Overview
- Carell, speaking on Amy Poehler's Good Hang on Tuesday, said Paul Rudd pulled him aside during Anchorman and urged him not to audition for NBC's remake.
- He and Poehler recalled widespread doubt about adapting Ricky Gervais' U.K. hit, with Carell saying their pilot was NBC's 'lowest-testing' and that early viewers 'actively hated' it.
- Carell said he avoided watching more than a minute of the British series so he would not mimic Ricky Gervais and could shape Michael Scott in his own way.
- He added that a year before his 2011 departure he worked with producer Greg Daniels on a final arc that showed growth and let Michael leave on his own terms.
- The Office went on to run nine seasons and lead to Peacock's spinoff The Paper, which has been renewed, while Carell has resisted revivals and Rudd has not commented beyond the anecdote.