Steve Carrell almost rejected The Office audition because of Paul Rudd

Steve Carrell nearly didn't take on the iconic role of Michael Scott in The Office due to Paul Rudd, and many people's favorite show might have looked a whole lot different if he hadn't.

Michael Scott has become one of the most well-known comedy characters in the world, thanks in part to his habits of over-estimating his own status and success with his buffoonish but well-intentioned personality.

The US version of The Office was of course based on the UK show, written by Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, who took on the leading role of David Brent.

While there was some scepticism about remaking The Office in the US, the US show took a very different feel from its UK counterpart and in the end, the US version would go on to air over 200 episodes across nine seasons, and has become one of Carrell's most well-known roles.

But it almost wasn't so.

Steve Carrell starred in the US version of The Office (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)

Carrell revealed that when he was thinking of auditioning for the role, Paul Rudd had spoken to him and urged him not to take it.

Because while the show went on to become hugely successful, things didn't always seem that way for The Office.

"Our pilot was the lowest testing pilot in the history of NBC," Carell told Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast. "People really hated it. They actively hated it. And I don't quite know how it got legs after that."

Recalling what Rudd told him, Carrell said: “Rudd pulled me aside and was like, ‘Don't do it, man. Don't audition'. It was like, 'There is no way.'"

Carrell went on to say that he was advised not to touch The Office with a '10-foot-pole'.

And Rudd was not the only one who was sceptical about The Office, with Poehler herself recalling that she was less than enthusiastic about it.

Poehler questioned Carrell about the show (Rich Polk/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty Images)

On the podcast, she remembered thinking: "This is a terrible idea. No one can be as good as Ricky Gervais, no one can do that show."

Carrell also remembered when he saw the UK show, saying: “I watched a minute of one and he was so good and so specific and so funny, I thought, 'If I watch a second more, I'm just gonna go on an audition with that.'

"I won't be able to even imagine it a different way.”

Ultimately, Carrell would get six Emmy nominations for his performance in the show.

And the style of the US show, with its mockumentary feel that had the characters stealing knowing glances at the camera, would go on to inspire other long-running comedy shows, including Parks and Recreation which starred Poehler.