The Sopranos Star B.J. Novak Wanted to Replace Steve Carell in The Office: ‘He’s my favorite actor of all time’
- B.J. Novak thought James Gandolfini would have been a perfect replacement for Steve Carell in 'The Office'.
- HBO didn’t want Gandolfini to affect the legacy of his 'The Sopranos' role.
- Carell left after Season 7, with reports varying from family reasons to NBC not pushing to retain him.
The Office is one of those rare shows that has made itself a part of its viewers’ lives. With its messy characters and slip-up-filled humor, it had something for everyone. In the middle of it was Steve Carell, who was portraying the world’s most embarrassing boss.
But what if things had gone differently? What if instead of James Spader joining after Carell’s exit, the audience got another actor? The show’s writer and actor, B.J. Novak, had a unique choice, which might have brought a new turn to the show.
B.J. Novak Wanted Tony Soprano to Replace Michael Scott
The Office appeared on television in 2005 to give people a glimpse of the hilarious life of paper sellers. The mockumentary-style sitcom was set at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, where paper was everything and common sense was often absent. The show aired for 9 seasons and came to an end in 2013 after 201 episodes.
At the center of this was Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell. Scott was the type of boss everyone loved to hate and hated to love. His inappropriate humor, need for approval, and lack of self-awareness were some of the central aspects of the show. Carell owned the role so well that it was hard to imagine anyone else in his place.
After 7 seasons, he left the show, and there was an abrupt void to be filled, which was not easy at all. But B.J. Novak, who was also portraying Ryan Howard at the time, came up with the actor he thought would be perfect. He revealed on Watch What Happens Live that he had James Gandolfini in his mind to replace Steve Carell.
I was at the meeting with James Gandolfini where we tried to convince him to join the show. And he was a big comedy fan — his favorite movie was The Rocker starring Rainn Wilson, so he was shy and intrigued. He’s my favorite actor of all time in anything, so I just thought it would [have been] great because, to me, The Sopranos was actually the biggest influence on The Office.
According to Novak, The Office was inspired by The Sopranos and Michael Scott’s sense of humor was a “direct descendant” of Tony Soprano’s, especially the way they would say something serious but mispronounce a word.
Although the writer-actor was enthusiastic, James Gandolfini couldn’t make it to Scranton. According to New York Post, HBO paid him $3 million to reject the role as they didn’t want to affect the legacy of Tony Soprano.
Why Did Steve Carell Leave The Office?
As per Entertainment Weekly, Carell wanted to leave because he wanted to be with his family more often. But as time went on, some other narratives came to the surface. Some cast and crew members revealed in An Oral History of The Office podcast that NBC was not interested in retaining Carell.
Carell himself claimed on the Office Ladies podcast that he wanted the others to get some screen time. Whatever the real motivation behind this, the departure of Michael Scott was a turning point in the series.
Scott’s leaving wasn’t just Carell’s leaving, it was a real character arc. Holly Flax, the HR rep, came back, and this time, Scott chose love over his paper company. Carell’s last episode showed a more emotionally aware Scott as he said goodbye to his work family.
The show then brought new characters like Robert California played by James Spader. The Office was already struggling with its viewership after Season 6 and could not recapture its original magic, especially after Carell’s departure.
The Office is available to stream on Netflix.
The Sopranos is available to stream on Max.
