The EP of the Office talks about why they wanted to launch Steve Carell and because he almost lost the role of Michael Scott

The office It is a beloved series that continues to collect new spectators and old fans looking for a comforting and hilarious rewatch. The cast is iconic and the jokes (mainly) remain first -rate over a decade after the show ended with its sincere final.

It would be difficult to imagine anyone else in the roles of Michael, Pam, Dwight, Jim, Oscar, Phyllis, Angela, Kevin, Stanley, Meredith Creed, Kelly, Ryan, Andy, Toby & Darryl, as well as the other main players who came and have crossed the show races. But the series almost did not arrive Steve CarellWhich is just crazy to think about now!

The executive and co-creator manufacturer of the show Greg Daniels He recently sat with the Hollywood Reporter to talk about the start of the show, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his premiere. He spoke of the casting process and what role he made them take a tougher look at Steve Carell:

“The casting process was enormous. We started thinking about Steve Carell because the leaders of the NBC film had given a copy of Almighty BruceWhere Steve had an incredible cameo as a journalist who had been detected by external forces and did not really understand what he was going on.

“We saw it, and we were like” Oh, this boy is fabulous. “I really wanted to make the crew with Allison Jones, the casting director he had done Crazy and geekAnd I thought it was the best director of the casting. “

The small part of Carell in Almighty Bruce It is definitely fun. He procured the main role in the sequel to the film, Evan omnipotentAnd he put it on the radar of writers of comedies and casting directors such as the heated ones The office. But they weren’t the only ones to notice it. Daniels continued to explain:

“While his agreement was done, we had told the people of Steve:” Wait, we really want to do it. “But they took another job that has arrived [on another NBC sitcom, Come to Papa]. It was very frustrating. So, we started this search for months for those who could play the character. “

During that period, they set their eyes on the second choice for the role, Bob Odenkirk. It was seriously considered until the showrunners had the floor The office The team could launch Carell like Michael, as long as he was in second position Come to dad.

After the pilot was killed, NBC collected The office In 2004 for the half season. In the meantime, Come to dad transmitted that summer and was soon canceled, freeing Carell to do it The office full time.

Obviously, Odenkirk went to the cameo in the series in the episode of season 9, “the transfer”, such as Mark Franks, the confused regional director of Simon Realty, a real estate company in Philadelphia, who interviews Pam for a job. He also continued to have a fantastic television and cinematographic career in Headliner Better to call Saul After his breaking Bad The character went so well, winning two Emmy.

And the rest is history for Carell, who played Michael Scott The office For seven seasons and returned to the ending.