A new version of the classic comedy series The Office has arrived our TVs and people are mad because the boss is a woman.
The Office Australia, based on Ricky Gervais’ winning The Office format has arrived on Amazon Prime.
The actor playing the new incarnation of the David Brent character initially played by Gervais says people aren’t happy that it delivers a female lead.
10 years after the United States version of the British series ended, Australia has made its own version with Felicity Ward in the role that Steve Carrell made his own as Michael Scott in the US version of The Office.
Other franchises have been made in Canada, Greece, India, Sweden and Poland.
Australian comedian Ward, 44, plays hapless Hannah Howard in the 13th version but she says had tried to avoiding the haters on social media.
On being given the role, Ward said: “It’s so exciting and so terrifying. I’ve just had every single feeling and emotion about it.
“When I got the job, I just cried because I was so happy. To get the lead in any sitcom is very, very exciting, but to get to be a part of The Office ! It’s like forever, I will be a part of The Office .
“Whatever happens from now on, I was in The Office . Like call your mum, you know what I mean? And then five minutes later, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna get f***ing dragged by the internet.
“They’re really gonna come for me.’
“And so I do not get involved in the Internet at all. It’s none of my business. I don’t read comments, articles, headlines, nothing. Not for me. Not for my eyes.”
“By gender flipping some characters this seems a strangely misogynistic,” one fan suggested.
“The actors look terrible, they’re not supposed to look like they’re acting…” Another person commented on YouTube.
“They look and sound like they are trying too hard to be funny. There doesn’t feel like there’s the candidness of a documentary either,” another said.
Some fans were hopeful the show would deliver in its own right, despite the heavy burden of comparison it carried.
“I will give this a chance because I want to support Australian actors but I’m worried. I’m very, very worried,” another said.
Ward’s message is, Don’t Hate Me I’m Just The Incompetent Office manager.
She said: “Here is an exercise: Go on YouTube or Google literally any stand-up comedian that is a woman and then read the comments.
“So that’s gonna happen with this. Of course, this is gonna happen. There’s some angry people out there.
“And so of course they’re gonna come for me because it’s a double whammy because it’s The Office and because I’m a woman and I don’t say that as a victim. It’s just like the facts.
“I’ve been a stand-up comedian for 16 years. I’ve had this sh*t before, like that just exists.
“Also, I know what it is to love something and have it remade and feel furious about it. Now that sounds insane to me saying out loud, but I absolutely have felt furious about some things.
“Point Break is my favourite film of all time, love Point Break . Why would you touch Point Break if it’s a perfect film? And then they remade it, and I was angry.
“What I didn’t do is get on the Internet and hunt down the lead actors to try to make them understand how awful they are. That’s the madness. I get the anger, but call a friend, you know what I’m saying?”
Ward says people hated the idea of an American version of The Office but came to love it.
“With the American Office , this exact same thing happened 20 years ago,” she said.
“The American Office came out and people were mad. They were like, ‘You can’t touch this British legacy comedy, it’s an institution.’ And it is.
“For the first series, they were using British scripts and then when they started writing their own stories, it turned into literally the most beloved comedy of all time.
“It’s a different show. It’s just not the same thing. We’ve got all original scripts, all original characters, all original story lines.
“We’re just having the same thing that the American Office had 20 years ago.”
All eight episodes of the series will be available exclusively on Prime Video.
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