Gervais shuns Da Vinci role

British funnyman Ricky Gervais snubbed a small role in new movie The Da Vinci Code, after convincing director Ron Howard he would ruin it.

Howard wanted the comedian to play a butler in the adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling novel - but Gervais is sick of watching cameos wreck good films.

He says: "I was offered the part of the butler.

"I told director Ron Howard, 'I will ruin your film. The number of times I've sat down for a great film by a great director and a British actor pops up and ruins it for me.

"I don't want to be that bloke."