How Steve Carell’s Secret Return To The Office Finale Almost Didn’t Happen
Steve Carell’s surprise return as Michael Scott in The Office’s 2013 series finale is one of the most memorable moments of the show. But what fans might not know is that his cameo almost didn’t happen. Steve, who left the show in 2011 after seven seasons, was initially hesitant to reprise his role.
On the October 30 episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Steve’s co-stars Jenna Fischer ( who played Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey (who played Angela Martin) shared the story of how the beloved actor returned for Dwight Schrute and Angela’s wedding in the final episode of the series.
“Well, it was [series creator Greg Daniels] idea to have Steve come back. He had wanted that for a very long time, and he asked him pretty early in season 9,” shared Jenna.
Steve believed his character had already received a fitting send-off. His co-stars agreed that Steve didn’t want to overshadow the other characters’ final moments. In Angela’s words: “…Steve was reluctant. He felt like Michael’s story had really ended. He didn’t want to open it back up again, and he especially did not wanna come back after two years and have this finale episode be about him. Steve really felt like, ‘My character had his ending.’ This is everybody else’s ending, and he didn’t wanna overshadow that.”
According to Angela, Steve is “very gracious that way.”
Ultimately, Greg found a way to bring Michael Scott back in a way that felt natural and true to the character. The final episode centered on Dwight and Angela’s wedding, which made perfect sense for Michael to attend. Once Steve saw this direction, he agreed to return.
“It was a creative reason that was supported by history,” Jenna said.
Steve’s brief but emotional appearance on the show was kept tightly under wraps. Even the cast members weren’t fully informed. “It was really hard not to tell you,” Jenna told Angela on the podcast, recalling the surprise. Angela shared the moment she realized Steve was on set, saying, “The set PA turned to me and said, ‘Steve is here.’ … I said, ‘What?’ And I opened the door, and there he was — he was sitting in hair and makeup.”
To maintain the element of surprise, Greg went to extraordinary lengths. NBC wasn’t even told that Steve would be in the final episode. In fact, a version of the episode without Steve was filmed just in case, and the network only saw the real version a day before it aired. “Greg didn’t want NBC to spoil it with promos,” Jenna explained.
John Krasinski (who played Jim Halpert) also shared his excitement about keeping Steve’s return a secret. In an earlier interview with PEOPLE, he admitted that the cast had to lie to keep the cameo under wraps. “It was so thrilling. We all just flat-out lied. I lied to Letterman! I have to apologize to him for that at some point. It was just one of those things that we all vowed and had to protect,” he stated.
