Steve Carell: How Paul Rudd Tried to Stop The Office

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Steve Carell opened up on Amy Polar's Good Hang podcast about how his friend Paul Rudd

tried to talk him out of auditioning for the office.

Rudd thought reviving the British comedy for American TV was a terrible idea, and plenty

of others agreed it was too risky to touch.

Carell also admitted he skipped watching the UK original entirely before trying out for

Michael Scott.

He peaked at just a minute of Ricky Gervais' version, worried it would lock him into

copying the style instead of creating his own take.

Back then, the pilot scored the lowest in NBC testing history.

Audiences hated it at first, with strong negative feedback all around.

Still, the show took off and became a massive hit from 2005 to 2011.

Carell led as the awkward regional manager, even popping up in the finale two years later.

These days, the legacy lives on with the spin off the paper, which premiered last September

and Jessica renewed for season 2, following a team, reviving a struggling newspaper.