Steve Carell and John Krasinski surprised the cast of “The Paper” by popping on set for the show’s first day of shooting.
While talking with Entertainment Weekly, Sabrina Impacciatore explained that she was in the makeup trailer with Domhnall Gleeson and Chelsea Frei getting ready for the first day of shooting when there was a tap on the door and a shocking interruption.
“No makeup yet. We are very anxious. Like, oh my God, we’re so scared. And then we hear, knock, knock,” Impacciatore said. “Someone enters the trailer, and it’s Steve Carell and John Krasinski! We’re fainting. Like, what? Can you imagine? Isn’t it crazy? The first day of shooting!”
It turns out “The Office” alum were by happenstance shooting a commercial for Lavazza coffee right next door and decided to pop in to see how the first day of the spinoff was going. Impacciatore took it as a sign that the pair were shooting a commercial for Italian coffee as a good omen for her work on “The Paper.”
“I thought, this is a blessing,” she said. “Italian coffee, which is the coffee that I’ve been drinking all my life.”
Impacciatore plays Esmerelda Grand in “The Paper” but had never seen “The Office” when she was cast. After booking the gig, she went into binge mode on the original series and became a huge fan of Carell and his character Michael Scott. She became such a fan that she booked a flight to New York City to see him perform in “Uncle Vanya” on Broadway. After the show, “The Office” alum gave her a lot of encouragement about the new show.
“I bought a f—ing flight,” Impacciatore said. “I went to see the show. I went to the green room. I waited for him. He came out. I was shaking. I said, ‘I’m Sabrina! Can you bless me?’ I needed his blessing! He was the sweetest. He was so warm. He was encouraging me so much. He said, ‘These people are brilliant. You are going to have the best experience of your life. You’re going to be great.’ He was giving me confidence,” she says. “I will never forget that. Never. It was so right to do that.”
“The Paper” binge drops all 10 episodes of its debut season on September 4.
