Although 2013 marked the official ending of the beloved sitcom, for most fans, the unofficial end for The Office occurred two seasons prior when Steve Carell bid goodbye to his iconic role. John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert in the mockumentary and also served as a producer and occasional director, recalled how hard filming Michael Scott’s farewell was on all the actors.
Although the Doctor Strange 2 Star succeeded in holding it all together for a brief period during Carell’s last day at the office, it wasn’t the case for the other crew members.
John Krasinski Urged Everyone to Hold It Together
Steve Carell‘s exit from The Office wasn’t a shocker, as 6 months prior to the finale of season 7, the actor already clarified that he wasn’t going to reprise the role of Michael Scott moving forward. But despite having prior knowledge about the actor’s eventual exit, it didn’t hearten the situation for the crew members, as according to John Krasinski, “People were already crying all week”. This resulted in the Monsters University Star asking all of them to pull it together in order to not freak out Carell.
“I would walk on set and people were already crying all week, just tears everywhere. I remember turning to people, like cast members and crew members, I was like, guys, Pull it together. I mean this is his goodbye. You’re freaking him out. I was like, it’s going to be fine. His contract was up it’s fine. It’s no big deal.” Krasinski said to theoffcamerashow.
But it was a big deal, as despite succeeding in holding it together for the better part of the production, Krasinski was overwhelmed with emotion filming the last scene with Carell.
John Krasinski Eventually Gave in to His Emotions
The last scene that Steven Carell shot for The Office, involved his goodbye with Krasinski’s Jim Halpert. But perfecting it took around 17 takes, as everyone in the room was devasted. Despite holding his emotions together for a major period of filming, witnessing Carell tearing up during the shoot was enough to make Krasinski burst into tears.
“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 so unlike him to let real life bleed into the moment, right? I think I actually remember the actual number was 17 takes of not even speaking, just dribbling crying,” Krasinski added in An Oral History of The Office
Like fans, the ending was also hard for all the crew members attached to the sitcom, and 2 years after Carrell’s exit, they eventually put the kibosh on the show in order to preserve its legacy.
The Office is available to stream on Peacock.
Source: Theoffcamerashow
