Kathy Bates played the CEO of Sabre, Jo Bennett, for eight episodes of The Office across seasons six and seven. During a recent appearance on The Office Ladies podcast, she told hosts Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer that she struggled to play Jo.
Angela and Jenna were shocked at Bates’ revelation as they considered her performance on The Office fantastic. Bates admitted that she felt intimidated by the show’s cast because they were so natural at the humor required for the sitcom, but she lacked the creativity for it.
Kathy Bates did not audition for ‘The Office’
Bates got the offer to play Jo without doing auditions, and because she was not so familiar with The Office, she spent time watching the show to prepare. Bates imagined she had a standard to meet as the actors were effortlessly funny in ways she could hardly conjure up.
She also admitted to feeling overwhelmed by the unusual use of cameras on the set. Aside from feeling incompetent, Bates said she enjoyed her time on The Office and had fun on set. She did not mind staying for more seasons but had to leave for NBC’s Harry’s Law.
Kathy Bates had trouble improvising in ‘The Office’
Bates did most of her scenes with Steve Carell, who she admired for his smooth way of improvising. She, on the other hand, had difficulty juggling her given lines with parts that required her to improvise. She tried to learn from Carell, who left in season 7, and John Krasinski.
More than a decade later, Bates is currently the star of CBS’ Matlock, which she initially claimed was her last dance, sparking retirement rumors. Lately, she claimed her statement was misunderstood as she meant to say she would love to continue her career because it has suddenly taken a fortunate turn.