Ricky Gervais debunks rumour he auditioned to replace Steve Carell in ‘The US Office’

Ricky Gervais has debunked a rumour that he auditioned to replace Steve Carrell in The Office US.

The comedian co-created the original British version of the show and starred as David Brent, the inspiration for Carell’s character Michael Scott in the American remake.

However, Carell exited the show after season seven, and Gervais has now explained that he was in the mix to replace him, though never auditioned.

“When they were recruiting for the new boss [eventually played by Will Ferrell], they said it’d be nice if I apply for the job [in character as Brent],” he told The Independent.

“I don’t know if it ever got to NBC calling anyone or if it was more just press and the show’s fanbase. Then, when I wasn’t in it, people said, ‘Ricky auditioned and didn’t get the part’. That’s fiction.”

Gervais also revealed that he was initially considered for the role of Scott at the very start, though turned it down as he didn’t want to move to the US.

“Before we cast, [producer Ben Silverman] called me and said, ‘Why don’t you play Michael Scott?’ I said, ‘That is mental. It makes no sense at all’.

“Why would I do it? The reason The Office resonated was because it was made in England for English people. It’s got to be made by Americans for Americans.”

He added of a potential move to the US: “I’d have been crying after the first 22 episodes, asking Dwight [Rainn Wilson] to murder me.”

Last year, casting director Allison Jones revealed that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti were in the running to play Scott before Carell.

In other news, a new spin-off set in the same universe as The Office is in the works, which is set to star Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore. Reportedly titled The Paper, the series follows a struggling newspaper as its publisher attempts to revive it.

The post Ricky Gervais debunks rumour he auditioned to replace Steve Carell in ‘The US Office’ appeared first on NME.