The Office is one of the most beloved American sitcoms of all time, so it’s easy to forget that, in the beginning, many people thought it was a terrible idea. Steve Carell even revealed that a friend warned him not to audition for the role of Michael Scott, saying The Office could be disastrous for his career. That unlikely skeptic was none other than the perpetually youthful Paul Rudd.
Paul Rudd Told Steve Carell Don’t Do It
While speaking on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, Carell said he was considering whether or not to go out for the role of Michael Scott while shooting Anchorman. “Rudd pulled me aside and was like, ‘Don’t do it, man. Don’t audition,’” Carell explained. “It was like, ‘There is no way.’“
To be fair, I totally get it. The original British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant is one of the all-time great comedies. Following in those footsteps would seem impossible. Carell was basically told not to touch the remake with a “10-foot pole.“
Before Carell auditioned, he quickly realized he shouldn’t watch any of Ricky’s performance in the original series. “I watched a minute of one and he was so good and so specific and so funny, I thought, ‘If I watch a second more, I’m just gonna go on an audition with that,’” he said. “I won’t be able to even imagine it a different way.“
The Office US Almost Ended Early
Although The Office obviously went on to become an even bigger success than its predecessor, Carell initially thought Rudd’s prediction had come true. “Our pilot was the lowest testing pilot in the history of NBC,” Carell recalled. “People really hated it. They actively hated it. And I don’t quite know how it got legs after that.“
The ratings for the first season of the U.S. series steadily declined after the first episode, and the possibility of cancellation was very real. But NBC brought the series back for a second season, and it returned with renewed creative vigour, becoming the series we all know and love.
The world of The Office continues to live on with The Paper, which has been renewed for a second season.
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