The Office was actually easy. Based on the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant-created British television series of the same name, the American version of The Office debuted in 2005 and ran for nine successful seasons to much critical acclaim. The show focuses on the everyday lives of the employees of the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the Dunder Mifflin paper company with the affable Michael Scott (Carell) as its regional manager. Over the course of the show, The Office was nominated for 42 Primetime Emmys, winning five times with Carell also being awarded a Golden Globe for his outstanding performance on the sitcom.
Although the actors were known for their skills in front of the camera, a number of them opted to step behind it and direct several episodes. John Krasinski (Jim Halpert), Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute), Ed Helms (Andy Bernard), and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone) all sat in the director's chair for The Office. Carell also took the opportunity and took several creative roles on the show. On top of writing both "Casino Night" and "Survivor Man," Carell directed three episodes of the popular comedy; "Broke," "Secretary's Day," and "Garage Sale."
During an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Carell explained why it was actually quite easy to direct episodes of The Office. When asked by Colbert what it was like to direct other ensemble , Carell revealed that it was "easy" as everyone he worked with were all "super good friends." The actor claimed that the cast was always ive of each other, especially when one of the actors or writers took the chance to direct an episode. Read what Carell said below.
"On The Office it was so easy because we were all super good friends and we're all ing each other and we all wanted each other to succeed. That part of it -- When one of the cast or one of the writers became a director, everyone was totally behind them. So, it was kind of easy."
"And everyone knew their characters so well. You could only shoot in that small space so there weren't a lot of options in of setting up a shot. So, it was kind of simple."
Carell understands that although directing is a daunting task filled with unique challenges for every shoot, he was lucky enough to have a great cast that he can call his friends to him and make his role as director easy. Couple that with the small set and lack of elaborate setups, Carell's introduction into the directing world couldn't have been smoother. With other cast taking on the challenge of directing, such as Krasinski who went on to direct A Quiet Place, The Office proved to be a great environment to cultivate new skills.
Up to that point in Carell's career, the actor had only written or performed comedy, never had he directed professionally. However, his first attempts in the new position while on The Office proved that Carell excelled in the field. Both "Broke" and "Garage Sale" are widely considered some of the best episodes of the entire series. Although the actor has yet to make the jump as a director for feature films, as The Office has proven, Carell will more than likely succeed in the endeavor if he so chooses.
