Idris Elba on Why ‘The Office’ Is so Loved By Younger Kids
Though there were plenty of talented actors who guest-starred on The Office, Idris Elba is among the most memorable. For a handful of episodes, the actor brought Charles Miner to life. The new Vice President of the Northeast Region of Dunder Mifflin, Charles is practically the antithesis of Michael Scott. Furthermore, he is a character that fans of The Office love to hate.
Though Elba’s tenure on The Office wasn’t a long one, he definitely has some memorable moments on the show. One of his best lines came after viewers watched Kelly and Angela swoon over him. “I am aware of the effect I have on women,” Charles says matter-of-factly. The line was made even funnier by Elba’s deadpan delivery. But just did Elba come to be on The Office?
How did Idris Elba join ‘The Office’ cast?
The Office writers were actually fans of Elba prior to him joining the cast of the hit NBC comedy. Elba’s portrayal of Stringer Bell on The Wire captured their attention. And, after seasons of referencing the HBO series on the show, they got in contact with Elba to see if he’d be interested in guest-starring on their show.
Despite playing a pretty straight character on The Office (especially in comparison to personalities like Dwight and Kevin) Elba had a lot of fun filming the show. Though he was a bit intimidated to go head-to-head with Steve Carell at first, he had no problem keeping up. In fact, The Wire alum more than held his own. It wasn’t long before he was pranking the cast and having dance battles with Carell.
The ‘Beast’ actor revealed that his fellow co-star loves the workplace comedy
Though it’s been over a decade since Elba starred in The Office, he’s still getting attention from the show. Thanks to streaming services, the series has only become more popular since it wrapped. Furthermore, newer and younger audiences continue to fall in love with the show. In a recent interview with LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, Elba got candid about his 12-year-old Beast co-star who recently fell in love with the show.
“I do actually,” Elba responded when he was asked if he heard about The Office all the time. “My co-star in the film I was just uh working — her name is Leah Jeffries, lovely little actress. She had never seen it before and she was cracking up. Uh so yeah, I’ve heard about that uh little resurgence.”
Elba believes that kids love ‘The Office’ because it’s so cringy
Continuing on, Elba explained the reason that he believes younger generations are falling in love with The Office every day. “It’s huge,” the actor shared. “It’s very funny. I mean it’s cringe drama — or comedy. It’s cringe comedy so I think kids would love it.”
We can certainly see how the over-the-top slapstick humor that The Office sometimes boasts would be something that appeals to a younger crowd. Elba is certainly correct about the show being very cringeworthy at times. And for those of us who are a little older, and appreciate more nuanced humor, the show has plenty of that also.
