Steve Carell turned Michael Scott from an awkward disaster into a lovable misguided goof, saving ‘The Office’ from a gruesome death.
The American takeover of The Office turned out to be better than anyone could have ever expected and we have Steve Carell to thank for that, in more ways than one. Without his lovable portrayal of Michael Scott, the sitcom would not have been what it is today. As it turns out, Steve Carell’s wholesome take on the character actually ended up saving the show from dying a quick death.
The director and producer of The Office, Paul Feig, opened up about Steve Carell’s contribution to turning the show around and essentially making sure it lasts. The best part? The actor didn’t even know he was doing something that would change the course of The Office forever.
Paul Feig on British vs. American Humor
Paul Feig joined The Office in its second season and by then, the critics had practically given up on the show. Deseret News had harsh words for the first season and claimed that it was about time studios stopped Americanizing British TV shows.
In their own words, “Maybe, after “The Office” dies a quick death on NBC, the network will decide that trying to Americanize British TV comedies isn’t such a great idea.” Ouch. Of course, season two rolled in and the haters were quickly forgotten.
As for why the beginning wasn’t working for fans in the USA, Feig believes that it had something to do with how Steve Carell’s Michael Scott was portrayed. Now, the U.K. version was all about boorish humor. Thus, Michael’s British counterpart, David Brent (Ricky Gervais), was an ill-mannered and coarse boss.
On the Dinner’s on Me podcast, Feig stated,
It’s British humor. British humor is very different. The Brits love tearing down a boor. So, they love when the lead character is an unlikable character because they love poking holes in those guys, seeing those characters have a downfall.
Things were different in America. Feig added,
American audiences don’t like that. They go, like, ‘This is my hero? Because I don’t like this person,’ and it drives them crazy, and so they’ll tune it out.
Thus, they had to come up with something or another to keep the audience engaged. Luckily, Carell knew just what would work for his character!
Steve Carell’s Authenticity Saved The Office
Feig recalled on the podcast that The 40-Year-Old Virgin had just been released when he hopped onto the show. Thus, Carell basically became this “huge star” in a show that “wasn’t working.” Thankfully, it all changed.
While filming the third episode of season 2, Office Olympics, the employees decide to bestow the “gold medal” of the tournament to their boss who had just had a rough day after buying his new condo.
The gold medal made from foil ended up being just the thing Michael needed to lift his spirits and his eyes couldn’t help but tear up a little at the gesture. As it turns out, Michael getting emotional wasn’t in the script. Carell just made that up!
Feig stated,
…In order to not get in trouble with Michael, they’re gonna give him a gold medal. We’re shooting it, and Steve gets emotional — Steve as the character — because he’s had this terrible day. And so, he starts, like, kinda crying. Like, a tear goes down his eye. And we’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ And I’m going, like, ‘Oh, do that again.
That’s how they found Dunder Mifflin’s boss. Feig added,
I think that was this moment of, like, ‘That’s him. He’s got a humanity about him.’ And everybody figured out, no, he not an a*shole. He’s a misguided idiot who is an a*shole because he’s trying to be funny. So, you go, like, ‘Okay, he means well.’ And once the audience goes, like, ‘He means well,’ then you’re, like, ‘We’ll follow him.’ And the whole show turned around and obviously became the giant hit that it is.
Going off-script proves to be advantageous at times. Carell’s unexpected move ended up giving Michael Scott his true personality that makes him oh-so-lovable and The Office a shot at redemption.
