Steve Carell is not the same as before.
The actor who played Michael Scott on the show wrote and directed some fan-favorite episodes, but also tried his hand at directing on The Office.
On the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast, former co-stars of the show, including Kinsey, talked about the Season 5 episode, "Broke," which was written by Charlie Grandy and directed by Carell.
Carell's time behind the camera with line producer Randy Cordray and cinematographer Randall Einhorn were fondly remembered by Kinsey and Fischer. They reached out to Carell to discuss the experience.
The following quotes will make you love Steve Carell more.
It was Carell's first time directing an episode of The Office. Kinsey said that Carell was prepared despite his lack of experience and everyone was impressed with his leadership skills.
Randy Cordray said that Steve's work ethic was incredible, that he was totally prepared. He had a lot of ideas and energy. He wanted everyone's input to make the scenes better.
Kinsey said she loved being directed by Carell, and she reached out to him to learn what it was like.
I exchanged messages with Steve about this episode. Steve, what was it like to direct all of us? She said that he was the first cast member to step into a directing role. "Here's what Steve said." It was like being the conductor of an orchestra. Everyone was very good.
Absolutely precious.
Having a main cast member direct an episode did present some challenges. Carell had to balance his director duties and acting responsibilities because he couldn't watch the scenes he was performing in.
The week before an episode is when the director usually prepares the episode, and that involves meeting with each of the different department heads to make decisions about the locations, about the props, the wardrobe, and camera setup. Steve spent the prior week acting in an episode, so it was a little tricky for him.
Kinsey recalled that he had to squeeze things in. He would have to hop into a van to go location scout, like he would be in a scene.
Steve was able to take a couple of days off every week to prepare for "Broke."
Randall Einhorn, our cinematographer, said that Steve was very focused on characters and actor performance as a director. He was completely devoid of ego. I remember working with Steve. He made you better.
Kinsey said that he's just someone that makes everything better.
Carell used "Broke" as his submission for the "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" category, but he didn't win. The cast and crew of "The Office" are baffled that Steve Carell never won an award for his role as Michael Scott.
There are more behind-the-scenes stories from "Broke" that you can listen to.
You can listen to The Office on Earwolf and follow it on Apple Podcasts.
