The actor who took $3 million to turn down a role in ‘The Office’
Second perhaps only to Friends, the US adaptation of The Office is one of the most well-loved comedy TV series of all time. Starting out as the collaborative project of Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais on BBC Two in the UK, it brought the mockumentary into mainstream television. Its concept was simple – it charted the mundane lives of office workers – but it was masterfully written.
In its simplicity, The Office endeared itself to audiences and secured a US remake. Moving the titular office from the fictional Wernham Hogg in Slough to Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, The Office US took on a life of its own, running for nine seasons and obtaining over 40 Emmy nominations.
The US adaptation featured an ensemble cast of actors who have now become staples in the comedy genre, including Mindy Kaling, Rashida Jones, and John Krasinski. But the show was always driven by star Steve Carell, who played the selfish boss of Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott, also known as the US’s answer to Gervais’ David Brent.
Some huge names turned down the role, including Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Stephen Colbert. Eventually, Carell was cast and became synonymous with the character. He was so vital to The Office that critical responses were far less favourable when he decided to part ways with the show in 2011. Looking to replace the hole left by Carell, The Office began to include guest stars such as James Spader, who became the new CEO of Dunder Mifflin’s parent company, Sabre.
Perhaps the most surprising actor to be offered a starring role in replacement of Carell was The Sopranos star James Gandolfini. His Sopranos co-stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa recalled the offer on their podcast, Talking Sopranos, when Gervais appeared as a guest.
Imperioli stated, “You know, they talked about having Gandolfini at one point replace him [Steve Carell], did you know that?” Schirripa went on to suggest that Gandolfini was offered a huge sum of money to feature in the show: “I think before James Spader and after Carell, they offered Jim, I want to say $4million dollars to play him for the season, and HBO paid him $3million not to do it.”
He continued to explain that Gandolfini considered taking the role, as The Sopranos had already ended: “Jim was going to do it because he hadn’t worked, and it was a number of years removed from when the show ended.”
With the show complete, it’s a wonder that HBO were reportedly willing to offer Gandolfini so much money to stop him from taking the part. Gervais speculated on their reasoning, asking, “So they paid him that to keep the legacy of The Sopranos pure?”
Though Gandolfini didn’t eventually take the role, it’s still entertaining to imagine Tony Soprano entering Dunder Mifflin and interacting with Jim and Pam.
