Steve Carell’s The Office made generations of fans laugh with their simplistic but funniest portrayal of a paper company in Scranton. Neither Michael Scott nor his staff were the normal kind of office people, but the series tried to maintain the authenticity of the setting.
The Office creators resorted to one simple way to ensure this during the first few seasons. They didn’t allow any of the hair and makeup artists on the set as they wanted the actors to be in their authentic office worker roles.
The revelation comes from fan-favorite actor Brian Baumgartner, who played Kevin Malone in the series. However, Baumgartner shared that as the series progressed, the rules became lax and actors wanted their hair and makeup done for the scenes.
Steve Carell’s The Office Maintained Authenticity With One Rule
The first few seasons of Steve Carell‘s The Office didn’t allow any hair and makeup people on the set. Brian Baumgartner shared this nugget from The Office BTS with Joe Vulpis of the Lightweights Podcast. During a recent episode of the podcast, Baumgartner went into detail about his time on the NBC hit sitcom and even addressed the new spin-off.
He recalled during the podcast that Jenna Fischer often brought along a compact, which she kept on her desk to apply some powder on her desk. The rules on the set to avoid hair and makeup helped make everybody look like they worked at a paper company in Scranton.
When the host asked about Kevin’s straightened hair look from the later seasons, Baumgartner admitted that things changed over time. He shared on the Lightweights Podcast:
The biggest thing I remember was they did not allow hair and makeup people on set during the day generally. Jenna talks about this and I remember that she had a compact in her desk to [put] some powder on her face.
But they didn’t want hair and makeup people coming in. They wanted everybody to look like they worked in a paper company in Scranton. […] Now this changed over time.
Baumgartner also revealed another reason why the series did away with the hair and makeup in the first season. He shared that they had to film a lot of B-roll footage before the actual filming began. This meant that the actors had to be done with their hair and makeup by 6:30 am in the morning. It was a mountainous task since The Office set didn’t have 12 hair and 12 makeup people for all the cast members.
Brian Baumgartner Addressed The Office Sequel Which Is Currently In Development
Brian Baumgartner confirmed that The Office sequel series will not be set at Dunder-Mifflin. He shared that it was not going to be the same characters from the original series and added that he wasn’t contacted for any part in the series. Interestingly, Baumgartner shared that the new series cannot be described as a spin-off or reboot of the original series.
The Other Black Girl actor revealed that the series would be a story set in “the universe of The Office.” He added that Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, who are spearheading the new series, are still in the stage of figuring out the project. However, Baumgartner is ready to jump at the chance of joining the series, even if it is a very minor role. He shared:
They’re still to some degree figuring out what that is. It’s not really a spin-off or a reboot. It is… what are they calling it now? In the style of… In the world of… In the universe… Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, a brilliant writer, are spearheading. If Greg asks me to do anything, if he wants me to come and make food for them during lunch, I’ll do whatever Greg says.
They have announced it now so I can say it’s not set in Dunder Mifflin. It is not going to be the same characters, in the same environment.
Recently, the potential title of the new series was revealed when Daniels’ bio page on the WGA website showed him as the showrunner of The Paper. Domhnall Gleeson of About Time fame and Sabrina Impacciatore of The White Lotus fame will be the new leads.
The Paper is scheduled for the 2024-25 season on Peacock, where The Office is currently streaming.
