Stephen Merchant on his greatest roles: The Office, Extras, Logan, Jojo Rabbit, Hot Fuzz, Portal 2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- Stephen Merchant dissects the greatest moments from his career, including The Oggmonster in The Office, Ricky Gervais' incompetent agent in Extras, a super-powered mutant in Logan, and himself in Life's Too Short, as well as appearing the likes of Portal 2, Jojo Rabbit, Hot Fuzz and The Simpsons.
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Wheatley
Who’s JOE?
I’m still blown away that he’s in Portal 2. I wonder if he knows how huge of a deal that game is lol
@CrazyMiles What does religion have anything to do with this?
@CrazyMiles religion is like a dick, its okay to have one, its okay to not have one, but the problems start when you start shoving it down people's throats.
@@c4tfi5h201 That's the best way of putting it
@Miles are you mad
@Miles is this like one of those ghost stories like Harry potter or the bible
Is he conscious of how beloved Wheatley is amongst the Portal community?
I’m positive he is.
people post best of from weathley and they last 1hour+ because everything this ball robot says is pure gold.
He is. He said in an interview from 2012 that he was shocked by the passionate fan reception. He didn't know how big of a deal Portal was when taking the role. He said Wheatley fans are some of the most passionate fans he's encountered.
He got that right, we are definitely passionate 🥺💙. I’m both passionate towards Wheatley and the game itself. So so good ✨👏🏾
And hated
Met him recently at the BAFTAs HQ. Told him that his performance in Portal 2 is one of the reasons I want to go into acting. He was very humble and very appreciative. Legend
Aaw, that's so cool
I was afraid he could be, you know, in person, one of those jerks of celebrities or maybe even cold
Specially talking about Portal
@@dolphinsnape Smerch was an intern working at BBC before he met Ricky. That's the one thing I love about Ricky, Stephen and Karl is NONE of them were industry at all, they were all middle to lower-middle class. Much different to most American actors.
@@trendybistro Yes, I read something about that and it's great, because in some way that makes them and their work more... relatable. I don't know if I explain myself.
His role in Portal 2 was just amazing, simply amazing. One of the great video game performances.
Didn’t think I’d see u here
@@fluffiddy6515 Amish is everywhere
“Im just going to give you the opportunity to, kill yourself, now” -Wheatley
I like the part where he kills you.
I can't stop hearing Wheatley. I can't.
Same i swear to god if there is a portal 2 mod with a human wheatley it HAS to be modeled off of Stephen Merchant
YES. SAME.
Fr even the pauses in his speech are exactly like Wheatley
I was watching The Good Place and he was in there and I *knew* it was him from his voice
@@me-xt6wy Because you said that, I am now going to watch The Good Place.
Wheatley In Portal 2 is a BAFTA worthy performance
exactly, call me biased and whatnot, but that's definitely a top 3 role of his at worst
Wheatley: "'Let there be light', That's, uh.... God, i was quoting God".
That made me laugh so hard when I first played it.
"Look for a switch that says escape pod. Alright? Don't touch anything else. Not interested in anything else. Don't touch anything else. Don't even look at anything else, just--well, obviously you've got to look at everything else to find escape pod, but as soon as you've looked at something and it doesn't say escape pod, look at something else, look at the next thing. Alright? But don't touch anything else or look at any--well, look at other things, but don't... you understand."
wheatley's BEST line
Eyes, that pop out of their head, Steve
M P 😂😂😂. I can’t.......play a record.
Got a ruler?
it's the biggest with the sort of goggle eye type thing
1.6cm😜😜😜
We'll I don't think it has beat you Steve.
Steve always feels so genuine and isn't spitting out the same old answers like Ricky. It is weird that hearing him say "we will work together again" means so much....i really hope it's sooner rather than later. Eyes bulging with imagined riches...
Yeah that was really quite a relief to hear. It's too bad they didn't do something this year with it being such a shit year, it would have cheered everyone up and they would have made a killing
He and Karl are still close. Karl visited him in LA, they met up for a drink in London and exchange texts now and again. Were as Ricky never even mentions the two of them now.
@Miles how is this relevant to the discussion?
@@noahmay7708 its not, just report it as spam
They fell out. He just won’t admit it because it hurts his brand
Hope you got your 50p back.
Glad to see his career take off once he got all the messages.
Inflation would make it about 3 quid now
They didn't mention his role in Men In Black
Hello Mr. Dilkington
Eyes bulging with imagined riches
I'm glad he spoke about Portal 2 because a lot of actors seem to skip over their video game performances and kind of dismiss them when they're done with it.
Not very many actors play a role as memorable as Merch playing Wheatley. Keith David as the Arbiter/Admiral Andersen/Sergeant Foley is probably the only other most memorable actor in a video game.
I'm surprised that He didn't mention anything about Wheatley. Yes, he did talk about behind voice acting for Portal 2, but he didn't say anything about Wheatley.
It's hard to boil down Steve's genius, but when you see a Ricky Gervais solo script you can see he's the missing part.
@@Oi-bg9bc I think Derek proves the exact opposite, I don't think Gervais is anything without Merchant imo, best thing about that show is Karl
No Body after life couldn’t be more cliched and is the exact opposite of the grounded real world that Gervais seems to think it is
@@lukeyraptor6738 Yeah I just couldn't get into it. Just felt way too saccharine, although not as much as Derek. The 'profound' moments seemed so forced and verging on infantile. The Office, and to a lesser extent Extras, felt way more nuanced and better written. And the XFM shows are brilliant too, obviously.
@@MichaelLeightonsKarlyPilkboys I completely agree mate. The Office and radio shows are the only thing he’s done that I would call brilliant. Extras was alright, but even then, I though it was poorly directed and being built around this trope of every celebrity being the same Gervais-like character sacrifices the nuance of what made The Office that stroke of genius. If you listen to the way he talks about his celebrity friends on XFM and looking at Extras, you can see Gervais adores being the celebrity, despite what he says. His stand up is atrocious is as well
I think Steve kept Ricky in check in terms of overly sappy stuff. There was always a sweetness to their joint works but it didn’t come across as contrived or sappy like Ricky’s solo work has been.
*Timestamps:*
00:05 - The Office
01:58 - Extras
03:43 - Life’s Too Short
04:41 - Logan
06:34 - The Simpsons
07:11 - Modern Family
07:33 - Portal 2
09:08 - Hot Fuzz
10:20 - Darkplace
11:49 - Fighting With My Family
14:18 - Jojo Rabbit
Doing the lord's work, bless you friend
Gentleman
Thanks
Because obviously people don’t have 17 minutes to spare these days
Top man
He's done you again, Steve
Fuk Luk and Sau.
@@01sevensix It could be your brother
Brilliant
What does swan taste like anyways?
I think we can all agree playing the mail sorting Alien in MIB 2 really launched Smerch's career
I thought the tractor advert could have been the next best thing if only he got the message.
I'm really glad that valve hired him for Wheatley. Valve has this annoying tendency to hire older actors and the problem with old people is that they die... obviously. So I'm just really happy we get to enjoy his voice for a long time.
well... i don't know if wheatley can go back from space
Actors age shouldn't and doesn't matter, what matters is their voice.
@@eggbuh can't help but disagree here. Putting aside the fact age has an affect on your voice I just want to point out people will continue developing their skill
Sorry but I laughed at this comment//
Ahahahah:D funny.:_D
*cries in Rick May*
Close your eyes...
All I hear is Wheatley...
I can't stop hearing it and I'm getting more distressed by the minute
@@bruhhelp7396 lol
Hello
Really? All I hear is Stephen Merchant
I AM NOT A MORON.
Wife and I are on Season 3 of the Good Place where Stephen Merchant plays Neil, the afterlife's head accountant. I was like "I know that voice! It's Wheatley!!!" Immediately recognizable. He is honestly so great in everything he does.
I like this actor from JoJo Rabbit, and then i figured out he also acted Whetley from Portal 2, and that's... wow
Maow_&_SourPatchKids me to
@Maow_&_SourPatchKids - Oh great me too! And that is breathtaking
And in the x men movie
He was absolutely fantastic in Portal 2. Gutted there wasn't a third.
never say never, valve knows how much we want a portal 3 and once they have the right ideas im sure they will work on it. Just look at the appeture desk job, thats a 30 minute tech demo that they got JK SIMMONS to come back for, so they know what they are doing
@@plexyglass429 One can only hope 🙂
3 isn't in Valve vocabulary it seems
One of the most funniest comedians ever. This man is a comedy genius.
That thing in Men in Black 2 it could've been your brother, Steve
That thing did have a normal voice though.
The postman from men in black. 6 arms. Separated at birth.
Eyes bulging with imagined riches
Bit disappointed they didn’t talk about his role in Men In Black 2...
I think that was his brother.
Classic call back
Oh he's done you again Steve!!!
Sort of...eyes that pop out your 'ed...Steve
Got a ruler?
I doubt anyone will find this interesting but I actually currently attend the same secondary school Stephen did as a younger lad. So he’s always been a major inspiration of mine
"So he always been a major inspiration of mine"
My inspiration also. Love his work. Cheers 👍
Lucas Ward did he ever tell you he met Beyoncé?
Eyes that pop out their head... steve.
Hahaha no, this joke and others like it are being butchered to pieces, usually by people who think they are special because they've watched the xfm series.
Sean Smurfy ooh sorry
@@lewispiper9922 After I wrote this I found the exact same comment word for word about 4 or 5 comments down from your one. Type in Stephen Merchant, click on any video not from xfm and it's the same shit in the comments.
Sean Smurfy yeah I know, and it's stressing you calm down you freak
Sean Smurfy Might as well add another 3% and make you water
omg this is the first time i’ve heard Stephen Merchant out of Portal 2 and i can’t not hear Wheatley lmao
“Oi.. lanky!”
You knew who he meant
At least he got his phone back
I was getting off the tube and a woman pinched my arrrrrse
@@HaydnG266 A little 'sexy story'
Gemma D Makes up for missing Carnival
I came here for him talking about Portal 2, but stayed for the whole video. I hope if they ever do make another game in the series, that Stephen would be up for returning to the role of Wheatley (That is, if they find a way to bring him back).
I love him. Unlike Ricky Steve seems like just an all round great guy. Hearing him talk about Portal, Garth Marengi and wrestling was awesome. Glad he mentioned the Nazi from Raiders too as his Jojo performance reminded me of him so much.
You don't think Ricky is a good guy?
@@HOTD108_ No, I don't.
@@TequilaToothpick I've grown so tired of Ricky the last few years, I still never even wound up getting around to whichever his most recent standup special was. it almost feels like he's sort of become one of the attitudes he used to mock back in the Office. he's really leaned hard into the whole middle aged white guy ranting about "wokeness and cancel culture", he seems far more motivated by trying to come off as some edgy free speech truth teller than he is about simply being funny anymore. plus, I think he might've mentioned something about being atheist.
I loved him in Portal as Wheatley
"Eyes bulging with imagined riches."
Haven't heard him say they will work together again.... For ages.
Steve....you know Im not 'avin' a go mate. I wasnt gonna mention it but, ye know, if you're gonna start 'avin' a pop...
I got her a trowel.
A trowel?
It's a trowel.
Do you think I should've got it engraved?
She likes the garden Steve.
Steve almost looks normal nowadays.
I don't even double take when I see him anymore
@@holihsredlumednil6847 You just got used to him. That's all.
“Oop, here he is”
He’s straining to look normal
onmy computer2020gal stick him in the distance
XFM podcasts with Ricky and Karl is some of his greatest work.
No talk about Hello Ladies?
It's the best thing Steve's done and somehow got no mention... So odd.
@rxp56 I loved it too. Steve has always been the key missing ingredient in Gervais's solo projects.
It’s a shame I was looking forward to him talking about hello ladies
*Loved* that show.
It just shows how good he was as a writer for the office, life’s too short and extras
First time I played Portal 2, I thought Wheatley was John Oliver. 😁. Merchant was terrific as well, of course, as Ellen McLain. JK Simmons was fun too. Just a great job of picking the right voice actors.
I love that Hot Fuzz is up there with his greatest roles. The movie he was in 3 minutes of haha
Was pleasently surprised by JoJo rabbit, play a record
Surprised he didn't mention Hello Ladies, it's one of the best things he's done
I thought the best thing he's done was play Rage Against the Machine to a troop of scouts and the teachers were saying "turn it off" but he said "no, it's what they want"
Interglotti here here 👍👍
@@holihsredlumednil6847 brilliant
Agreed. Amazing series
@@holihsredlumednil6847 😂
Love the smerch. His comedy acting is so underrated, mainly because he's a googly eyed lanky freak :)
Bet ur fat and ugly stfu
Alright mate, no need to get personal
It’s cos of astigmatism that He had from the age of 5, that’s why they’re a bit bulBouS
Steady on!
Hello Ladies... One of his best, and totally overlooked 🙁
Fucking yes!
He did an awesome job as Caliban in LOGAN, and I loved him as Wheatley that's how i was introduced to his acting. I also saw him in tooth fairy lol
I adore Stephen Merchant. He seems super reserved, but he plays some of the funniest, and honestly one of the most compelling characters in Logan. Also he seems like someone you absolutely could have a chat with
He had a cold while shooting the Oggmonster scene? Maybe he should have gone to Bristol to be with his mam and his dad!
Oh he's done you Steve, play a record!
Lol you know your xfm references.
his hair transplant looks incredible
Nothing about Hello Ladies? I loved that show.
First thing I saw him in was Tooth Fairy 😂 but he was amazing as Wheatley! One of my favorite video game characters ever!
He also knew that swans had knobs but maybe he forgot
the banter Steve would have with Karl was amazing.
Loved this interview
Steven mentions racism and the far right... kind of surprised there aren’t a million comments calling him a snowflake and a SJW.
@Aaron K
Ah there it is
Wait, Wheatley is a human?
•nods•
• Chell • jumps*
@@Mary-eo5qb •OH shit, u rite, jumps•
@@chell4707 What? chell you are talking? You can talk?
• Chell • You can talk?
Whenever I hear Stephen I just think about the many hours I played portal in my childhood
My voice...
@TheCorruptRBLX_Guest did you really thought its him? If yes then r/wooosh
Your great Steve, glad your popping up in serious films
I don't think he and the others realise just how amazing it would be for all 3 of them to reunite and do more podcasts and tv shows together.
Why is Wheatley talking on his own
i feel so sorry for those who only know him as Wheatley
I've only just discovered Portal within the last month or so cos my partner loved it and bought it for me, and the moment I started Portal 2 I was screaming "IS THAT STEPHEN MERCHANT?!?!" I was so excited 🤣
Well I've been meaning to look at the Office too but personally all I hear now is Wheatley lmao
whenever i hear his voice, i just hear wheatley rambling on and on.
I really want a Stephen Merchant/Wheatley style AI voice to replace Siri or Alexa.
Playing PortAL 2 in VR now .Love it Merchant adds another level altogether to the game
I just imagine Wheatley on a table talking to you.
Life's Too Short had some brilliant moments in. I think Stephen is deliberately talking down the effort they put into it, because it wasn't received as well as The Office or Extras.
RG said at the time that the Liam Neeson scene was one of the funniest things they'd ever done, which I'd agree with.
The Johnny Depp scenes were funny too.
Life's Too Short wasn't I think like objectively awful or anything, but it's EASILY the bottom rung of their three series together. It felt like each creative choice they made, they went too far in those directions. The "character" that Warwick was playing was simply David Brent as a little person actor. It was so many of the same personality beats as Brent all over again, just hearing it from a different face. The agent that Stephen played in Extras, yea he wasn't a very good agent and he was a bit aimless, but he was still kind of trying. It's like they went too literal with "the worst agent in the world" concept, the guy in LTS, it's like he was TRYING to be total shit. Nobody who had an IQ north of about 40 would bother employing that guy for more than 5 consecutive seconds lol Even the comedy of incompetent people still needs to more or less be believable in the world they're inhabiting, he wasn't at all.
But yeah, at the very least, those Liam Neeson bits with him pitching himself to the boys are total classics.
Portal fans be like: WE DONT CARE WE JUST WANT PORTAL
....that's Wheatley
Me asking my husband if he’s seen fighting with my family and he’s like I have , I was in the crowd when they filmed it at RAW too. 😮 I was so excited 😂
Amazing guy, love his work 😍
1:34 that’s been told before, play a record
I love his voice.
Must be a tractor sale on somewhere. Love Steve, him Ricky and Karl saved my sanity in lockdown with the old xfm podcasts.
First two comments of comment section: people who watch films by him
The rest: portal junkies
I wish he would write and direct feature indie comedies. Seems like that's his true calling.
He does a good Jürgen klopp impression
Wheatley and Dave were probably my favourite of his characters
Loved stephens role as wheatley in portal 2
Don’t have a go at the eyes mate, that’s a stigmatism that make them appear bulbous....
I don’t go around calling myself the Mong Boy, I’m not gonna call you the Oggmonster
@@otda3675 Nathan. 🥺
@@HaydnG266 it’s a good name. I’ll call you Nathan
@@richardmoores I didn't call you whale man
I know this guy because of portal 2
Stephen Merchant deserves just as much fame as Ricky
Portal 2 was his greatest role
13:44 Oh man. He missed the perfect opportunity to say "I am NOT a MORON!"
Saw Steve at Norwich Playhouse at least 10 years ago I'd say. Good gig. Experimental. Did a funny bit on hats. Sorry it wasn't more memorable, I remember he brought a box of props and did some parent material. I was young and most likely hammered. Nowadays, I'm old and most likely hammered.
The four dislikes are the parents who accidentally brought their kids to see Good Boys
thank you steve for playing wheatley in Portal 2
'Big eyes... It was gangly. You've got to see it Steve 'cus you wouldn't believe the likeness, an' that.'
Karl, you look like a vibrator.
Jurgen Klopp?!?
Definitely cut from the same cloth
@@soupersonic
Not sure if Frank Lampard is a fan though...😄😆😆😆
One of my celebrity crushes 🙂
Bingo-bongo!
That's a t-shirt waiting to happen. You'll get your cut, Steve, promise mate.
Still best thing either of them have ever done !
Stephens greatest role was in movie 43 hands down
I literally cannot picture his voice as anyone else but wheatley.
The craftsmanship of a Rolex is really what makes them tick
Easy solution to the pub quiz, just do a challenge with the other team of who can throw a shoe over the pub.
MECHANT! WHO ARE YOU CALL SAD. AT LEAST MY MUM STILL DONT CUT MY HAIR
Little Japanese fella wrote that with a dictionary.
Is it an anagram?
Smerch - love him
I like the colour grading of his beard.