Overview
- Carell, speaking on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast on Tuesday, said Paul Rudd pulled him aside and urged him not to try out for the NBC remake.
- He said he watched only about a minute of Ricky Gervais’s U.K. version so he wouldn’t copy that performance in his audition.
- He recalled the NBC pilot scoring at the bottom of testing, saying viewers “really hated it” and he did not know how the show found its footing.
- He said he mapped out Michael Scott’s farewell with producer Greg Daniels and pitched that Scott would leave a day early rather than have a send-off.
- The series went on to run nine seasons and spawn Peacock’s spinoff The Paper, which has been renewed for a second season.