Jenna Fischer Shares That Amy Adams Almost Wasn’t Cast in ‘The Office’ Because “They Looked Too Much Alike”
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Jenna Fischer recently revealed some behind-the-scenes facts about The Office, explaining that Amy Adams almost didn’t get the role of Katy Moore, the purse saleswoman in the Season 1 episode “Hot Girl.” Fischer shared that the casting team was hesitant at first because they thought Adams looked too much like her.
On the Office Ladies podcast, which she co-hosts with Angela Kinsey, Fischer explained that Adams wasn’t the original choice for Katy. Another actress was cast and filmed for a day, but the team decided she wasn’t the right fit.
Adams was then brought in and quickly proved she was perfect for the part. Fischer recalled, “She was so seamlessly Katy. She improvised a lot, and much of her dialogue made it into the episode.”
However, there was some resistance to casting Adams because of her resemblance to Fischer. One writer reportedly said, “We can’t cast her. She’s like Jenna 2.0.” In the end, Adams was hired, and the writers leaned into the similarity by adding a line where Michael Scott (Steve Carell) refers to Katy as “Pam 6.0,” a playful nod to the real-life casting debate.
Katy became a fan-favorite character, appearing again in Season 2’s episodes “The Fire” and “Booze Cruise” as Jim Halpert’s love interest. Her storyline ended when Jim followed his heart and pursued Pam, eventually leading to their wedding in Season 6.
These stories were shared during the new version of Fischer and Kinsey’s podcast, Office Ladies Second Drink, which includes fresh insights and guest appearances from cast members like Steve Carell, John Krasinski, and Mindy Kaling.
Adams’s role on The Office was one of her early career highlights before she became a Hollywood star. She’s now receiving praise for her performance in Nightbitch, a surreal black comedy that’s earned her a Golden Globe nomination and sparked Oscar buzz.
You can listen to the full episode here:
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