Steve Carell Says He Turned Off The Office UK In Under A Minute — Here’s Why

Here’s something that’ll probably surprise fans who’ve seen every episode of both versions: Steve Carell, the face of the American 'The Office,' pretty much never watched the original British version. Seriously, less than a minute.

Now, most of us would assume Carell studied Ricky Gervais’s David Brent down to the awkward pauses and signature sheepish grin. But nope: Carell avoided the UK show almost entirely. Turns out, there’s a method to that madness.

Why Carell Avoided the UK Original

In a recent interview with LADbible’s Swipe Stuff, Carell was totally upfront about his approach. Here’s what he said about the British 'Office':

'I will admit this: I’ve only watched about less than a minute of The Office, because I had not seen it prior to auditioning for the American The Office. I started to watch a tiny bit, and I knew instantly that if I watched anymore, I would just do a copy of Ricky and I didn’t wanna do that, because I figured if it has any chance of success, it’s not going to be the same show, it has to be different in some way, and his depiction of that character was so specific and so great that I knew I could never, ever come close to that level.'

So basically, Carell took one look at what Gervais did — and immediately bailed before it could influence him any further. Makes sense: you don’t want your big sitcom lead to just be a Ricky Gervais impression covered in Wite-Out, especially when the original’s so iconic (and, let’s face it, just ruthlessly British). That’s why Michael Scott is his own weird beast — cringe-making for sure, but a very different animal than David Brent.

The Comedy Mount Rushmore (According to Carell)

Carell also went out of his way to give huge props to both Ricky Gervais and Rowan Atkinson, calling them 'comedic geniuses.' He's not exactly known for tossing that word around, either. But in his opinion, both Gervais and Atkinson absolutely have it coming.

How'd That Work Out?

• Casting: Carell didn’t try to carbon-copy Gervais. Instead, he built something brand new — and, honestly, that’s what made Michael Scott click with American audiences.
• Show's legacy: The US 'Office' ran for nine seasons, went from cult favorite to global juggernaut, and is still raking in streams long after Carell left at the end of season 7.

So, next time you hear someone say the US 'Office' is just a watered-down knockoff, maybe point out that its leading man intentionally kept himself from becoming a David Brent imitator — and that’s a big part of why it’s got its own place in TV history.