Much has been said about The Office Australia and look, the comments haven’t all been positive. Fan culture means that people are pretty damn attached to characters and shows they love, and that goes for Steve Carell’s Michael Scott and The Office US.
Felicity Ward plays Hannah Howard, the Aussie version of Michael Scott. She’s a sort of anti-feminist icon who she describes as a “chump” and “cringy”. But she tells PEDESTRIAN.TV she doesn’t feel much pressure, because she knows The Office Australia is good.
“It’s The Office. It’s going to draw a lot of attention, and that is why I do not read the comments ma’am,” Ward jokes. “I get the protection, people don’t want something that they love so dearly to be remade. I absolutely understand that… watch a couple of episodes, and then, by all means, have an opinion.
“Some people are not going to like the show, and some people are going to like the show. And I love it. I really love it.”
Plus, if you’re a ride-or-die for Michael Scott, then you’re already a fan of a remake anyway. After all, the OG series was the British version, with Ricky Gervais playing David Brent. So, sitcom lovers should just give the Aussie show a chance!
“All fans of The Office, anyone should watch it because it’s a funny show,” she says. ‘[But] these are different shows. There’s the same hallmarks of why it’s The Office and why it’s called The Office [Australia], and there are some similar relationship dynamics. Apart from that, they’re their own beasts. They reflect their own culture.”
While Ward doesn’t read the comments, she’s aware that she, and The Office Australia, have some serious haters. But she’s not here for anyone sending hateful messages or comments to those involved… honestly, if you’re one of those people, you should touch some grass.
“They’re so angry. Look, what I would say to the haters is, I understand. I get it, and I have had things that I have loved, and when I’ve heard they’ve been remade, I’ve been very angry about it. What I haven’t done is tried to seek out the lead person of that show, or the writers or the producers I’ve made no contact with them,” she declares.
“Feel free to talk to your friends. Get the emotional support that you need.”
Besides, do you know who has their stamp of approval on the show? Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are executive producers, so surely they’re not churning out shit. Jenna Fischer, who played Pam Beesly in The Office US is also over the moon for our Aussie boss lady!
“Jenna Fischer [is] pumped. She’s so excited for it, her and Angela Kinsey (who plays Angela Martin), they are so excited about the show,” Ward spills, before hinting towards an appearance on their hit podcast Office Ladies.
The Office Australia is also the first iteration of the show to have a female boss, and Hannah Howard is much less endearing than Michael Scott.
“I think the great strength of the show is that she’s not a feminist icon, that she’s bad at her job. She’s not neurotic, but she’s an idiot, she’s incompetent, she’s a chump, she’s cringy like Michael Scott and David Brent. If anything, she sets the feminist movement back… icon behaviour, setting feminism back, big slay,” she jokes.
Its other big strength lies in just how Australian the whole sitcom is. While The Office US struggled to find its American identity in season one, The Office Australia has fully embraced who we are as a nation. Some native animals make an *interesting* appearance, and there’s an entire Melbourne Cup Day episode.
“I feel like it perfectly captures all of the subtlety and the nuance of Australian culture, and all the disgusting elements of Australian culture too,” Ward explains.
Now, I had to slip in possibly the ~cheekiest~ question Ward may have received all day, and she handled it like an absolute champ. When I ask her what the Aussie version does that’s better than its predecessors, she laughs and waves me off.
“Look, there’s no way I’m gonna say we did something better than the other versions, I’m not a fucking idiot!” she laughs. “I mean look, we did a female boss better than any other franchise, that’s what we did better.”
The Office Australia premieres on Prime Video on October 18, 2024.
Lead image: Prime Video
