Steve Carell appeared on the latest episode of Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) and recalled how everyone warned him about taking on the role of Michael Scott on NBC’s “The Office” because of the critical acclaim of the Ricky Gervais original in the UK. Even Poehler admitted that when he first heard that NBC was remaking the sitcom, he thought, “This is a terrible idea. There’s no one better than Ricky Gervais, and no one can do that.” show. ”
Anchorman was in production when NBC announced the remake, and Carell was considering whether to audition in close proximity to his comedy co-stars. Carell recalled that Paul Rudd pulled him aside during production and warned him not to audition for The Office.
“Rudd pulled me aside and said, ‘Screw it, don’t audition,'” Carell told Poehler. “I was like, ‘That’s impossible.'”
Carell said many in the industry advised him not to touch NBC’s “The Office” remake with a “10-foot pole.” He didn’t listen and booked the job anyway. Mr. Poehler said he only changed his tune when it became public that Mr. Carell had been cast as Michael Scott, and started thinking that a remake of “The Office” might work, but others in the industry didn’t follow suit.
“Our pilot was the worst test pilot in NBC history,” Carell said. “People really hated it. They actively hated it. And I’m not really sure how it grew legs after that.”
It’s no exaggeration to say that the show has regained its vitality. Headlined by Carell, “The Office” became one of NBC’s most iconic sitcoms, spanning nine seasons and 201 episodes. Carell received six Emmy nominations for his role as Michael Scott, a role that made him famous around the world after his breakout role in the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Given all the pressure Carell faced in remaking Gervais’ original version, he revealed that he only watched one minute of the British version.
“I watched one minute of one, and he was so good and so specific and so funny that I thought, ‘I’ll watch two more seconds and then I’ll audition,'” Carell said. “You can’t even imagine anything else.”
“The Office” series was revived last year with Peacock’s original spinoff, “The Paper.” The film has the same setting as Carell’s show, but focuses on a group of employees at a newspaper company that is in trouble. Carell has long said he had no desire to play Michael Scott again.
“I think it’s probably best to just leave it well enough alone and let it exist as it is,” he told Collider in 2018. That was special. It was special before people thought it was special. It was special to us before others started feeling that way. So, no. ”
You can watch the full interview with Carell on the Good Hang podcast in the video below.
