Steve Carell made a conscious decision not to watch the British version of The office before embarking on the American remake, and it turned out to be one of the smartest decisions of his career.
Talk to LAD Biblethe 63-year-old actor explained that he hadn’t seen the original Ricky Gervais series before auditioning for the American version.
When he tried to look at a small amount, he would stop almost immediately.
“I started watching a little bit, and I knew right away that if I watched again, I would just make a copy of Ricky, and I didn’t want to do that because I thought if it had any chance of success, it wouldn’t be the same show. It had to be different in some way and her portrayal of that character was so specific and so great that I knew I could never get close to that level.”
In total, he claims to have watched less than a minute of the British series to date.
The decision to audition was not universally supported at the time.
On Amy Poehler’s good move podcast earlier this year, Carell recalled that his friend Paul Rudd actively warned him against it.
“I remember Rudd took me aside and said, ‘Don’t do it, man. Don’t audition.’ It was like, ‘There’s no way.’” Poehler confirmed the feeling was widespread.
“Everyone was like, Don’t even touch that,” she said. “10-foot pole,” Carell agreed.
Carell played the role of regional manager Michael Scott from 2005 to 2011, making a surprise return in the 2013 finale.
His co-star Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute, recently reflected on the show’s struggles following his departure.
“When Steve left, it was a little chaotic trying to figure out the tone of the show and who the lead was,” Wilson told the show. The Good Guys Podcastdescribing Carell as “one of the greatest comedic actors in American history.”
The series ran for two more seasons after Carell’s departure, before ending in 2013.
