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One of the best things about The Office was how the characters would interact with the camera, making it seem like a character in itself. While the number one rule of filming is to not break the fourth wall, the actors on the sitcom had a blast doing just that. However, interacting with the camera wasn’t easy for everyone but there was one guest star who blew Steve Carell’s mind way – Amy Adams.
Amy Adams, Rainn Wilson, and Steve Carell in The Office | Credits: NBCBefore she became the beloved Lois Lane, Amy Adams played the role of Katy aka the Hot Girl on The Office. While selling purses and stealing Jim’s heart, the actress managed to do something that is no less than a feat in itself – impress Steve Carell so much so that the man hasn’t forgotten her even after all these years.
How Amy Adams impressed Steve Carell on The Office
Amy Adams as Katy in The Office | Credits: NBCAmy Adams had a small role on the sitcom where she appeared for a total of three episodes as the Hot Girl selling purses at Dunder Mifflin, Scranton. Since the entire character was new to the office’s dynamic, she was probably not used to having a camera crew pointing their cameras at her. You best believe Adams reacted appropriately to the whole situation.
Katy wouldn’t have been comfortable with being recorded for a “documentary” and Adams made sure to interact with the camera in a way that highlighted her character’s discomfort.
Steve Carell absolutely loved Adams’ decision and confidence while playing Katy. During an appearance on Brian Baumgartner’s The Office Deep Dive podcast, he praised Adams for getting it right, right off the bat, no matter how tricky it was.
He stated,
You know who I think was the—one of the best right off the bat was Amy Adams. I remember when she came in to do her first episode because it’s sort of a tricky thing, that look to the camera and how hard you play it or how subtly you play it, but she had it down. I remember that first episode, she — because she was aware of the camera — but she played it in a very different way. Like, cause she was an outsider, she didn’t work there. Like, ‘What are you doing here? Did you just record what I just said?’
He also praised the actress on the Office Ladies podcast stating,
She was right up to speed with everybody else in terms of how to play the camera like, it’s eavesdropping, I don’t know how I should react to it? And that sort of discomfort built in that we had learned how to do. So she was really good at that.
We would have loved to see more of Katy in the show, that’s for sure. Three episodes and a short-lived love story with John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert just don’t seem enough! We know Carell would agree.
Amy Adams almost didn’t make it to The Office
Amy Adams and Jenna Fischer on The Office | Credits: NBCEvery single guest appearance in the show seems so meticulously crafted that it is now impossible to imagine The Office without them. Thus, when Jenna Fischer revealed that Adams was almost not cast as Katy, it does feel a tad bit weird.
During an episode of Office Ladies which she hosts with Angela Kinsey, Fischer stated that there were concerns about Adams looking too much like her. Maybe that’s why Michael Scott calls her the “new and improved Pam,” or “Pam 6.0.” The man just doesn’t know when to shut up, does he?
In fact, the writers even got cold feet at one point due to the stark resemblance between Adams and Fischer, and refrained from hiring the former.
There was this concern that Amy and I looked too similar. I guess one of the writers even said, ‘I’m sorry. We can’t cast her. She’s like Jenna 2.0.’ And so they got cold feet and they cast someone else.
They even shot Katy’s first episode with a different actress but it simply did not work out the way they wanted to. Fischer recalled, “Unfortunately, she just wasn’t quite right for the role. They had to let her go.” And that’s how Adams got the role back and ended up giving us one of the most unforgettable guest appearances on the sitcom. All’s well that ends well!
The Office is available to watch on Peacock Premium.
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