Steve Carell says filming his farewell from The Office was ’emotional torture’ but ‘beautiful’

Steve Carell has given us plenty of memorable performances over the years, but none so dear as Michael Scott in The Office.

The Golden Globe winner left the show in its seventh season, which turned out to be an emotional moment for fans.

He recently revealed that it was even more painful for him, as he discussed the ’emotional torture’ of filming his farewell episode of the NBC sitcom.

The 58-year-old opened up Tuesday to former co-star Brian Baumgartner on Spotify’s podcast An Oral History of The Office.

He said: ‘It was almost more than I bargained for… I had [goodbye] scenes with everyone in the cast and it was emotional torture. 

‘It was like just fraught with emotion… and joy and sadness and nostalgia. But it was also really beautiful. I’d like treasure just doing that episode because it did allow me to kind of have a finality with everybody.’    

Carell starred as the often problematic manager of paper company Dunder Mifflin, from the show’s premiere in 2005, until he departed in 2011.

He would later reunite with his co-stars in the series finale of its nine-season run, which concluded in 2013.

Jenna Fischer (who starred as Pam Beesly) also opened about her emotional experience on Carell’s farewell episode, which was entitled Goodbye, Michael.

Their goodbye scene took place in an airport, as Michael moved to Colorado, but director Paul Feig opted not to include sound, so the actors could say what they wanted. 

She recounted: ‘I ran up to Steve, and I just told him all the ways I was going to miss him and how grateful I was for his friendship and the privilege of working with him.

‘And I’m sobbing, and he’s sobbing, and we’re hugging, and I didn’t want to let him go, and I didn’t want the scene to end.’

Fischer currently hosts her own Office podcast Office Ladies, along with former co-star Angela Kinsey (who played Angela Martin). 

The Office is available to stream on Netflix.