About the production

ABOUT THE CAST

A British comedian with expert delivery of bone-dry comedy, Gervais became famous for playing the egotistical and much-despised office manager David Brent on the BBC series “The Office,” which, along with being one of England’s best-loved sitcoms, went on to become a hit in the US. Gervais co-created the Golden Globe Award-winning series with Stephen Merchant, and Gervais himself earned a Golden Globe for Actor in a Lead Role - Comedy. The series also garnered three consecutive BAFTA Awards for Situation Comedy, and Gervais three BAFTAs for Best Comedy Perfomance.Following the success of the series, NBC collaborated with Gervais and Merchant on an American remake of “The Office,” which became a hit starring Steve Carell and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, and is nominated in the category again this year.

Venturing into a less mainstream realm with HBO, Gervais re-teamed with Merchant to co-create, produce and star in “Extras,” casting himself in another hapless, chattering role - this time as a workaday acting extra in British film who often found himself embroiled in painfully hilarious encounters with major celebrities. His performance in “Extras” earned Gervais an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and a BAFTA Award for Best Comedy Performance.

Gervais grew up the son of a public housing laborer in Reading, England, and soon discovered his two most prominent talents: comedy and sloth. While in college, Gervais dropped his biology major, which proved far too taxing to handle, and started a pop band called Seona Dancing. The group released two singles that cracked the charts at 117 and 70. After he realized playing music wasn’t his cup of tea, Gervais tried the business end by managing a band called Suede, to similar results. Gervais moved on to his first real job as an entertainment manager for the student union at University College London. After several years in an office environment, an experience that would later prove fruitful, Gervais landed a job as a DJ at the London radio station XFM. Immediately, Gervais demanded he have an assistant and was given Merchant’s name. The two struck up a quick friendship, which later turned into a creative partnership when Merchant suggested that they work together.

Gervais moved from XFM to the BBC, taking Merchant along with him. In 1998, Merchant shot video of Gervais improvising and submitted it to station and network executives. The BBC liked the footage enough to set up a series, but ultimately dragged their feet. Meanwhile, Gervais starred as a bigoted news reporter on “The 11 O’Clock Show.” Gervais went on to host “Meet Ricky Gervais,” but found himself off the air after only a couple months. Then in 2001, the BBC finally picked up “The Office,” but test marketing nearly killed the series. Luckily, the channel loved the series and aired it anyway. Despite focus group numbers comparable to women’s hockey, season one of the show averaged 1.8 million viewers, and season two raked in 4.2 million, a 20 percent share of total viewership in the UK.

JENNIFER GARNER (Anna McDoogles) is a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) and People’s Choice Award-winning actress for her performance in “Alias.” Additionally, over the course of the show’s five-season run, Garner was nominated four times for an Emmy Award, four times for a Golden Globe and twice for a SAG Award for her portrayal of CIA double agent Sydney Bristow.

Among her upcoming feature film projects, she will be starring in the romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day,” rounding out an all-star ensemble cast that includes Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Carter Jenkins, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts and Julia Roberts. The film is slated for release in February 2010.

Garner was recently seen in opposite Matthew McConaughey in the romantic comedy “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” and in the Academy Award-nominated film “Juno,” which won an abundance of awards, including a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Comedy and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Film.

On stage, she received rave reviews for her recent performance as Roxanne in the 2007 Broadway revival of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” opposite Kevin Kline.In 2005 Garner started her own production company with her personal assistant of many years, Juliana Janes. The company, Vandalia Films, is named after the original name for the state of West Virginia, Garner’s home state. Vandalia Films has four theatrical projects currently in development: the comedy “Butter”; “Arranged,” with Mark Gordon and director Gary Winick; the mystery thriller “Sabbatical”; and “3 Days in Europe,” with Hugh Jackman and John Palermo of Seed Productions. In addition to their feature projects, Vandalia Films recently signed a first-look production deal with ABC Television.

Garner’s film credits include “The Kingdom,” “Catch and Release,” “13 Going on 30,” the blockbuster hit “Daredevil” and its spin-off “Elektra,” “Pearl Harbor” and the comedy “Dude, Where’s My Car?” Additionally, she serves as a brand ambassador for Neutrogena, featured in its national television and print campaigns.Garner recently announced her Artist Ambassadorship with Save the Children’s US Programs. As an ambassador, she will focus on advocating for the expansion of the organization’s early education program, will travel to see the effects of poverty firsthand, and will be the spokesperson for their annual State of the World’s Mothers report, which focuses on early childhood education in the US and around the world.

JONAH HILL (Frank) has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought after comedic talents, due in part to his starring role opposite Michael Cera in the acclaimed hit ”Superbad,” produced by Judd Apatow, directed by Greg Mottola and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Hill was most recently seen in Apatow’s “Funny People,” with Adam Sandler and Rogen, and he made a cameo appearance in the hit Summer 2009 film “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” opposite Ben Stiller. He will soon be seen in several upcoming features, including a comedy from writing/directing team Jay and Mark Duplass and Nicholas Stoller’s “Get Him to the Greek,” opposite Russell Brand and produced by Apatow, due for release in June 2010.Hill will also be lending his voice to two upcoming 3-D animated features, next spring’s Viking adventure “How to Train Your Dragon,” with Gerard Butler, and next fall in “Oobermind,” starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt and Tina Fey. Hill previously lent his voice to the animated film “Horton Hears a Who!” based on the Dr Seuss children’s book and also starring the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell.The busy Hill is currently co-writing and will co-star with Jason Segel in “The Adventurer’s Handbook”; co-writing the big screen adaptation of the hit TV series “21 Jump Street”; co-writing the Apatow-produced comedy “The Middle Child,” in which he will also star; and writing, producing with Apatow, and starring in the romantic comedy “Pure Imagination.” Hill recently served as associate producer on the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy “Bruno.”

Hill began his career performing one-scene plays that he wrote and performed at the gritty Black & White bar in New York City. After landing a role in David O Russell’s “I Heart Huckabees,” with Dustin Hoffman and Jude Law, he was next seen with Carell in Apatow’s smash hit comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” His other film credits include Apatow’s “Knocked Up,” “Click,” “Evan Almighty” and “Accepted.”

On the other side of the camera, CK wrote and directed the cult classic Blaxploitation spoof “Pootie Tang.” His first feature film, “Tomorrow Night” - an indie that he wrote, produced and directed - premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. CK’s short film “Ice Cream” screened at Sundance and as part of the New Directors, New Films series at MoMA in 1994.

On the big screen, Tambor most recently appeared in Todd Phillips’ record-breaking, blockbuster comedy “The Hangover,” and in the all-star voice cast of the animated adventure “Monsters vs Aliens.” Among his upcoming feature projects scheduled for release in 2009 are the action comedy “Rogue’s Gallery,” the comedy “Meeting Spencer” and the drama “The Mad Cow.”

His numerous previous film credits include “Hellboy” and “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” “Never Again,” “Pollack,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Girl, Interrupted,” “Get Well Soon,” “Meet Joe Black,” “Dr Doolittle,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “...And Justice for All,” “City Slickers,” “Mr Mom,” “Pastime,” “Crossing the Bridge,” “Article 99,” “Life Stinks,” “Three O’Clock High,” “Saturday the 14th,” “Lisa,” “No Small Affair,” “Face Dancer,” “Under Pressure,” “A House in the Hills,” “Radioland Murders,” “Heavyweights,” “Big Bully” and “Learning Curves.”

Also a veteran of the stage, Tambor returned to his roots in the 2005 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” opposite Alan Alda and Liev Schreiber. He has acted and directed at such prestigious regional theatre companies as Seattle Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Academy Festival Theatre in Chicago, San Diego Shakespeare Festival, and South Coast Repertory Theatre.

Tambor began studying acting at age 12 in San Francisco, where he was born and raised. He continued to study his craft at San Francisco State University, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. He went on to complete his Masters degree in Theatre Arts at Wayne State University and became a member of the Hilberry Classic Theatre.

FIONNULA FLANAGAN (Martha Bellison) is an award-winning star of stage and screen. She most recently appeared alongside Jim Carrey in the hit comedy “Yes Man,” and will be seen later this year with Carrey in Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of the Dickens holiday classic “A Christmas Carol.” Flanagan’s other upcoming feature films include “The Irishman,” with Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken,” and “Coming & Going,” with Rhys Darby.

Flanagan’s other feature film credits include “Transamerica,” for which she was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Award (IFTA) for Best Supporting Actress; “Four Brothers”; “The Others,” for which she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress; “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”; “Waking Ned Devine,” for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award outstanding cast nomination; “Some Mother’s Son”; “Mad at the Moon”; and “Ulysses.” She also starred in the Academy Award-winning short film “In the Region of Ice.”

The Dublin-born Flanagan has made her mark on the small screen as well, winning an Emmy Award for her performance in the acclaimed miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man,” and earning a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in the series “How the West Was Won.” She has also received IFTA nominations for her work on the Irish language series “Paddywhackery” and on the Peabody Award-winning “Brotherhood.” Flanagan also starred in the series “To Have and To Hold,” and has most recently appeared in a recurring role on the hugely popular series “Lost.”

For her one-woman stage performance of “James Joyce’s Women,” Flanagan received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award and a Dramalogue Award. She also wrote, adapted and produced the piece for the stage and subsequently produced and starred in the feature film adaptation. In addition, she has an extensive list of Broadway appearances to her name, most notably as Molly Bloom in “Ulysses in Nighttown,” based on the Joyce epic, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. Adding to her list of honors, Flanagan was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the National University of Ireland at Galway for her contributions in the world of fine arts.

Lowe most recently starred in the hit feature film satire “Thank You for Smoking.” He made his feature film debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders,” and went on to star in other popular dramas such as “St Elmo’s Fire”, “About Last Night...” and “Bad Influence,” as well as the blockbuster comedies “Wayne’s World” and “Tommy Boy.” He re-teamed with “Wayne’s World” star Mike Myers for all three “Austin Powers” films. Lowe’s other feature film credits include “View from the Top,” “Class,” “The Hotel New Hampshire,” “Oxford Blues,” “Youngblood,” “Square Dance,” “Masquerade” and “Mulholland Falls.”

He has also found success in such highly rated television miniseries as “Beach Girls,” “Salem’s Lot,” “The Christmas Shoes” and “The Stand,” and with the telefilms “Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming” and “A Perfect Day.”Lowe has also added producer, writer and director to his credits, producing and starring in the feature film “Frank & Jesse” and the TV series “The Lyon’s Den” and “Dr Vegas.” He wrote and directed the short film “Desert’s Edge,” which debuted at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the Los Angeles International Film Festival, and subsequently aired on Showtime.

In September of 2005, Lowe made his West End stage debut starring in Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men,” earning rave reviews at the Royal Haymarket Theatre in London. Additional theatre credits include the Broadway production of “Little Hotel on the Side” and “Three Sisters.”

Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Lowe began his acting career at the age of eight in local television and theatre. After his family relocated to Los Angeles, he began his national acting career at the age of 15, starring in the television series “A New Kind of Family.”

TINA FEY (Shelley) is a multiple Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actress, producer and writer who currently writes, executive produces and stars in the acclaimed comedy series “30 Rock.” For her work on the show, Fey has won two Emmys for Best Comedy Series, an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and she is nominated in the Lead Actress and Best Comedy Series categories again this year. She has also won two Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series and one as part of the series’ ensemble, and two Writers Guild Awards for Comedy Series. The show also received a prestigious Peabody Award for the 2007-2008 season.

Prior to creating “30 Rock,” Fey completed six seasons as head writer, cast member, and co-anchor of the “Weekend Update” segment on the long-running sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live.” For her writing on “SNL,” Fey won an Emmy Award and two WGA Awards. For her recent turn as Vice Presidential nominee Governor Sarah Palin, Fey is nominated for another Emmy this year for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

On the big screen, Fey received much acclaim - as well as a WGA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay - for the coming-of-age comedy “Mean Girls,” in which she also co-starred. She will next be seen opposite Steve Carell in the comedy “Date Night,” and heard in the animated features “Ponyo,” from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, and “Oobermind,” a superhero satire co-starring the voices of Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell and Jonah Hill. Fey was most recently seen alongside fellow “SNL” alum Amy Poehler in the comedy “Baby Mama.”