‘The Office’ Alums Reunite at ‘The Paper’ Premiere as Spinoff Cast Share How They Landed Their Roles: ‘It Was the Most Difficult Audition in My Entire Existence’

The Harmony Gold movie theater in Hollywood bore unusual signage last Wednesday evening. In the shadow of Sunset Boulevard’s billboards promoting Peacock‘s upcoming “The Office” spinoff, “The Paper,” the theater was labeled the Toledo Truth Tower — in homage to the new show’s central setting.

Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, “The Paper” follows the staff of a dying local Ohio newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller, as a new editor-in-chief tries to revive its journalistic prowess. It’s set in the same universe as “The Office,” and the documentary crew that followed Dunder Mifflin has now arrived at the Truth Teller’s doorstep, looking to cover a new set of subjects.

Koman explained that the tie makes sense both comedically and narratively. “You could have the exact same documentary crew that made the first documentary looking for a new subject,” he told Variety on the red carpet. “The documentary crews are characters in the show, and they would be looking for a brand new subject. They would not be looking to repeat themselves.”

The concept for the spinoff originated with Daniels, who created U.S. version of “The Office” in 2005. Then, Koman recalled, “He did me the tremendous honor of inviting me to work on this with him. He ran an idea to do a documentary-style show about a newspaper by me, and I just liked it immediately. I love two things: documentary-style comedy and the premise of people working at a struggling newspaper to kind of try to freeze life.” That was enough to get him on board, but Daniels sweetened the deal by saying the series would have a connection to “The Office”; Koman was sold.

“The Paper,” which begins streaming on Sept. 4, stars Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciator, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Eric Rahill, Tim Key, Allan Havey, Nate Jackson and Oscar Nuñez, who reprises his role as Dunder Mifflin accountant Oscar Martinez from “The Office.”

Gleeson anchors the cast as overzealous new editor-in-chief Ned Sampson. “I was really lucky in that Michael and Greg just offered it to me,” he said, explaining how Daniels and Koman hired him for the part. “They sent the script and asked me if I’d be into it. I loved the script. I could see that it was different. It was like a new show. It wasn’t a remake or anything like that. I loved what they were trying to do. So, I signed up.”

To get into the character of a Midwestern newspaperman, the Irish actor, best known for roles in blockbuster franchises such as “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter,” traveled to Ohio and met with real newspaper editors. “I went to Cincinnati; I went to Columbus; I went to Toledo,” Gleeson said. “I hung out with loads of great journalists and great editors and asked them questions. They gave me their time and were incredibly generous. They talked about how they felt about where journalism is at the moment and what it’s like to be involved.”

On the other hand, Impacciatore, who plays Truth Teller managing editor Esmeralda Grand, had one of the more chaotic routes towards joining “The Paper.” The Italian actor, best known for “The White Lotus,” had just wrapped filming a movie in South Africa when she was invited to audition. “It was the most difficult audition in my entire existence,” Impacciatore said. Not only did she have 24 hours to learn pages of English dialogue during her flight back to Rome, but she’d never seen the original show. “I watched for the first time in my life on the plane. Can you imagine?” During the audition, Impacciatore said she “forgot everything and blacked out,” only to learn a few days later that she’d cracked up the producers and secured the role.

Rahill, who plays blue-collar Truth Teller employee-turned-journalist Travis, booked a gig in the writers’ room first; then, during auditions, he started to read for the role. After four rounds, “Greg had the cast at the final table read and the cast took a picture together,” Rahill recalled. “[Then] Greg said, ‘Why don’t you go get in that picture?’” signaling that he had secured the part. Likewise, Ikumelo and Edelman also serve as writers, in addition to playing Truth Teller accountants Adelola Olofin and Adam Cooper, respectively.

Impacciatore’s novice relationship with “The Office” aside, the cast and crew embraced the opportunity to pay homage to the sitcom while also acknowledging that “The Paper” has something new to say. Nobody knows this better than Nuñez, who is the only regular from “The Office” to return for the spinoff.

“I think they’re generally happy for me,” Nuñez said about his former co-stars, adding that he mostly keeps in touch with Brian Baumgartner, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey and Rainn Wilson, as well as Daniels, who pitched him on Oscar’s potential return on “The Paper” over a casual, routine lunch.

Might some of those other stars show up in future episodes of the spinoff? “It would have to make sense. I think Paul Lieberstein [who played Toby Flenderson] might make sense,” Nuñez said, then joked: “But it might not happen, because then I’d have to share the spotlight.”

Lieberstein, who also directed an episode of “The Paper,” was in attendance for the premiere event, as were fellow “Office” alums Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery and Ellie Kemper, who eagerly supported the expansion of the TV world they helped build.

Since “The Office” aired its finale in 2013, it’s been said that a show like it could not be made today. “The Paper” challenges that notion directly, executive producer Ben Silverman said: “Here we are, making something like ‘The Office.’ You’re gonna feel uncomfortable and you’re gonna laugh at the wrong spot, and you’re gonna look at your partner sitting next to you and go, ‘Was it OK that I laughed?’ but it’s OK.”