Paul Rudd told Steve Carell not to audition for US ‘Office’
He said it would "never be as good" as the UK version
Paul Rudd said he tried to stop Steve Carell from auditioning for the US remake of ‘The Office’, because it would “never be as good” as the UK version.
Carell starred in the wildly successful show as Michael Scott from its inception in 2005 until he left the show in 2011, making a brief return in the show’s 2013 finale.
The information was revealed in the new book ‘Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office’, written by Brian Baumgartner, who played Kevin in the show, alongside its executive producer, Ben Silverman. The book is out today (November 16).
As the book reveals, Carell told Rudd that he was planning to audition for the US remake of the Ricky Gervais-starring sitcom, Rudd replied: “Ugh, don’t do it. Bad, bad move. I mean, it’s never going to be as good [as the original UK version].”
Elsewhere, Paul Rudd is set to star in the upcoming Apple TV+ series ‘The Shrink Next Door’ alongside Will Ferrell. The dark comedy is based on a true story which was the focus of a podcast of the same name by Joe Nocera.
The podcast tells the story of the therapist Isaac Herschkopf who allegedly abused his relationship with his patients to exploit them for his own personal gain. Ferrell and Rudd will star in the drama alongside Kathryn Hahn and Casey Wilson.
Rudd was also this month named People’s Sexiest Man Alive. Responding to the accolade, he said: “I’m going to lean into it hard. I’m going to own this. I’m not going to try to be like ‘Oh, I’m so modest.’ I’m getting business cards made. But all of my friends will destroy me and I expect them to. And that’s why they’re my friends.”