Widely regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms, The Office captivated audiences with its beloved characters and countless hilarious moments. However, the series also had its share of emotional scenes that left both fans and cast members teary-eyed.
Steve Carell’s final moments in the show were no exception. Jenna Fischer, who played Pam Beasley, later shared that she became so emotional while filming her goodbye scene with Michael Scott that they had to reshoot the entire sequence.
Jenna Fischer’s emotional goodbye to Michael Scott in The Office led to a reshoot
Steve Carell’s final episode of The Office, Goodbye, Michael, is widely regarded as one of the most emotional moments in the show’s history. The episode follows the final day of Michael Scott as the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin before he leaves for Colorado to be with Holly.
One of the most heartwarming scenes occurs when Pam Beasley, played by Jenna Fischer, rushes to the airport just in time to say goodbye to Michael after he has removed his documentary mic. The heartfelt moment between the two characters resonated deeply with fans.
Talking about the episode on the An Oral History of The Office podcast, Fischer shared that director Paul Feig instructed her to run up to her co-star Carell, not as Pam, but as herself, to say her farewell.
“I ran up to Steve and I just told him all the ways I was going to miss him and how grateful I was for his friendship and the privilege of working with him,” the actress recalled as she explained that she got so emotional that she was not ready to let go.
She explained,
And I’m sobbing, and he’s sobbing, and we’re hugging and I didn’t want to let him go and I didn’t want the scene to end, and then finally Paul Feig says ‘cut’.
However, the raw intensity of the moment led the director to request another take. “He was like, ‘Jenna, that was brilliant. Can you do it again but just a little faster?’” Fischer remembered, explaining that Feig wanted to tighten up the scene while maintaining its emotional impact.
Steve Carell described his final episode on The Office as “emotional torture”
The final episode of Michael Scott in The Office also marked the end of Steve Carell’s journey on the show. And the actor, who shared a goodbye scene with each cast member, described the experience as “emotional torture.”
“It was almost more than I bargained for,” Carell admitted on the An Oral History of The Office podcast. “I had scenes with everyone in the cast and it was emotional torture because imagine saying goodbye for a week,” he said.
Carell further explained,
It was just fraught with emotion and joy and sadness and nostalgia. But it was also really beautiful. I treasure it. I treasure just doing that episode because it did allow me to kind of have a finality with everybody.
Fischer and Carell were not the only ones deeply moved by the farewell scenes. John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert, and director Paul Feig also recalled getting emotional while filming Michael Scott’s departure.
“I’m trying to figure out in real-time, why I cried so hard when we did that scene,” Krasinski recalled talking about his goodbye scene with Michael Scott.
After seven seasons, Carell’s exit left a significant void that was deeply felt by fans. However, he later reprised his beloved role as Michael Scott for a surprise appearance in the series finale.
The Office is available to watch on Peacock.
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