The paper cast had surprising creative control over their characters [Exclusive]

Dunder Mifflin is no longer, but do not let it be upset, because Ervatation employees – a company based in Ohio which is unleashed in everything, from the sale of toilet paper to the newspapers – are worthy successors. After years of anticipation (and perhaps even to worry), we are pleased to announce that “The Paper”, the Peacock spin-off of “The Office”, is an absolute delight, and we can attribute part of the quality of the program to the distribution members bringing their own ideas to the table.

In an interview with / film, Melvin Gregg, who plays the advertising seller / voluntary journalist from the Truth Teller’s series series, revealed that the creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman have encouraged distribution members to shape the personalities of their characters – and that paid. In his own words:

“I wanted to specifically go against the type. I had the impression of having been thrown according to the idea of ​​people of me many times, and that stands out from previous work. So things mix in a way, in a sense. And with this project, I had more freedom on the character. As, when we had the breakdown in hearing, there was no decomposition – it was just the case.

It is rare that the support players of a program have so many contributions on their characters, but Daniels’ work comedies are known to allow their actors to contribute ideas that may not be in the original script. “The Paper” is only the latest example of this approach in action.

Greg Daniels’ workplace comedies work like living and breathable ecosystems. Even when the scenario is not focused on certain characters, they always have a role to play in the background; Whether they make photocopies, respond to calls or have post-notes, it gives the impression that they are real people who make their days. These scenes are often improvised also, and they have led some of the actors to become a large part of the story of their show.

For example, during the shooting of a scene on “The Office”, the creators of the series asked Jenna Fischer to give pieces of paper to her co-stars, allowing her to write everything she wanted on them. His idea? To invite her character, PAM colleagues to a birthday party for Angela’s cat (Angela Kinsey). Everyone found him hilarious, and Angela’s love for cats was inscribed in the show thereafter. In addition, Leslie David Baker’s experience on “The Office” was similar to that of Melvin Gregg on “The Paper”, with the actor revealing that the casting has more or less created their characters. As he said once behind the scenes:

“We were never really told who were our characters in terms of hope, wishes, dreams, ambitions, hobbies. We can add these ingredients to our characters as you go. That makes a big difference.”

The series derived from Daniels and Michael Schur almost “Office”, “Parks and Recreation”, favored a similar -free environment in a creative way, and it was by design. The actors of the show received enough structure to switch from A to B, but the creators of the series encouraged them to fill the whites with their own contributions, whether they are main stars or support players. With “The Paper”, Daniels has shown that this formula is still working, and maybe a long time.

Season 1 “The Paper” is now streaming on Peacock.