In 2011, Will Ferrell had a short-lived role on NBC’s The Office as Deangelo Vickers, the assigned replacement branch manager for when Steve Carell’s Michael Scott moves to Colorado. He had a four-episode run which did not impress the critics.
The actor’s appearance was part of the show’s farewell tribute to Carell as he departed from the long-running series. While Ferrell’s guest spot helped boost ratings, it did not leave a good impression on the viewers.
Will Ferrell’s Guesting in The Office Felt Underwhelming for Critics
It’s hard to imagine The Office without Steve Carell. The actor and his iconic character helped build the series’ foundation, and his absence was tremendously felt throughout the succeeding episodes. The comedian made the conscious choice of leaving the franchise to focus on his family and explore new projects.
As soon as the news came out, fans were devastated. But, fellow actor Will Ferrell saw this as an opportunity to do a simple cameo in the show. Since they are friends in real life, he thought it would be a nice idea. In an interview with CinemaBlend, the Spirited actor shared a “superfan trivia”:
I knew it was Steve’s last season, and I just reached out to my agents going, ‘I’d love to just do a cameo on The Office, because I know Steve.’ And they were like, ‘Okay, they’re excited. They love it. What about a four-show arc?’ [Laughs] I was like, ‘Of course, this will be so much fun.’
He appeared in four episodes of The Office, but it was not well-received by the critics. A review from TIME Magazine called Ferrell’s guesting a “disappointing” one. They noted that the problem lies in the inconsistency of the character. Meanwhile, A.V. Club said that Deangelo Vickers was “entirely uninteresting” and did not have a particular purpose in the show.
It’s sad that many fans did not appreciate Ferrell’s role. This could be attributed to the terrible writing of his character since the actor delivered a great performance playing the extremely annoying and incompetent manager. It might also be due to the void that Michael Scott left when Carell departed from the show.
Will Ferrell Confessed Feeling Like an Outsider in The Office
Ferrell got candid in his conversation on the Office Ladies podcast and admitted that he felt those last few days on the set were packed with mixed emotions. He was only a guest actor there, but he came in at the same time Carell was about to leave.
“I didn’t talk to many people on the set,” he shared, “because those last shows were emotionally charged and you guys were all having a moment.” Somehow, the actor had a feeling that he should not be there. “There was a big part of me was like, I just really felt like an outsider,” he confessed.
It’s no one’s fault, though, because they had to wrap up Michael Scott’s story. As mentioned, Ferrell’s character had a bit of an issue with the fans.
The Office is currently available to watch on Prime Video.
