Anna Daniels
While filming The Office, it became apparent that Carell was having a bit of an issue: Constant sweating.
Rainn Wilson, who played Michael’s overly-devoted assistant regional manager (or, assistant to the regional manager), Dwight Schrute, recalls in his book, Bassoon King, that Carell’s overactive sweat glands created some pretty weird requirements on set. Because Carell is so sweaty, his clothes would have ended up stained without intervention, and it would have been totally visible on camera. So, the crew had to come up with a unique solution.
To help Carell with his excessive sweating, the production team kept the set at a frosty 64 degrees Fahrenheit in order to prevent perspiration as much as possible. As you can imagine, that didn’t exactly create a fun working environment for people who sweat at a normal rate, so everybody else was freezing during shooting days. According to Wilson, the crew eventually had to provide discreet space heaters and hide them throughout the set for cast members who simply couldn’t stand the cold.
If you’ve ever dealt with excessive sweating, you probably know how uncomfortable and embarrassed Carell could have been on set, especially when he was already playing such an unlikeable character. Luckily, it’s clear the crew went to great lengths to find a way to make everybody happy.
Written by: Looper
