The Office: A Peek Behind The Scenes

Steve Carell Didn’t Watch the British Version

When he landed the role of Michael Scott on the American spin-off of The Office, Steve Carell watched just a few minutes of the British version before permanently stopping viewing so he didn’t unintentionally copy Ricky Gervais’s performance as David Brent. That could account for the very different personalities and management styles of Michael Scott and David Brent.

However, John Krasinski, who played fan favorite Jim Halpert, was an avid viewer of the original version of The Office. Krasinksi’s character, Jim Halpert, was adapted from the BBC version’s Tim Canterbury, an ironic, self-deprecating 30-year-old sales representative played by Martin Freeman.