I feared fame on a few levels: Ricky Gervais

Los Angeles : Actor Ricky Gervais has said that when he started getting recognition, he initially had a fear of becoming famous.

The 55-year-old star says he was scared that a mob will tag him as a famous personality and he will lose his individuality, reported Vulture.com.

“When I was about to be famous, I feared it on a few levels. I feared it because I didn’t want people to lump me in with those people who’d do anything to be famous,” Gervais said.

The “Special Correspondents” actor says he used to despise the word celebrity and did not want his private life to bear the cost of fame.

“I didn’t like the word ‘celebrity’. I feared intrusion, you know? Make me famous, and suddenly you can go through my trash bins. I was very protective of my privacy.

“I didn’t want people to write bad things about me that weren’t true because that’s just not fair. Fifty percent of everything written about me is wrong,” he says.