Steve Carell, who starred in seven seasons of The Office as office boss Michael Scott, revealed that a famous actor once told him not to audition for the series.
The 63-year-old actor spoke about the topic during a recent appearance on the Good Hang podcast, hosted by actress Amy Poehler. According to him, actor Paul Rudd, 53, pulled him aside at the time to warn him not to take part in the project.
“He was like: ‘Don’t do it, man. Don’t audition.’ It was like: ‘No way,’” Carell recalled. “I’m sure. Everyone was like: ‘Don’t touch it,’” Poehler added.
After discussing his iconic character with Poehler, Carell explained that he didn’t watch more than “a minute” of the British version of The Office before auditioning.
“Ricky Gervais was so good and so specific and so funny, I thought: ‘If I watch one more second, I’ll base my audition on that.’ I won’t even be able to imagine it in a different way.”
He noted that the American version of The Office had the lowest-rated pilot on NBC, with “people really hating” the show at the time. Surprisingly, it eventually became a phenomenon. “I don’t quite know how it got its legs after that.”
Carell joked that starring in the show between 2005 and 2011 “provided a public service,” as people still turn to the comedy for “safety and comfort,” something also seen with Poehler’s series, Parks and Recreation.
The actor left his role as Michael Scott after the end of the seventh season of The Office, but the series continued for two additional seasons with other cast members, such as John Krasinski and Rainn Wilson.
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Carell reflected on his departure during the conversation with Poehler. “A year before I knew I was leaving, I spoke with producer Greg Daniels about what could potentially be his final storyline. And I wanted there to be a sense of growth for him.”
According to Carell, making “the last day… not the last day” would be “an interesting way for [Scott] to leave.” “Everyone thinks they’re going to throw him a party. But he leaves the day before, because he doesn’t need that. He wants to say goodbye on his own terms.”
Photo and video: Creative Commons / YouTube @Good-Hang-with-Amy-Poehler. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
