Steve Carell‘s appearance in The Office‘s final episode wasn’t just a surprise to audiences. On the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast, hosts Jenna Fischer (who starred as Pam Beesley) and Angela Kinsey (who portrayed Angela Martin), shared details about Carell’s memorable return to the series. Carell hilariously portrayed Dunder Mifflin’s branch manager Michael Scott for seven seasons. He exited The Office in 2011 but famously returned for its 2013 finale. The crew acted secretly to get the Golden Globe Award-winning actor back on the show, and even some of the cast didn’t know he would be featured in the finale. Kinsey was one of the people who had no idea that Carell would return, and Fischer shared:
It was really hard not to tell you … and you did not find out until he showed up on set that day.
Kinsey recalled the moment she found out Carell was on set:
“The set PA turned to me and said, ‘Steve is here.’ … I said, ‘What?’ And I opened the door, and there he was — he was sitting in hair and makeup.”
Even NBC (the network that aired The Office) had no idea that Michael Scott would return for the show’s swan song. Fischer shared that series creator Greg Daniels didn’t let the network know, and that Carell had signed a secret contract that was kept under lock and key. A Carell-less final episode was even filmed to trick NBC. Fischer said:
“He was afraid that if he turned in any footage of Steve Carell on the show before it aired that NBC would make promos out of it and ruin the surprise.”
Steve Carell Was ‘Reluctant’ to Return as Michael Scott
While Carell’s return was a memorable appearance – and he did deliver that iconic line – the actor was actually reluctant to reprise the character after his Season 7 exit. According to Fischer, Daniels asked Carell to return to the finale “pretty early in season 9.” Fischer added:
“But Steve was reluctant. He felt like Michael’s story had really ended. He didn’t want to open it back up again, and he especially did not wanna come back after two years and have this finale episode be about him. Steve really felt like, ‘My character had his ending.’ This is everybody else’s ending, and he didn’t wanna overshadow that.”
So how did Daniels convince Carell to reprise the role? The episode centered on Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and Angela’s wedding, and Carell returned to serve as Dwight’s best man.
“Greg had the idea of the final episode being Dwight and Angela’s wedding, and Steve agreed Michael would be there,” Fischer said.
Related
How Steve Carell Stopped Fans Hating Michael Scott With One Scene in The Office
Fans hated Michael Scott before Steve Carell made a pivotal shift in his performance.
Kinsey added:
“I believe that. I believe Michael would wanna be there for Dwight and Angela.”
Carell’s Michael Scott left Scranton, Pennsylvania, during Season 7 when he proposed to Holly (Amy Ryan) and decided to move to Colorado with her to help care for her parents. In real life, Carell said he was moving on from the hit mockumentary sitcom to spend more time with his family. Carell continued on with his already successful career, appearing in films like Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Way, Way Back, The Big Short, Vice, Beautiful Boy, and Foxcatcher, which earned him an Academy Award nod. Meanwhile, The Office felt Carell’s loss, declining in viewership numbers and its critical reception.
- Release Date
- March 24, 2005
- Cast
- Steve Carell , Jenna Fischer , John Krasinski , Ellie Kemper , Rainn Wilson , Angela Kinsey , Melora Hardin , Rashida Jones , Mindy Kaling , Creed Bratton , B.J. Novak , Ed Helms , Brian Baumgartner
- Seasons
- 9
- Developer
- Greg Daniels