Sabrina Impacciatore says she had a touching encounter with OG Office boss Steve Carell before he and John Krasinski later crashed the set of upcoming spin-off The Paper.
"I bought a flight," Impacciatore told Entertainment Weekly, explaining that she flew to New York City to see Steve Carell in Uncle Vanya on Broadway. "I went to see the show. I went to the green room. I waited for him. He came out. I was shaking. I said, 'I'm Sabrina! Can you bless me?' I needed his blessing [for The Paper]! He was the sweetest. He was so warm. He was encouraging me so much. He said, ‘These people are brilliant. You are going to have the best experience of your life. You're going to be great.'"
Set in the same universe as the original American series, The Paper follows the documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch as they happen upon a historic Toledo newspaper, The Truth Teller, and the eager publisher attempting to revive it. The Office spin-off was developed by OG creator Greg Daniels, Nathan For You co-creator Michael Koman, and executive producer Ricky Gervais.
Impacciatore plays Esmeralda Grand, described as the "manipulative narcissistic fabulist" managing editor of TTT Online. After new editor-in-chief Ned (Domhnall Gleeson), arrives to restart TTT, Esmeralda gets a demotion... and vows to undermine him at every turn. Impacciatore says Carell and Krasinski stopped by to wish the cast good luck on their very first day of filming.
"No makeup yet. We are very anxious. Like, oh my God, we're so scared. And then we hear, knock, knock. Someone enters the trailer, and it's Steve Carell and John Krasinski!" She recounted, explaining that the two were filming a coffee commercial next door. "We’re fainting. Like, what? Can you imagine? Isn’t it crazy? The first day of shooting!"
The cast includes Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, Eric Rahill, Duane Shepard Sr., Allan Havey, Nate Jackson, Mo Welch, Molly Ephraim, and Tracy Letts. Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nuñez), the same Oscar from the original series, also stars (no idea how he got from Scranton to Toledo, though).
The Paper is set to hit NBC and Peacock on September 4. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming in 2025 and beyond.
