Bob Odenkirk explains why he lost ‘The Office’ role to Steve Carell

Bob Odenkirk may not be the quirky boss of the Dunder Mifflin paper company, but he’s not too torn up about it.

The actor, who was once a frontrunner for the lead role of The Office, recently appeared on the Office Ladies podcast, where he reflected on losing the role to Steve Carell.

“I am, in a strange way, a very earnest person for a person in comedy,” Odenkirk told hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, who played Pam Beesly and Angela Martin on the beloved sitcom. “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.”

Odenkirk noted that The Office was not the only role Carell beat him out for, sharing his belief that “it’s because he’s better at being genuinely fun.”

“I think I bring with me a little bit too much earnest seriousness,” he said. “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.”

Odenkirk went on to argue that he is hard to believe as a “purely light character,” explaining that as a reason behind his interest in more dramatic roles. “You just are looking for the darkness [in me], and that’s actually great in drama,” he said. “That’s a plus, you know? But in comedy, it’s not a plus.”

Four years after The Office premiered, Odenkirk would land the gig as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad. While his chracter was oft-praised a a comedic highlight of the series, his turn on the gritty drama would spawn the spin-off Better Call Saul, tracking the downfall of the morally-grey lawyer and earning Odenkirk six Emmy nominations.

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While Odenkirk didn’t get to live out his Dunder Mifflin dreams, he did get the chance to create an office culture (and character) of his own. During the show’s ninth and final season, Pam considers a job at a Philadelphia real estate company to be closer to her husband. It’s there that she crosses paths with Mark Franks, as played by Odenkirk, a manager who shares much in common with Michael. 

“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,” Fischer recalled. “And her boss is basically Michael Scott.”

Odenkirk added that his guest role was a chance to “show people what I would have done” if he had landed the role of Michael instead of Carell. But at the same time, he acknowledged that his performance was a “tribute to Steve” since “my character was meant to be very much a version of what Steve had invented when he played the character.”

Pam realizes this for herself — after several uncomfortable jokes and guitar solos — and ultimately passes on the job.

You can hear Odenkirk discuss the episode in the podcast episode above.