On Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Steve Carell revealed his exit plan for his character Michael Scott’s last day in The Office, telling Poehler how he pitched it to the show’s creator, Greg Daniels, before he left. Carell told Poehler that he knew he would exit the series about a year before he actually did. And so, he sat down with Daniels to talk through what his character’s final run could look like, admitting he wanted the ending to reflect actual change and not just another awkward moment in the headlines.
Steve Carell pitched the idea for Michael Scott’s last day in 'The Office'
On Amy Poehler’s podcast, Steve Carell talked about his character Michael Scott’s last day in The Office. He recalled telling Greg Daniels, “One thing I’m going to pitch is that the last day is not the last day,” explaining that the idea was, “Everyone thinks that they’re going to have a party for him,” but instead, “he leaves the day before because he doesn't need it.”
Carell said the point was not to make Michael Scott colder or suddenly wise. He wanted Michael to get to a place where he could say goodbye without needing to be the center of attention — and as he put it, the character would leave “on his own terms,” and he would feel “beyond being celebrated that way.”
Earlier in the conversation, Carell also broke down what drove Michael from the start and why he thinks the character resonated so strongly with viewers. He said, “It was like a dream come true for him to be in a documentary,” adding that Michael loved the idea of people watching and admiring him. Carell told Poehler, “I think so much of who he is was about being loved.”
Additionally, he echoed Michael’s famous line, “I want people to be afraid of how much they love me,” by telling the host, “I wouldn't even say respect. I think he just wanted to be loved.”
Poehler later brought up Michael’s airport goodbye with Pam and asked what Carell whispered to Jenna Fischer. Carell said, “I leaned in,” joking he spoke gibberish “just to make it look like I was saying something,” before adding, “No, we had a very emotional shared moment.”
Steve Carell wanted Michael Scott to earn the goodbye in The Office, and he definitely did.
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