Fans of “The Office” probably won’t be surprised to hear that line from the NBC sitcom that has been trailing its longtime star Steve Carell more than 10 years after the finale.
During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of the “Office Ladies” podcast hosted by former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, Carell revealed her character Michael Scott’s most enduring quote.
“‘That’s what he said,'” said Carell.
Speaking to his former co-stars, Carell said that people would sometimes stop and ask him to say lines into his phone. That’ll do it for any line – but that one. “I’m happy to do it, but when they say, ‘Can you say that?’ I can’t,” he said.
Carell’s character would often say a line after an innocent remark that could be interpreted with sexual overtones.
As for whether “She Said It” lives up to the cast? Carell said that he never repeats this line in his personal life. Fisher, who played Pam Beesly on the show, said she repeatedly “throws them out”.
The beloved NBC series, which aired from 2005 to 2013, was known for its documentary-style filming, with actors often breaking the fourth wall by looking directly into the camera during a scene. This habit was difficult for the “Morning Show” star to kick off in her next projects.
“I’ve never had a job where I haven’t looked into a camera at some point,” he said.
He pointed to his Oscar-nominated role as John du Pont in “Foxcatcher” as a time when he might have slipped up and gone back to his Michael Scott ways.
“I’m sure on ‘Foxcatcher’ I looked into the camera and went, ‘No, you can’t comment on what you did because it’s not a show.'”
Carell said that the act of stealing glances at the camera was “a kind of learned force” and commended Amy Adams, who starred in the show as handbag saleswoman Katy Moore, for her ability to maneuver the camera.
“You can never be too smart, especially in the beginning,” he said. “You couldn’t play it well enough. You needed to have an awareness of it without being overly aware of it.”
The show ran for nine seasons before finally coming to an end a decade ago. Carell’s character first departed during season seven.
While the send-off was “a very emotional thing”, Carell said he was ready to say goodbye.
He added, “It was time for other characters to step to the forefront and drive other stories.” “The timing was right, I think for everyone. But at the same time there’s a sense of joy for me that we experienced it all and … I was getting the chance to adopt with everyone else,” he said. .
