There's some great stories from Brian Baumgartner's 'Welcome to Dunder Mifflin'
Even if you prefer the original, there's no doubting the cultural impact 'The US Office' has had on the world. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at the beloved series is always a treat.
Brian Baumgartner, who played our favourite chili-spilling, toupé-wearing member of 'Scrantonicity', Kevin Malone, has written an oral history of the show alongside Ben Silverman, the executive producer.
There are some gems throughout the book from auditions, writers room discussions and relationships on and off screen. We've put together some great insights below:
Paul Rudd had no faith in the show
World's Sexiest Man Paul Rudd had his say when he found out his 'Anchorman' co-star was going for the lead role in a new series.
"I remember, before I auditioned, I was talking to Paul Rudd," Steve Carell said. "I'd never seen the original one and he asked what I was up to. This was right after 'Anchorman'. I told him I was going to audition for the American version of The Office and he said, 'Ugh, don't do it. Bad, bad move. I mean, it's never going to be as good.' Like what everybody was saying."
Look Paul, you may be an incredibly successful, accomplished actor and all-round great guy, but you got this one wrong.
The famous "Jim Halpert looks" each had a corresponding number
'The Office' director of photography Matt Sohn revealed, "I had this running joke that we'd throw to John and he'd give us the number four, which was a particular look he'd give us."
"We had it numbered. There were a couple of looks that were John looks, depending on the scene [we'd say] 'I'm throwing to John right here for a number four.'"
Jenna Fischer almost quit acting before securing the Pam Beesly role
Fischer was on the verge of leaving showbiz right before she landed the role of Pam.
Director Ken Kwapis said in the book, "All the other candidates were being super chatty and friendly and gregarious. And Jenna was very quiet. She put out such a wallflower vibe that I actually started wondering if she was there by mistake, that she was actually there to interview for the receptionist job."
John Krasinski made a terrible mistake in his audition
We've all had bad first interviews, but Krasinski takes the cake when he was auditioning for the Jim Halpert role.
While seemingly just making smalltalk, Krasinski was asked if he was nervous. In response he said, "I’m terrified for the person creating this show because, I mean, I just feel like Americans have such a track record of taking brilliant shows and ruining them."
As it turns out, the person he was talking to was none other than show's creator, Greg Daniels. Yeah, maybe not the best person to say that to, John.
The show was very close to getting cancelled
During the first season of the show, ratings were very low. NBC were only getting around five million viewers every week which wasn't up to scratch. An executive on the channel was constantly telling the crew that the series was a non-runner.
"He was like, ‘This will be the last one … It’s just not getting the ratings and the network doesn’t get it.' He said that every week of the first season,'" star John Krasinski recalled.
Luckily for us, the show remained on air and grew into the global phenomenon it still is today.
'Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office' is available now.