The saga of a potential reboot of The Office continues to unfold. The latest development? Ellie Kemper would totally be down to revisit Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
“I think that would be a lot of fun!” Kemper told E! News of reprising her role as Erin Hannon. “I don’t know if everyone would, so I don’t know if it would ever happen, but I would!”
More: We Talked With Jane Krakowski About Her Womance With Ellie Kemper
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star has nothing but fond memories of her time playing the office receptionist, saying, “It was so cool to play a character that was so excited about everything that was happening to her. She got a fancy job and an office, answering phones, doing her boss’ errands: I think that was a thrill for her. She, sort of like Kimmy, has this wavering enthusiasm for life, which is fun to play.”
Ellie Kemper's Erin Hannon was a bright spot of The Office's twilight years http://t.co/64MCJqPcGMpic.twitter.com/ZrJ2jOL1es
— The A.V. Club (@TheAVClub) August 31, 2015
It’s been five years in real time since fans last saw Erin, though. So, what might the character be doing if The Office ever did return? “I feel like she’s doing something well and she’s excited to be doing it. Maybe she’s in Chicago,” Kemper mused.
More: Steve Carell Returns to TV in a New Series With Jennifer Aniston & Reese Witherspoon
Of course, despite Kemper’s support for the possibility, a reboot seems unlikely given the recent comments of a key actor in the series: Steve Carell. Earlier in October, Carell told Esquire that he simply didn’t think The Office would translate well.
“[I]t might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted ten years ago,” Carell said. “The climate’s different.”
He continued, “I mean, the whole idea of that character, Michael Scott, so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behavior. I mean, he’s certainly not a model boss. A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded. That’s the point, you know? But I just don’t know how that would fly now.”
He’s not without a point either.
In the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, there’s a growing level of intolerance for the type of inappropriate behavior Michael Scott was famous for. “There’s a very high awareness of offensive things today — which is good, for sure,” Carell noted. “But at the same time, when you take a character like that too literally, it doesn’t really work.”
Having said that, there’s no denying fans still get starry-eyed nostalgic over the idea of a reboot. For that matter, so do other cast members (like Kemper).
In January, Jenna Fischer — who played fan-favorite Pam — told press at the 2018 TCA winter press tour that she certainly wasn’t opposed to returning to the role that made her a household name.
"You want to watch #TheOffice again?!" pic.twitter.com/aZu8OQUhyL
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) October 10, 2018
More: How Jenna Fischer & John Krasinski Reacted to The Office Reboot News
“I think the idea of an Office revival is — I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “I would be honored to come back in any way that I’m able to. I loved playing that character, and as long as Greg Daniels is the person in charge and the visionary behind it, then I would absolutely be up for it.”
And in the rare chance the reboot does happen, Pam would be reunited with her coworker-turned-love-interest-turned-husband, Jim. In February, actor John Krasinski said he’d “love to get that gang back together.”
Leave a Comment