‘I don’t say that as a victim, that’s just a reality’: Star of Aussie reboot of The Office answers her critics

Felicity Ward, who helms the Australian version of The Office, explains why she was expecting an ‘extra-aggressive reaction’ to the spin-off of the hit comedy because she is a woman.

As she bantered with Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement on the set of their Apple TV+ series adaptation of the 1981 Terry Gilliam film Time Bandits, Felicity Ward recalls thinking that

life really couldn’t get any better. Then her phone rang.

“It was my agent,” she tells The Binge Guide, calling with the news that she had landed the lead role in a new Australian version of beloved comedy mockumentary The Office.

“And I was like, ‘Are you f**king kidding me?’” Ward adds. “It was amazing.”

Despite her elation, the actor admits she knew such an opportunity would be highly scrutinised. Not only is Ward following in the acclaimed footsteps of Ricky Gervais’ wince-inducing David Brent in the original 2000s UK series and Steve Carell’s equally cringe-worthy Michael Scott in the US version, she’s also breaking the franchise’s glass ceiling as its first female boss.

Felicity Ward stars as Hannah Howard in The Office Australia. Picture: Supplied

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“The first thing I thought was that there will be an extra-aggressive reaction to this because I am a woman,” she says of playing Hannah Howard, the irritatingly optimistic (and inept) managing director of packaging company Finley Craddick.

“I don’t say that as a victim. That’s just a reality. You look at any comment section of any female comic. It’s always been like that.”

Even so, Ward says her casting isn’t a political statement.

Once people watch the show, they will see that Hannah “is just a chump who runs an office”, one who happens to be a woman. “I think that’s a real strength of the show,” she adds, “that there’s no signposting about it.”

Ward already has the stamp of approval from US alumni Jenna Fischer (receptionist Pam Beesly) and Angela Kinsey (accounting department head Angela Martin), who have asked her to be a guest on their podcast, Office Ladies.

Felicity Ward says stars of the US version of The Office are ‘rooting’ for the Aussie reboot to succeed. Picture: The Binge Guide

Strike a pose! Felicity Ward stars in The Office.

When she exchanged private messages with Fischer on Instagram, Ward says the actor told her, “We are so excited. We’re rooting for you,” as well as, “There is so much room in The Office world for 1000 spin-offs and 1000 remakes.”

Unlike shows that get lost in translation – such as the woefully misguided US versions of Kath & Kim and The Slap – The Office now has several branches.

The 2001 UK series, penned by Gervais and Stephen Merchant, has spawned 13 international versions already, while the US edition ran for nine seasons.

“Everyone has worked for someone where you cannot believe they got into that position of power,” Ward offers as one reason for the series’ universal appeal.

Felicity Ward is on the latest cover of The Binge Guide, out on the flip side of Stellar.

The local version will feature a mix of Aussie-centric storylines and familiar beats, like the flirtation between colleagues Greta King (Shari Sebbens) and Nick Fletcher (Steen Raskopoulos) – our Pam and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) – and the fraught interactions of socially awkward front-desk exec Lizzie Moyle (Edith Poor), a variation of Werham Hogg paper company sales rep Gareth Keenan (Mackenzie Crook) and his US counterpart, Dunder Mifflin’s Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson).

Although Ward has never worked in an office herself, she says her “undiagnosed ADHD” and innate capacity to be annoying uniquely qualify her to play Hannah.

The only part of the job she struggled with was watching how her co-stars reacted to her convincingly eyeroll-inducing performance.

“I hadn’t prepared for what it would be like to spend two-and-a-half hours looking at the faces of people who are being directed to be bored by me, have disdain for me and to look exasperated by me,” she says with a laugh.

“I’m a stand up [comedian]. I thrive on immediate reactions. So to have a sustained attack on my person was crushing … and I found myself getting more and more desperate.”

The Office premieres on Friday on Prime Video. Read the full interview with Felicity Ward in The Binge Guide, on the flip side of Stellar. For more from Stellar, click here.

Originally published as ‘I don’t say that as a victim, that’s just a reality’: Star of Aussie reboot of The Office answers her critics