10 Actors Who Were Considered For Roles In The Office

Although it wasn’t a ratings hit or a critical success right out of the gate, NBC’s remake of The Office ended up becoming one of the greatest TV series of all time, making stars out of Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, and Jenna Fischer. But none of them were the first choice for their roles.

A number of actors who went on to become big stars – some of whom ended up getting their break on The Office producers’ next show, Parks and Recreation – originally auditioned to play employees of Dunder Mifflin. From Seth Rogen to Kathryn Hahn, these are the actors who could’ve starred in The Office.

10 Paul Giamatti As Michael Scott

When producer Ben Silverman initially began working on a U.S. remake of The Office for NBC and needed a lead actor to play the world’s best boss, network executive Tracy McLaughlin suggested Paul Giamatti.

However, Giamatti turned down the offer. Giamatti didn’t end up downsizing to the small screen until he was cast in one of the lead roles opposite Damian Lewis in Showtime’s Billions.

9 Patton Oswalt As Dwight Schrute

Before narrating The Goldbergs and starring in the short-lived A.P. Bio with Always Sunny’s Glenn Howerton, Patton Oswalt auditioned for the role of everyone’s favorite paper salesman/beet farmer, Dwight Schrute. Oswalt initially made his name in the sitcom realm with the role of Spencer in The King of Queens.

Playing a recurring role on King of Queens boosted Oswalt’s profile on the standup circuit and led to him being revered as one of the greatest comedians working today.

8 Adam Scott As Jim Halpert

Adam Scott auditioned to play Jim Halpert before John Krasinski landed the part. A few years later, Scott joined the cast of fellow workplace mockumentary Parks and Rec, which was initially developed as an Office spin-off, in the role of Ben Wyatt.

As Ben, he often looked awkwardly at the camera, much like Jim, so it’s easy to see that Scott could’ve made a serviceable Jim – but no one could play the role as perfectly as Krasinski.

7 Eric Stonestreet As Kevin Malone

Brian Baumgartner reportedly auditioned for the role of Stanley Hudson before being given the role of Kevin Malone. Prior to his casting, Eric Stonestreet had auditioned to play Kevin.

Stonestreet, of course, went on to play a much different, but equally beloved sitcom character: part-time music teacher and part-time clown Cameron Tucker in Modern Family.

6 Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman & Lucy Davis As Gareth, Tim & Dawn

Ironically, Ricky Gervais was the only cast member from the original British series who didn’t plan to reprise his role in the American remake and ended up being the only one who did.

Greg Daniels initially planned for Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman, and Lucy Davis to reprise their roles from the original series – as Gareth, Tim, and Dawn, respectively – in the season 3 episode “The Convention.” They would’ve been at the convention representing Wernham Hogg, but scheduling conflicts prevented their cameos from coming to fruition.

5 Nick Offerman As Various Roles

During the first few years of The Office’s run, Nick Offerman auditioned for a handful of roles, including guest spots, but never landed any of the parts (he was offered one, but couldn’t make it). However, he impressed producer Mike Schur enough that he kept him in mind.

When Schur was developing Parks and Rec, he remembered Offerman and ended up bringing him in to play meat-loving, government-hating libertarian Ron Swanson.

4 John Cho As Jim Halpert

Before John Krasinski was cast as Jim, John Cho auditioned for the part. In addition to playing comedic roles in the Harold & Kumar and American Pie franchises, Cho has played Sulu in the new Star Trek movies and the lead role in unconventional techno-thriller Searching.

Cho became the first Asian-American actor to be cast as a romantic lead in U.S. television history when he landed the role of Henry Higgs in Selfie.

3 Seth Rogen As Dwight Schrute

Seth Rogen auditioned to play Dwight. In the same year that The Office premiered, Rogen played a supporting role opposite Steve Carell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and the two shared great chemistry, so there was a precedent for Rogen to play Carell’s sidekick in Scranton.

If Rogen had been cast as Dwight, then he wouldn’t have had time to make all his best movies across the next few years: Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express, 50/50, and This is the End.

2 Kathryn Hahn As Pam Beesly

Kathryn Hahn auditioned for the role of Pam Beesly before the pitch-perfect casting of Jenna Fischer. Hahn was another actor who auditioned for The Office and later appeared in Parks and Rec, playing acid-tongued campaign manager Jen Barkley.

Now, Hahn’s best-known role is that of Agatha Harkness in Marvel’s WandaVision. She was a key player in the show’s mysteries and ended up stealing the spotlight from the title characters.

1 Bob Odenkirk As Michael Scott

When Steve Carell had to initially drop out of The Office due to scheduling conflicts with midseason replacement sitcom Come to Papa, the role of Michael Scott was given to Bob Odenkirk. The Better Call Saul star’s name appears on the cast list that was originally submitted to NBC.

However, Come to Papa was swiftly canceled, which meant that Carell was free to return to The Office and Odenkirk was dropped from the role. He later played a very Michael Scott-esque boss that interviews Pam for a job in Philadelphia in the final season.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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