The Weird Reason Why Office Cast (Unlike Fans) Welcomed Steve Carell's Departure

Summary

• Steve Carell's departure from The Office in Season 7 wasn't as devastating for his co-stars as it was for fans.
• The reason for this was the actor's peculiarity, which made the cast and crew uncomfortable on set.
• Dwight Schrute's star, Rainn Wilson, hilariously recounted this in his memoir.

Greg Daniels' The Office has carved out a special niche in the hearts of millions of viewers and continues to do so despite the fact that its finale aired over a decade ago. The sitcom continues to draw massive audiences on major streaming platforms and has long since earned the title of the show you can binge-watch in any situation or mood.

The secret to its charm is undoubtedly the quirky yet relatable characters that populate the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. Chief among them is Steve Carell's Michael Scott, who has a tendency to go from the most hated to the most loved character in a single episode.

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Whether you love Michael or hate him, you have to admit that he was the heart and soul of the sitcom, and his departure in Season 7 left a void that the creators struggled to fill. But it looks like Steve Carell's colleagues weren't as devastated by his departure as the fans. The reason is rather bizarre.

Steve Carell's Peculiarity

Although Steve Carell was the brightest presence on the set, he never tried to steal the spotlight or do anything to upset the people who worked with him. On the contrary, everyone admired him and was sad to see him go.

But the actor had a quirk that made life uncomfortable for others: he grappled with excessive sweating.

Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute, described in his memoir, The Bassoon King, how Carell's tendency to sweat profusely, especially in warmer temperatures or moments of nervousness, created discomfort on set.

'Steve Carell has some very active sweat glands,' Wilson wrote (via CheatSheet). 'When the temperature would get hot or he would get nervous, he would erupt like Vesuvius and there would be a flash flood of sweat down his face.'

Source of Constant Suffering

Of course, this didn't look good on camera. So to mitigate this, the crew maintained a chilly 64-degree Fahrenheit environment whenever Carell was present, ensuring a constant state of cold for the entire cast. This adjustment proved especially taxing for the female members of the cast, who had to endure the discomfort of thin office attire in the frigid setting.

The temperature wars were reportedly no less heated than the chairs vs. copiers argument between The Office characters. Fortunately, popularity has its perks, and in time, a solution to the problem was found.

'Over the years, as the show got more and more luxurious, eventually the women of The Office got space heaters, which were surreptitiously placed under their desks to help with the arctic acting conditions,' Wilson wrote.

Still, the return to normal, comfortable temperatures on set certainly eased Steve Carell's departure from the sitcom for his co-stars.

Source: CheatSheet.