Andy Millman

Andy Millman (left) and Darren Lamb

Andy Millman is a fictional actor and a fictional character from the BBC/HBO co-production Extras. He is played by Ricky Gervais. Millman's dream to become an actor – he left his steady day job at a bank in order to pursue it - is endlessly frustrated by the fact that his agent Darren Lamb (Stephen Merchant) is incompetent, circumstances seem to conspire against him, and the only work he can get is as an extra. His best friend is Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen), but her desire to help coupled with a non-existent internal censor means that she has more often than not caused him just as much trouble.

At the end of Season 1, Millman successfully managed to sell a sitcom called When The Whistle Blows, which was a commercial but not a critical success.

In contrast to Gervais' other famed role as David Brent, who, through his desire to be liked by those around him comes off as pathetic, Millman often makes little or no attempt to be liked - often being downright rude - but frequently comes across as being a much more likeable character than Brent. This may be due to his increased sense of self-awareness and intelligence; when compared to Brent, Millman is all too aware of when he has stepped over the line and become genuinely offensive (although this doesn't stop him from causing genuine offense). Also unlike Brent, who was largely in denial about the world around him, Millman is a more bitter and cynical character with a more realistic appraisal of the world and how it works.

External links

• HBO Character Profile
• BBC Character Profile