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Bob Odenkirk Reveals How He Lost 'The Office' Role To Steve Carell
Emmy-nominated Bob Odenkirk recently opened up about how he and Steve Carell were competing to bag the role of Michael Scott. He also explained why it ultimately went to the Golden Globe winner.
The Office’s biggest role once came down to two top-notch candidates. After nearly 20 years of the legendary NBC sitcom, there’s no debate on who would have best portrayed Michael Scott, the hilarious regional manager played by Steve Carell.
But, Emmy-nominated Bob Odenkirk recently opened up about how he and Steve Carell were once competing to bag the role. He also explained why it ultimately went to the Golden Globe winner.
Bob Odenkirk explains why he couldn’t best Steve Carell
Bob Odenkirk, 61, might be an esteemed comedian today but he was once bested by Steve Carell, also 61. During a recent appearance on the Office Ladies podcast hosted by veterans Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, the Better Call Saul star recalled the time when Carell took away the sought-after role of Michael Scott in The Office.
It’s hard to imagine how the sitcom would have progressed with Odenkirk in the iconic role. Though, it wouldn’t have been unpleasant.
Additionally, the Breaking Bad actor explained the reason his The Office audition was not selected by the producers was because of his seriousness. "I am, in a strange way, a very earnest person for a person in comedy," Odenkirk told the hosts on July 10, 2024.
The star’s “oddly” earnest demeanor is what, he believes, cost him his role as Michael Scott. Though he seems to be aware of his comical flaw, the actor accepted that there’s not much he can do about it than take up serious comedy roles. Better Call Saul is a prime example.
But it was for the best, Odenkirk says, adding, “It's one of the reasons I think Steve Carell is a better, you know — is the one who got the role."
Steve Carell brilliantly played the tumultuous boss and regional manager of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton’s paper company until Season 7. He won a Golden Globe for the role and had written, directed, and executive-produced several episodes of The Office. He left the show in 2011.
On the other hand, Odenkirk’s resolve to be on The Office finally manifested around the show’s end. In Season 9, he filled in the shoes of Mark Franks, the owner of a real estate company in Philadelphia, where Fischer’s Pam Halpert had an interview scheduled.
Why did Steve Carell quit The Office?
There’s more than one answer to that question or a combination of all. Before his exit, Steve Carell had teased his departure in public interviews saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and would leave after his seven-season contract ended, per EW.
However, the revelation about NBC not willing to renew the actor’s contract with The Office was first discussed by actor Brian Baumgartner, editor Claire Scanlon, and producer, Ben Silverman in An Oral History of The Office podcast, back in 2020. The network reportedly wanted to try out new emerging actors at the time.
The man himself, Carell opened up about his discontinuation from The Office in Fischer and Kinsey’s podcast, Office Ladies. The actor claimed it was because he wanted other characters in the show to be explored at a greater depth and shift the focus from Michael Scott.
Nonetheless, Carell’s Michael Scott went down as one of the greatest comical characters in the history of television. The star recently reprised as the voice of the iconic supervillain Gru in Despicable Me 4.
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