{"id":369118,"date":"2026-03-28T03:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T03:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/369118\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T03:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T03:08:11","slug":"steve-carell-on-rudd-others-not-wanting-him-to-audition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/369118\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Carell on Rudd, Others Not Wanting Him to Audition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted in: NBC<\/a>, TV<\/a> | Tagged: the office<\/a><\/p>\n

Steve Carell (Rooster) discusses how several people advised him not to audition for The Office – including Anchorman co-star Paul Rudd.<\/p>\n

Published Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:37:06 -0500 by Tom Chang<\/a><\/p>\n

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Last updated Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:15:31 -0500 <\/p>\n

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Article Summary
\nSteve Carell reveals he was advised by Paul Rudd and others not to audition for The Office.
\nMany in Hollywood doubted the American remake of The Office would succeed or match the UK original.
\nThe Office pilot tested poorly at NBC, with viewers initially reacting very negatively to the show.
\nDespite doubts, Carell landed the role of Michael Scott, launching him to superstardom and global fame. <\/p>\n

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Steve Carell was already on his way up in Hollywood as more opportunities started to sprout his way, thanks in large part to his success on The Daily Show. His biggest signature role of Michael Scott on NBC’s The Office came as he was emerging as a mainstay on films, which include the 2004 ensemble comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It was while filming the Will Ferrell vehicle that he heard\u00a0NBC and\u00a0Greg Daniels\u00a0were reimagining the\u00a0Ricky Gervais\u00a0and\u00a0Stephen Merchant UK hit for American audiences, and he\u00a0considered auditioning for the lead role as Michael, the general manager of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. As most didn’t foresee the American remake to be the juggernaut it became, Carell spoke with Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast about how many told him to stay away, including his Anchorman co-star Paul Rudd, taking the gamble despite the odds.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>Rainn Wilson and Steve Carell in “The Office.” Image courtesy of NBCU
\nThe Office Star Steve Carell Reflects on Series Doubts Before Auditioning and Subsequent Success<\/p>\n

“Rudd pulled me aside and was like, ‘Don’t do it, man. Don’t audition,'” Carell told the Parks & Recreation star. “It was like, ‘There is no way.'” The Rooster star admitted\u00a0that so many from across the industry advised him to avoid\u00a0The Office with a “10-foot pole,” with Poehler among the doubters before she started\u00a0to believe with the actor on board. “Our pilot was the lowest testing pilot in the history of NBC,” Carell said. “People really hated it. They actively hated it. And I don’t quite know how it got legs after that.”<\/p>\n

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While the actor embraced\u00a0opportunities on the big screen, it was\u00a0The Office that vaulted him to superstardom, from its premiere in 2005 through the end of season seven, and his surprise cameo in\u00a0the series-ending season nine finale in 2013. The US version of The Office helped elevate the series’ international appeal, with 14 incarnations across Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Finland, Australia, and Poland. That doesn’t even factor in the series’s first direct spinoff in Peacock’s The Paper in 2025, set in the same universe, but at The Toledo Truth Teller, a Midwestern newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, instead of the NBC original series’ setting of Scranton, PA. For more on Carell’s career, you can check out the full interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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