Ricky Gervais says famous stars make cameos in the Muppets movies because its great to have somebody be "rude to you".
The British funnyman appears in the latest movie caper, ‘Muppets Most Wanted’, alongside the cheeky puppet characters and an all-star cast including the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Celine Dion, Salma Hayek and Christoph Waltz, and he claims being made fun of on screen by the likes of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy is a welcome change for most A-list stars.
He told the BBC: "When you’re rich and famous and pampered and get ‘yes’ all your life sometimes you want a bit of relief and someone to be rude to you for fun.
"The reason they say ‘yes’ to The Muppets is for the same reason that I did. It’s a safe pair of hands. You can’t be stitched up doing a Muppet movie.
"If someone asks you onto [notorious talk show] ‘Jerry Springer’ you know there’s bad news coming, but when they ask you onto the Muppets, it’s all good."
Ricky, 52, also explained that despite being puppets, the Muppets represent and promote human values and have a positive message for young people.
He said: "There’s a deep humanity to it. It is a frog and it is a pig and it is a turkey – or whatever Gonzo is – but really it’s all about human values: Hope and friendship and trying your hardest."
Ricky Gervais: Famous people like Muppets being rude
