Ricky Gervais says he's told the Golden Globes not to ask him to host the awards again. Watch here:
The comedian has always had the knack of quitting while he's ahead, while others have made the mistake of taking gigs and renewing sitcoms for too long, driven by financial incentives and popular demand, but sullied by a dearth of fresh ideas and a loss of impetus.
Through bold decision-making, Gervais has continually managed to leave people wanting more - hence he said his fifth time hosting the Golden Globes in 2020 would be his last.
The 60-year-old was fantastically fearless as the controversial compere, roasting the world's biggest celebrities in a way that only he can.
His monologues were a huge draw for viewers - with the latest ceremony boycotted over a lack of diversity and not even televised - and as such, you'd imagine there'd be plenty of people who'd like to see him back at the helm.
But to help him resist the temptation, and bags of cash that could be thrown at him, Gervais has asked the Golden Globes not to offer him the gig again.
"It could be the Golden Globes could offer me 10 million for 10 minutes work, you know, and I'd be an idiot, I'd be a liar, to say I wouldn't consider it," the seven-time BAFTA winner told LADbible.
"But at the moment, given I've done it five times, it got better and better for me - I enjoyed them all, but it got better - and I'm planning never to do it again.
"I've asked them not to ask me because I can be persuaded, that's true. You know, it's not a principle."
It was a similarly tough call for The Office creator to call time on his Netflix series After Life.
Unlike every other series he has made, Gervais decided to let it live beyond its second series, with the third and final instalment released on the streaming service on Friday (14 January).
Once again, there is plenty of appetite for more of the sitcom, in which he plays bereaved reporter Tony, but he's concluded it's time to move on, content that the end of the show is 'pretty perfect'.
"It seems odd to end it at its peak," he admitted.
"Everyone loves it, the money goes up. But I think you've got to move on. You've got to leave it somewhere.
"And I would kick myself if I did a fourth series for squillions and it wasn't as good as the third.
"But you know, you're not sure about anything, because you don't know what the future holds. But at the moment, I'm saying this is the last - no more Golden Globes. But you know, you never know."
Topics: Celebrity, Ricky Gervais, Golden Globes
Jake Massey