Ricky Gervais Felt Like He Was Expected to Try and Stop Steve Carell From Leaving ‘The Office’
Steve Carell felt it was a good time to say goodbye to Michael Scott after the fifth season of The Office. But being a producer of the show, Gervais believed that his Office successor was doing the right thing leaving.
How Ricky Gervais felt about Steve Carell leaving ‘The Office’
The Office became just as much Carell’s show as it was once Gervais’. The comic actor portrayed the clumsy but endearing Michael Scott for five seasons before leaving the series in others’ hands. Still, Carell’s departure from the show didn’t mean the end of the series. The Office would enjoy three more successful seasons before wrapping up its story. Handing the show off to new actors and characters to lead was partially the reason why Carell left.
“It was time for other characters to step to the forefront and other storylines to be pursued,” Carell said on The Office Ladies podcast. “I think it was the right… the timing was right, I think for everybody but simultaneously there’s just a sense of joy for me that we had experienced all of this and we were getting… I was getting a chance to take a lap with everybody.”
Gervais, who served as the show’s executive producer, agreed with Carell’s decision to quit. Although, there might have been hope that others would’ve stopped Carell’s departure from happening.
“It was expected of me, as executive producer, to persuade him to stay on. With syndication in full swing the more successful the show remains, the more billions we all make. It was tempting, but the truth is, I believe he is doing the right thing,” Gervais once said according to Irish Examiner. “He’s fulfilled his contract and more, and is a huge film star now. I knocked it on the head after 12 episodes and a Christmas special.”
Steve Carell called leaving ‘The Office’ more than he bargained for
After Carell made up his mind to leave, both he and his character had several emotional and intimate moments with his co-stars.
“It was almost more than I bargained for,” Carell once said on An Oral History of The Office podcast. “I had [goodbye] scenes with everyone in the cast and it was emotional torture… it was like just fraught with emotion and, and joy and sadness and nostalgia.”
Carell also shared why Michael Scott left the series the way that he did.
“Six months before I talked to Greg about how I wanted Michael to go out, like what I thought sort of final arc would be. And the idea that I pitched was, you know, obviously he and Holly would be together,” Carell said. “But I said specifically on his last day, I thought that there should be a party being planned, but that he should basically trick people into thinking he was leaving the next day… Because I just thought that that would be the most elegant representation of his growth as a human being because Michael lives to be celebrated.”
Steve Carell shot down the idea of an ‘Office’ reunion
Many successful shows have gone on to have reunion episodes of some kind. Given its popularity, some felt that The Office could also bring back its cast and crew members for a reunion episode. But speaking to Collider, Carell explained why he was firmly against the concept.
“I feel like I’m a broken record, talking about this because I get asked about it. The show is way more popular now than when it was on the air,” Carell said. “I just can’t see it being the same thing, and I think most folks would want it to be the same thing, but it wouldn’t be. Ultimately, I think it’s maybe best to leave well enough alone and just let it exist as what it was. You’d literally have to have all of the same writers, the same producers, the same directors, and the same actors, and even with all of those components, it just wouldn’t be the same. So, no.”
