It could have been a very different Dunder Mifflin — but Bob Odenkirk is happy Steve Carell was chosen to play Michael Scott in The Office.
Odenkirk, 61, who was a frontrunner against Carell, 61, when the show was cast in 2003, said Carell has often outshone him as a comedic actor.
Speaking on the “Office Ladies” podcast, hosted by The Office alums Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, the Breaking Bad star said, “I am, in a strange way, a very earnest person for a person in comedy. 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.”
Odenkirk added that Carell, who starred as Michael Scott, a regional manager at a fictional paper company called Dunder Mifflin, managed to secure even further roles while up against Odenkirk over the years.
“It’s because he’s better at being genuinely fun,” Odenkirk told Fischer, 50, who played Pam Beesly, and Kinsey, 53, who played Angela Martin, on the podcast. “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.”
Odenkirk became the breakout star of Breaking Bad, in the role of Saul Goodman, and went on to star in the spinoff TV series, Better Call Saul. He also appeared in The Bear’s second season as Uncle Lee.
The actor said he believes he struggles to convince TV audiences he is a “purely light character,” which in turn has resulted in more serious castings. “You just are looking for the darkness [in me], and that’s actually great in drama,” he said. “That’s a plus, you know? But in comedy, it’s not a plus.”
While the Emmy nominated star didn’t land the role Michael Scott, he did appear in The Office during the show’s ninth and final season in 2013. Odenkirk played Mark Franks, an almost bizarro character to Scott, who managed a Philadelphia-based real estate company. His character interviewed Pam as she considered moving her life to the city to be closer to her husband Jim Halpert, played by John Krasinski.
Odenkirk spoke of the cameo role on the podcast, telling the hosts it was his chance to “show people what I would have done” if he landed the role of Michael Scott.
However, he added the appearance was a “tribute to Steve” because “my character was meant to be very much a version of what Steve had invented when he played the character.”
The Office scored Carell six Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and he also picked up a Golden Globe award in 2006 for Best Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy.
