The US it. version of The office Made a lot of big decisions to separate itself from the UK version, and the original casting auditions show what the most important ones were. The US it. version of The office was originally a spinoff of an already existing show of the same name from the United Kingdom. There are many differences between the US and the US. it. and UK versions of The officeBut one of the most important developed very early on: during the cost process.
The figure of The office is arguably one of the most important ingredients for success. From comedy gold mines like Steve Carell’s Michael Scott and Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute to more nuanced and normal characters like Jenna Fisher’s Pam Beasley and Angela Kinsey’s Angela Martin, the characters in The office Worked together perfectly to make it a great comedy show. but early, The office Almost looked very different, and if some of the other actors who auditioned had gotten the part, it probably never would have been as successful as it is.
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The editions of The Office prove that the characters worked better than kind people
One of the things that the audition types for the US it The office Highlights is that the characters worked better than kind people. The actors who would end up securing their spots on the show all played their roles as normal, albeit slightly odd, people. They stood out precisely because they looked like people who could actually be found in office buildings across America, and because They all had some physical qualities. Dwight is a great example: Seth Rogen and Yehuda Friedlander focused on Dwight’s creepiness, while Rainn Wilson made him a little too deep, but enough at heart.
Actors who auditioned for The Office |
|
---|---|
Name |
Role |
Bob Odenkirk |
Michael Scott |
Seth Rogen |
Dwight writes |
Eric Stonestreet |
Kevin Malone |
Kathryn Hahn |
Pam Besley |
Yehuda Friedlander |
Dwight writes |
Patton Oswalt |
Dwight writes |
John Cho |
Jim Halpert |
Adam Scott |
Jim Halpert |
Bob Odenkirk also broke down exactly what the final cast of The office Succeed where other famous actors failed. When Odenkirk explains why he didn’t get the part of Michael Scott, he mentions that Steve Carell is more “Really fun.”
I am, in a strange way, a very serious person for a person in comedy. I’m oddly serious, and … that’s one of the reasons why I think Steve Carell is a better, you know – is the one who got the role [in The Office ]. There were other parts where I think I was right for what Steve got, and it’s because he’s better at being genuinely fun, I think I bring a little too much seriousness with me, and it’s just there. And there’s nothing I can do about it except play other roles where it’s useful to have it. And, you know, you just don’t believe me as a purely light character.
As Odenkirk explained, the glue that held the US together. it. version of The office Together it was that his characters were lighter and more fun. Although the other actors who auditioned for the show didn’t bring the same light, it’s really not their fault because The office Started as an almost identical remake of the UK version.
Many of the edition types of The Office were too close to the original UK version
A big reason so many of the actors auditioning for the U.S. it The office It wasn’t as nice because their characters weren’t really supposed to be likable. The first season of The office Closely follows the UK version of the show, which has a very different kind of comedy. The UK version has smaller, more unlikeable characters who are meant to be laughed at, not with. David Brent, for example, was a jerk who was supposed to be extremely unsympathetic and exclusively used as basically a stooge.
The comedy brand of the UK version didn’t work for US. it. audience, and that was part of the reason that The office was almost canceled after season 1. American viewers just don’t have the same widespread appreciation for quirky comedy as British viewers. Not only the difference in humor explain why The office Season 1 isn’t very special, it also explains why the other famous actors just didn’t shine as much in their auditions. The actors who got the parts seemed to already know that American viewers wanted more likable characters, and the casting agents clearly did too.
The Office making its characters more likable and relatable saved the show
After the relative failure of The office Season 1, the US it. Version of the show made a big pivot in his style of comedy. Instead of continuing to follow the sarcastic, awkward, and mean brand of the UK version, the US it.. Michael was an idiot in both seasons, but his racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry became products of him being dumb rather than being evil. Other characters also followed suit: Dwight, for example, shifted from the office bully to someone who was just a little too weird for his own good.
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The shift was exactly what the U.S. it The office Needed, and this is the reason why the show became as beloved as it is today. The shift from sarcasm to health wouldn’t have worked, however, if the right actors weren’t cast. As evidenced by their audition tapes, the actors who made the final cut to star in The office Was more than capable of bringing some light and levity to the characters. Making the other actors shift to a lighter style wouldn’t have worked nearly as well, either The office would not be recognizable today.
Source: The office