One of the biggest crimes in the television industry is the fact that Steve Carell won zero Emmys for his work in The Office. The man worked hard for seven seasons, playing a role that would go on to be etched into our minds and hearts forever. Michael Scott might have been a hilarious character, but playing him with such dedication was no joke. Steve Carell was so believable in the role that it has become impossible to separate the actor from the character, which is all the more reason that he should have won at least one Emmy for the role.
There isn’t a single actor out there who could have filled Michael Scott’s shoes as brilliantly as Steve Carell did. However, there is one that comes impossibly close – Bob Odenkirk. The Better Call Saul actor was even considered for the role of the World’s Best Boss, but ultimately, fate was not in his favor. He recently opened up about the loss and why he thinks the role was simply made for Steve Carell.
Bob Odenkirk Talks about Losing Out to Steve Carell
Best known for his work on Breaking Bad’s spin-off, Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk is one of the finest actors of our time. Whatever role he picks up, you just know that he’ll be absolutely phenomenal in it.
There was a time when he almost added The Office to his seemingly unending list of projects. While Steve Carell took up the responsibility of Come to Papa, Odenkirk was being eyed by the producers of the hit comedy show to star as Michael Scott.
According to The New York Times, Odenkirk was still Michael when the showrunner Greg Daniels and executive producer Ben Silverman presented the pilot episode to the network. However, things took a turn when an NBC insider leaked the news to Daniels that Carell would soon be available on the market when Come to Papa releases. The show was cancelled after 4 episodes and Carell was free to take over Odenkirk’s responsibilities.
Still, Odenkirk had the chance to play a similar character to Michael in the episode Moving On (season 9, episode 16). He was simply too good in being a clone of our favorite boss but hey, Carell is Carell. Check out Odenkirk’s audition for the role:
Last month, Odenkirk showed up for a conversation on Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey’s podcast, Office Ladies. There, he opened up about losing the role to Carell.
In his opinion, Carell was evidently the better man for the job as Odenkirk believes he is more suited for earnest and intense roles. And while he could have done a great job as Michael, Odenkirk firmly acknowledges that Carell was perfect.
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.
He continued stating that he believes Carell got the role because he’s better at “beingly genuinely fun.” Odenkirk added, “I am hard to believe as a purely light character.” Carell sure was the one made to play Scranton branch’s regional manager.
Maybe It’s a Good Thing Bob Odenkirk Didn’t Play Michael Scott
Yes, a harsh statement, but true nonetheless. Carell was robbed by the Emmy Awards when it was his turn to get the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Instead, he lost out to actors like Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons, something which still does not sit right with the fans of comedy television.
Odenkirk faced a similar fate when it came to the Primetime Emmy Awards. Just like Carell, he was too nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Series six times under the drama category. Each time, someone or the other managed to beat Odenkirk to the trophy.
Snub after snub, the rejection probably wasn’t easy for Odenkirk. Had he played Michael Scott, there is a good chance he wouldn’t have won an Emmy for it either, given the fact that someone like Carell didn’t. It seems rather unlikely that Odenkirk, no matter how good of an actor he is, could have won an Emmy that Carell was denied.
Thus, it’s probably a good thing that Odenkirk walked away from the show, or he might have suffered a bit too much at the hands of the Emmys.
The Office is available to stream on Peacock Premium and Better Call Saul on Netflix.
