What The Office Advice Did John Krasinski Give The Paper's Domhnall Gleeson?
Before joining The Paper, Domhnall Gleeson got some advice from The Office alums.
New details are emerging about The Paper, the upcoming mocumentary set in the same universe as The Office (now streaming on Peacock) from Greg Daniels (co-creator of the American The Office) and Michael Koman (Nathan For You). The series follows the same documentary crew after leaving the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and arriving in Toledo, Ohio, home of The Toledo Truth Teller, a failing midwestern newspaper.
There, viewers will run into at least one friendly The Office face in the form of Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez). Oscar is a relatively new addition to the Truth Teller team, alongside an all new cast of characters hoping to revive the ailing rag under the guidance of a publisher played by Domhnall Gleeson.
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Gleeson was filming Fountain of Youth, a new action adventure from director Guy Ritchie, alongside The Office star John Krasinski, when the offer for The Paper came through. Fortunately, Krasinski pulled through with some solid advice and Gleeson took the job.
Domhnall Gleeson got advice from The Office stars John Krasinski and Steve Carell before joining The Paper
For an actor, there are few more important decisions than the projects they choose to work on. That’s especially true when it comes to a TV series with the potential to run for years. With that in mind, before signing onto The Paper, Gleeson reached out to Krasinski, as well as another The Office alum: Michael Scott himself, Steve Carell, who Gleeson worked with on the 2022 FX series The Patient.
“Even though we’re very different actors, I felt like our working methods were very similar,” Gleeson told US Weekly of working with Carell. “I felt very close to him on that, and I’d asked Steve, and then on this [Fountain of Youth], I asked John as well because it was right at the time when I was making the decision. And it’s a big thing, you know?”
According to Gleeson, Carell was encouraging and Krasinski was the same, suggesting that any chance to work with Greg Daniels on such an iconic series was worth taking.
“John was just the same as Steve. It was basically, like, ‘You have to do it. It’s a chance to work with Greg Daniels, who’s one of the comedic masterminds of the last few decades.’ And they just said, ‘If he’s the one doing it, you need to work with him and because you’ll enjoy it. It’ll be fun.’ Both said basically exactly the same thing and were incredibly helpful and supportive with it,” Gleeson said. “And they were right. I’m so, so happy to be a part of it. Working with Greg was a thrill, and Michael Cohen, our other showrunner, is just brilliant.”
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Krasinski recalled the same moment on set in a conversation with Screen Rant, noting that Gleeson was nervous at the prospect of jumping into the world of The Office. “He was so sweet. We were in Cairo when he told me about it, and he was adorably nervous to talk to me about it, and he was like, "I think I might do this thing. What do you think?" And it was a unanimous, "Yes." Because it's really one thing, which is Greg Daniels. If Greg Daniels is involved and he's excited, then get on board, because Greg is the heart and soul of that show. And we all follow Greg anywhere, and still would,” Krasinski said.
In the end, Gleeson made his way to The Paper, with a little help from his friends. We’ll all get to join in on the fun when The Paper premieres on Peacock this September.
In the meantime, you can watch the entirety of The Office and the superfan extended cuts, streaming right now on Peacock.
