India, March 26 -- When Steve Carell first considered auditioning for The Office, the odds were stacked against him, and the show itself. A remake of Ricky Gervais' cult British series, the American version was widely dismissed as unnecessary, even doomed. In fact, many in the industry advised Steve to stay far away.

Appearing on Amy Poehler's podcast Good Hang, Steve recalled the hesitation surrounding the show at the time. Even Amy admitted she initially thought, "This is a terrible idea. No one can be as good as Ricky Gervais, no one can do that show." It was a sentiment echoed across Hollywood, where expectations for the remake were low at best.

Back then, Steve was filming Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) alongside Paul...