In today’s New York Times, Joyce Wadler interviews Ricky Gervais about his new series Extras. The story starts thusly:
“I’ve always been fascinated with actors who have to be heroes, whereas I shy away from that,” Ricky Gervais, the British comedian who will star in a new HBO series, “Extras,” this fall, was saying the other day. “I’m a flawed character. I’m good at that.” He uses a Yiddish word for loser. If you want that sort, Mr. Gervais says, then “I’m your man. If you want John Wayne, forget it.”
I’m sorry, are we children? Do we not get to hear what Yiddish word he used to denote a loser? It makes a difference, you know. Did he call himself a schlimiel, a schlimazel, a shmendrek, a schlumper, a schlepper, a shnorrer, a nudnik, a nebbish, a yold, or perhaps (going a harsh direction) a paskudnik? Does the New York Times really think a Yiddish phrase will throw their readers? Or does Joyce Wadler just take bad notes?