Shooting The Office was no easy task for the cast. Quite often, John Krasinski could not get passed scenes given Steve Carell's incredible portrayal of Michael Scott.The same held true for Rainn Wilson and the rest of the cast.The series ended after nine seasons but in truth, fans and even the cast are well aware it came to an end when Michael Scott left The Office.We'll take a look back at how it all went down, along with the emotions involved during Carell and Krasinski's final scene together. It took more than a few takes to stop the tears from flowing.
The Final Day Of Shooting Was 'Like Torture' For Steve Carell
Looking back, Michael Scott's goodbye episode might've been the hardest to digest for fans. Not only was it emotional but in truth, fans were not ready to see him go either. Arguably, the show was never the same after Carell's exit, despite its best efforts bringing in the likes of Will Ferrell.
Not only was it hard for fans, but it was equally tough for Carell to shoot, as he revealed alongside Spotify's An Oral History of The Office podcast.
"It was almost more than I bargained for… I had [goodbye] scenes with everyone in the cast and it was emotional torture… it was like just fraught with emotion and… and joy and sadness and nostalgia."
Although it wasn't an easy shoot, Carell loved the way Michael Scott left the show, without a big celebration - showing just how much Michael's character had evolved since the start of the show.
"But it was also really beautiful. I'd like treasure just doing that episode because it did allow me to kind of have a finality with everybody."
"You think that's all he wants. He wants to be the center of attention… And he… he wants pats on the back. He wants people to think he's funny and charming and all of those things," the actor revealed. "But the fact that he'd walk away from his big tribute, his big sendoff, and be able to in a very personal way, say goodbye to each character. That to me, felt like it would resonate."
Carell wasn't the only person that struggled with his final scenes, the same held true for John Krasinski.
John Krasinski Could Not Get Through His Final Scene With Steve Carell
John Krasinski was well aware that things would not be the same following Steve Carell's exit from the show. According to the actor, in a way, it felt like the entire series was coming to an end.
"It felt like the end of something more than even losing Steve or losing Michael, it felt like the end of our show in a way, or that evolution of our show. It's like when you graduate college, your life isn't over. But that version of your life will never come back."
That memorable final scene between Michael and Jim was a lot harder to shoot than most fans think. According to Krasinski, they had to shoot the scene several times, given that both actors could not stop crying.
Krasinski revealed he got caught off-guard when Carell, who is usually stone-cold during takes, started to tear.
"I also remember him crying, and I was not expecting that…the energy in that room was so thick and palpable that when they called action or go ahead, I remember Steve teared up right away. And that was so unlike him, not that he was emotionless, but it was like, it was so unlike him to let real life bleed into the moment… I think I actually remember the actual number was 17 takes of not even speaking, just, just dribbling crying."
The scene will always be regarded among the most emotional and memorable of the entire series.
Steve Carell's Exit From The Show Could Have Been Salvaged
What could've been had Steve Carell hung on a bit longer. Well, according to producer Ben Silverman and editor Claire Scanlon, this could easily have been the case had talks not broke down.
According to Claire Scanlon, Carell was interested in coming back, but the attempt from a network standpoint was extremely poor. “I feel like NBC dropped the ball, because I knew the story behind it, which was they just never even bothered, which was just like so dumb. I don’t know what was wrong with them.”
Ben Silverman felt the same way, stating “When I heard the story of how the network went about its process with him after the fact, it made me so depressed how they had kind of blown something that they could have saved.”
At the very least, Carell returned for a brief cameo during the show's final episode... but still, fans can't help but wonder what could have been.
