Bob Odenkirk believes being “oddly earnest” led to him losing out on the lead role in ‘The Office’.
Bob Odenkirk was up for the lead role in The Office
The ‘Better Call Saul’ star was one of the frontrunners to play Michael Scott in the US reboot of the sitcom – which ran from 2005 to 2013 – but the part ultimately went to Steve Carell, though the 61-year-old actor has no hard feelings because he thinks he was the “better” choice.
He told hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey – who played Pam Beesly and Angela Martin respectively – on the ‘Office Ladies’ podcast: “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 [in ‘The Office’].”
And the former ‘Saturday Night Live’ writer admitted that wasn’t the only time he’s lost out on a role to Steve, but he ultimately believes his skillset is better suited to drama.
He added: “There were other parts that I think I was up for that Steve got, and it’s because he’s better at being genuinely fun.
“I think I bring with me a little bit too much earnest seriousness, and it’s just kinda there.
“And there’s nothing I can do about it except play other roles where it’s helpful to have that.
“And, you know, you just don’t believe me as a purely light character. You just are looking for the darkness, and that’s actually great in drama. That’s a plus, you know? But in comedy, it’s not a plus.”
Bob made an appearance in the ninth and final season of ‘The Office’ in the episode ‘Moving On’, where he played the manager of a Philadelphia real estate company where Pam had a job interview.
Jenna recalled: “The idea was, Pam’s gonna go in for an interview at this real estate office.
“And they thought it would be really funny if it was like her life was gonna repeat itself now in Philadelphia. And her boss is basically Michael Scott.”
While Bob saw his guest role as a chance to “show people what[he] would have done” as Michael, he admitted he ultimately used it to pay tribute to Steve.
He said: “Although, I do think that what I was doing was more a tribute to Steve because that’s what I was supposed to be doing.
“My character was meant to be very much a version of what Steve had invented when he played the character.”
