The Office’s replacement for Steve Carell, James Spader’s Robert California, was amazing, but the show’s original choice would’ve been nothing like what audiences ended up with. It was a shock for many whenSteve Carell’s Michael Scott leftThe Officein season 7. However, his departure was deserved, as Michael moved to Colorado with his fiancée, Holly Flax, for a new life together with her family. As Michael was Dunder Mifflin Scranton’s Regional Manager inevery season ofThe Officeuntil that point, the show was tasked with finding a new lead.
James Spader, who was later known for his work inThe Blacklist, took on the role of Robert California, Sabre’s new CEO, and a strange man who confused all of his employees on multiple occasions. California was a part of some ofThe Office’s funniest episodes, and while it’s hard to imagine anybody else taking over from Carell, weirdly, he wasn’t the show’s original replacement.
The Office’s Producers Wanted James Gandolfini To Replace Steve Carell
The Sopranos' Leading Man Almost Became The New Regional Manager
Originally,The OfficewantedThe Sopranosstar James Gandolfinito take over as the Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. In an episode of theTalking Sopranospodcast, which is hosted by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa, the pair shared a story with guest Ricky Gervais that the creator of the originalOfficewasn’t aware of. Schirripa explained thatGandolfini was offered around $4 million to joinThe Office,but in retaliation, HBO paid the actor $3 million to turn the role down.
James Gandolfini passed away in 2013, the same year thatThe Officewrapped up.
This was a little strange, seeing asThe Sopranosended in 2007and the actor had limited work after. However,it was also joked that HBO’s payment was a way “To keep the legacy of The Sopranos pure.”Andy Greene’s 2020 book,The Office (The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History), also explained that the final decision came down to Gandolfini and James Spader (who went on to play Robert California), but production was most excited aboutThe Sopranosicon. Unfortunately, Gandolfini turned it down.
James Gandolfini’s Office Character Would’ve Probably Been Nothing Like Robert California
The Sopranos' Gandolfini Was Weary Of His Comedy Skills
While there was little confirmation as to whom Gandolfini would have played inThe Office, we know it probably wouldn’t have been Robert California, or at least, nothing like the character audiences know and love today. One of Robert California’s most notable moments inThe Officewas that,upon being offered the Regional Manager role, he headed off to Florida and convinced Jo Bennett to hand over her job as CEO.
This was becauseSpader’s role inThe Officewas initially part-time,but he later starred in most of season 8, and this impacted how his character was written in the season 7 finale. However, this resulted inone of James Spader’s greatest TV show charactersever, despite only appearing in 19 episodes ofThe Office.
In Greene’s book,The Officewriter Daniel Chun stated thatGandolfini “Wasn’t super familiar with the show,” and “Was really unsure about comedy.”While Gandolfini was a fantastic dramatic actor, his filmography definitely lacked as many comedic projects. The actor had comical elements to his performances in general, but that wasn’t quite the same as a leading role in a sitcom.
James Spader Was Perfect For The Office, But I Would’ve Loved To See Gandolfini On The Show
Gandolfini Could’ve Been An Interesting Change Of Pace For The Office
There was no doubt that James Spader was perfect forThe Office, and it was a shame that he didn’t feature in more episodes. Despite that, Robert California quickly became one of the most iconiccharacters inThe Officecast, and he had plenty of brilliant and hilarious quotes in those episodes. However, it still would’ve been fun to see James Gandolfini in the Regional Manager’s chair. Whilethe actor was hesitant about starring in a comedy,this could’ve worked in his favor.
The fact that he felt awkward about this kind of performance could’ve been hilarious in the context ofThe Office,especially as characters like Toby and Nate thrived in this way. Spader was mainly a dramatic actor in the early years of his career, but he did star in the occasional episode of a sitcom. However, he still succeeded inThe Office, and it would’ve been great to see Gandolfini do the same. In fact, if it had been possible, it would’ve been amazing to see both Gandolfini and Spader act opposite one another inThe Office, but alas…
The Office
Cast
This mockumentary comedy series observes the mundane and humorous daily lives of employees at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It offers insights into office dynamics, personalities, and the eccentric behavior of both management and staff, depicting an ordinary workplace with extraordinary characters.
