. Vanity isn’t against the law, you know.