The Office: Bob Odenkirk Reveals He Lost Michael Scott Role to Steve Carell

Bob Odenkirk was one of the two frontrunners to play Michael Scott on The Office.

By Adam Barnhardt

When it comes to the world of legendary sitcom characters, few stand out as much as Steve Carell's Michael Scott. The overbearing-yet-good-mannered boss served as the regional manager for Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch for seven seasons of The Office, and Carell's performance in the workplace comedy effectively launched his career as a Hollywood A-lister. At one point or another, however, Carell wasn't guaranteed to get the role; in fact, he was competing with Bob Odenkirk for the spot.

In the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, Odenkirk revealed the reason he thinks he lost the role: he's too earnest for somebody in comedy. "I am, in a strange way, a very earnest person for a person in comedy," Odenkirk said on the podcast. "I am oddly earnest, and … it's one of the reasons I think Steve Carell is a better, you know — is the one who got the role."

He added, "I think I bring with me a little bit too much earnest seriousness. And it's just kinda there. And there's nothing I can do about it except play other roles where it's helpful to have that."

Is Bob Odenkirk in The Office?

Although Odenkirk didn't earn a job as one of the biggest roles on The Office, he eventually appeared on the series. At one point in the show's final season, Pam Halpert (Fischer) as an interview at a real estate company in Philadelphia. There, the company is run by a character named Mark Franks, who's played by Odenkirk.

Though The Office is now long over, Greg Daniels is hard at work developing an in-universe follow-up series. Tentatively titled The Paper, a workplace comedy set at a small newspaper in the Midwest. For what it's worth, don't count on seeing Carell appear in the sequel series.

"But I'm excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit," he said on late night television earlier this year. "I love the idea — I guess it's set in a failing newspaper company. And I worked with Domhnall Gleeson, who is one of the leads, I did The Patient with him and he's an excellent actor and a super nice guy so I think it'll be great."

Related:

The description of The Office spinoff, potentially titled The Paper, is as follows: "The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters." 

The Office is streaming in its entirety on Peacock. The Paper has yet to set a release date.

Trending Now: