Paul Rudd tried to stop Steve Carell auditioning for The Office US because he thought it wouldn’t be as good as the British original.
In a new book, co-authored by The Office star Brian Baumgartner and producer Ben Silverman, titled Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office, it was revealed that Rudd told Carell that auditioning for the NBC remake of the British show would be a “bad” idea.
“Ugh, don’t do it. Bad, bad move. I mean, it’s never going to be as good [as the British version],” Rudd reportedly told Carell.
Also, in the book, actor John Krasinski recalled how The Office US was nearly cancelled every week through its first season because NBC executives didn’t think the ratings where good enough.
“This will be the last one … It’s just not getting the ratings, and the network doesn’t get it,” Krasinski claims executives said every week.
Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office released today, November 16.
You can find more celebrity news on our website and iOS & Android application.