Steve Carell made it look too easy.
That simple fact is why The Office star was never awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series throughout his seven-season run, according to one of the show’s most prolific directors, Paul Feig.
The Bridesmaids director explained his take during his appearance on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly On The Wall podcast on Thursday. “The reason why comedy doesn’t win awards” is the same reason Carell never won an Emmy for The Office, he said.
“Because if you’re good, you make it look effortless,” he explained. “We all know there’s nothing worse than sweaty comedy, you know, and you see it all the time—somebody just working so hard” for the laugh. For Carell, he continued, “It looks easy. He’s not trying.”
Carell was Emmy-nominated for his role as Michael Scott every year from 2006 through 2011. The first year, The Office won the Outstanding Comedy Series award. He went on to lose out on the award each year to the lead actors of Entourage and Extras, and then 30 Rock and Big Bang Theory. Feig said that Carell’s ability to make his role look “effortless” is something most comedic actors have to work at.
“Bless them, the day players who come in, and you hire them, and it’s ‘Oh, they’re so funny in the audition’— all I’m ever doing is like, ‘Take it down, take it down.’ And I get it, this is your one moment to shine,” but it can weaken the magic of a great comedy moment, he continued.
Spade told Feig that he’d had similar experiences on Saturday Night Live: “Even SNL hosts, their publicist will warn us ahead of time, ‘They’re so funny, and they can’t wait to show you the funniness.’ We’re like, ‘Just stand there, we’ll just steer you around.’”
Referring to over-eager hosts, Feig added, “There’s been no better place I’ve seen people eat it than on SNL."
