Domhnall Gleeson is preparing himself for one of his most important roles to date. The Harry Potter and Ex-Machina actor is set to play the lead in the upcoming The Office reboot/spin-off, The Paper, exclusively premiering on Peacock this September. While it’s inevitable to try and find some of the Dunder Mifflin magic in everything that has come after the NBC series, Gleeson considers it a “massive mistake” to make his character compete with those previously portrayed by Steve Carell and Ricky Gervais.
Gleeson spoke to People magazine during the premiere of his new film co-starring Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney, Echo Valley. The conversation quickly segued into the actor’s upcoming TV endeavor, the reboot created by Greg Daniels, who was also the showrunner of the U.S. version of The Office. Not much is known about the spin-off except that it follows the personnel working at a struggling Ohio newspaper, a radically different storyline from the original. Naturally, viewers will try to see the similarities between the two shows, but Gleeson doesn’t agree with this:
“I don’t think my character’s like Michael Scott at all. I think if you’re trying to compete with what Steve did or with what Ricky Gervais did, I think it would be a massive mistake. They are geniuses who are incredible in loads of different ways. We made a whole new character. And it’s a whole new sort of set up, but I hope people will find a reason to love him as well, just in a different way than they did the guys before.”
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Gleeson comes from a family of actors. His brother is Brian Gleeson, known for playing Jimmy McCavern in the TV show Peaky Blinders. He also had minor roles in features like Logan Lucky, Snow White and the Huntsman and 2019’s Hellboy. Their father is Brendan Gleeson, the Academy Award-nominated actor of The Banshees of Inisherin, who also played Mad-Eye in the Harry Potter film series. Talent runs in the bloodline, and Domhnall explains they’ve been nothing but supportive throughout his career:
“They’re amazing people, but also my mother, who’s not in the industry, my two other brothers who are not involved in acting, we all support each other and offer advice if it’s requested all the time, but no, it’s more about support. I’m lucky to be a part of a family that looks after each other. And, so yeah, no, never without asking, but they’re good people to turn to in a crisis too.”
Does ‘The Paper’ Have Any Shot at Success?
NBC
According to Gleeson’s statement, The Paper is its own thing. Although Oscar Nuñez (the only original character from The Office who’s returning) will be there to remind viewers that both shows take place in the same universe, there’s no confirmation whether the humor will be similar to that of The Office. The NBC classic often overstepped the boundaries of what was politically correct at the time, and while some jokes would not land well today, it remains a fan-favorite sitcom precisely because of that. They don’t make them like they used to.
The Paper does have a shot at success, but it won’t be easy. The characters must be well-designed and compelling. The humor must be fresh while navigating the rocky territory of today’s more sensitive comedy landscape. In any case, Gleeson is right to tell everyone not to compare Michael Scott to anyone who comes after the classic regional manager of Dunder Mifflin. The actor has a challenge of his own, and that is to shine above all the other iterations of The Office that were made after the television giant of the 2000s.
Source: People
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