Top Five Celebrity Appearances: Extras

Totally forgot to post yesterday, many apologies.  (Up to the gills in Buster - happy place...). To make it up to you, I'll give you two today.

So, here's number one!  I really enjoy Extras, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s second big sitcom after The Office.  Like its predecessor, the cringe comedy can sometimes be a bit strong for my tastes, but I like all the characters, the amusing conversations, and the fun look at British film- and television-making.  Without a doubt, however, the most entertaining part is the prominent celebrities playing unflattering versions of themselves.  Here are the best in my book.

Daniel Radcliffe

“I’ve done it, you know. […] With a girl.”  I get such a kick out of macho-posturing Daniel Radcliffe, showing off his cigarettes, trying to score with Maggie, and carrying around his unwrapped “ready for action” condom.  It’s a hilarious parody of child-star train-wrecks, and Radcliffe’s dorky, wannabe-playboy performance is a stitch.

Patrick Stewart

If I’m ever trying to convince someone to give Extras a shot, I show them the scene of Andy with Patrick Stewart in his dressing room.  Stewart’s screenplay pitch, about an ordinary man who seems to use his superhuman mental powers mainly to see women with their clothes off, is delivered with such pitch-perfect earnestness; it just kills me.  I’m also fond of Stewart puzzling over a grown man with no wife or girlfriend who’s never seen Star Trek.

Orlando Bloom

Goodness gracious, how I love Orlando Bloom’s escalating attempts to “prove” his good looks to Maggie.  Especially good is his deep-seated loathing for/obsession with Johnny Depp and his insistence that the mere thought of kissing Johnny Depp makes Keira Knightley nauseous.  Not only is it wonderfully funny, but it provides a nice win for Maggie in an episode where she really needs one.

Kate Winslet

As an opposite to my last top five, Kate Winslet is the only woman on this list, and now that I think about it, the only female celebrity prominently featured on Extras – weird.  Still, she more than holds her own beside the boys.  Winslet’s calculated Oscar-baiting (Holocaust movie = guaranteed Oscar) is both astute and darkly humorous, and I like the way she pals around with Andy and Maggie, coaching them in making dirty phone calls.

Chris Martin

It’s a short appearance but such a great one.  Chris Martin’s persistent efforts to turn an ad about developing countries without clean drinking water into a plug for Coldplay’s new album are hysterical.  He has a can-do attitude that doesn’t know when to stop, and although it’s painfully awkward, his in-show cameo on When the Whistle Blows is ridiculous and awesome.