Bob Odenkirk Recalls Losing 'The Office' Role to Steve Carell

Bob Odenkirk was once a front-runner for the lead role of "The Office," but lost to Steve Carell, who famously played Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom. Odenkirk is now revealing why he didn't win the part.

"I am, in a strange way, a very earnest person for a person in comedy," Odenkirk said during an appearance on the "Office Ladies" podcast, according to Entertainment Weekly. "I am oddly earnest, and … it's one of the reasons I think Steve Carell is a better, you know — is the one who got the role."

"The Office" was not the only role Carell for which beat Odenkirk, which Odenkirk attributed to Carell being "better at being genuinely fun."

"I think I bring with me a little bit too much earnest seriousness," Odenkirk said. "And it's just kinda there. And there's nothing I can do about it except play other roles where it's helpful to have that."

Odenkirk added that it is hard to perceive him as a "purely light character," which is why he chooses more dramatic roles.

"You just are looking for the darkness [in me], and that's actually great in drama," he said. "That's a plus, you know? But in comedy, it's not a plus."

Odenkirk may not have landed the leading role in "The Office" but he did end up being cast as Saul Goodman in "Breaking Bad," which in turn spawned the spin-off "Better Call Saul." Odenkirk also made a guest appearance in "The Office" during its ninth and final season as a manager of a real estate company who shares much in common with Michael Scott.

The guest role, Odenkirk said, was a chance to "show people what I would have done" if he had been cast as the lead in "The Office" instead of Carell. His performance was a "tribute to Steve" since "my character was meant to be very much a version of what Steve had invented when he played the character."

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