John Platt-Prime Video
She’s never held a desk job, and until recently, she’d never seen a single episode of the US version of The Office. On paper, that might make Felicity Ward seem a little unqualified to take on what will no doubt be the heavily scrutinised and critiqued role of Hannah Howard in The Office Australia, the first female lead in the worldwide franchise based on the original UK TV series co-created by Ricky Gervais.
But Ward, 44, is perfect for the top job on the Australian version of The Office. She is extremely funny, both on and off screen. She also unabashedly claims to share every annoying habit and characteristic of Hannah, who heads the team at packaging company Flinley Craddick.
And while she knows there will be plenty of chatter surrounding the local adaptation, Ward is both unfazed by and understanding of it.
“I knew what I was taking on if I got the role,” she tells WHO from her home in London, where she lives with her husband and 4-year-old son.
“I know what comes with The Office territory. It’s arguably the most beloved comedy franchise of all time, the biggest comedy franchise of all time, and I know how passionate Office fans are about their particular Office and their particular cast that they love. “This is what I think about people who have strong opinions – their opinions of me are none of my business.
“Everyone has had a beloved show or a movie that has been remade and they felt scared or outraged or whatever. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“And when I was making the show, when we were filming it, it didn’t feel like I was remaking The Office. It just felt like we were making a sitcom. And every single day was like, ‘This is the greatest day of my life.’”
Ward thinks her lack of office and Office experience was an advantage in the end as it didn’t influence her approach to Hannah, who orders all her staff back to work full-time in the office to keep everyone together.
“I didn’t have to do any work because all of the character was on the page – and the character was every single annoying personality trait that I already have,” she says. “I’m not exaggerating. I’m saying every single thing that anyone has ever rolled their eyes at, told me to be quiet about, asked me to change – all of it was in the character already.”
Ward can’t wait for viewers to see what she reckons has “all the best bits of The Office that already exist and that’s very specifically Australian as well”. “I remember walking on set and looking at it going, ‘Oh, this is The Office.’ It feels weirdly like you’re part of the franchise, but it’s your own.”
Only 12 regular and three special episodes of the original British series of The Office were made, so Ward is hoping the Aussie one follows more in the footsteps of the US version, which ran for 201 episodes. Ward loves Hannah and her delusional optimism and that she is just “another deads–t boss who is a woman”.
“Feminism should be that we are allowed the mediocrity of men,” Ward says. “A female character in a sitcom, they’re usually the most competent person in the room. They can organise stuff, they’re the ones that know stuff. It’s so great being someone that is the least competent person in the room, that is actively ruining every situation, but also juxtaposing that with the optimism that she can solve something or that she’s doing the best for the team. This is not an empowering show.”
The Office Australia will be available to stream on Prime Video from October 18, 2024.
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