She’s got her sources.
Chelsea Frei, star of “The Office” spinoff “The Paper,” received advice from Steve Carell and John Krasinski — but some of their guidance almost landed her in hot water.
“I am the biggest diehard original ‘The Office’ fan, I’ve seen every episode so many times. I’ve met most of [‘The Office’ stars], actually, and they’ve all been so insanely supportive. John Krasinski and Steve Carell showed up in the trailer like our third day of shooting, and they couldn’t have been sweeter,” Frei, 32, exclusively told The Post, referring to how the duo made a surprise trip to the set.
Carell and Krasinski visited her and fellow “The Paper” stars Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore in the makeup trailer, as they were filming a commercial for the Italian coffee brand Lavazza nearby.
However, the advice she got from Krasinski ended up getting her in a spot of trouble. It began when he asked her a surprising question.
“John Krasinski asked me what was in my desk [on the show],” she explained.
“He said to hide good things in your desk. He said, ‘You’ve gotta have some fun stuff in there.’”
Following his tip, she recalled, “I ended up having some food, although there’s a raccoon problem at [Universal Studios Lot, where the show was filming]. And so, we actually all got reprimanded. They were like, ‘No more food at your desk.’ And I was like, ‘That’s not me!’”
She quipped, “It 100 percent was me!”
Frei was talking to The Post to promote “The Office” and “The Paper” exhibition at The Paley Museum in Manhattan, currently running until Sunday, November 16.
The exhibit has props and costumes from the beloved mockumentary, which ran on NBC from 2005 to 2013, in honor of 20 years since it first premiered.
Spinoff show “The Paper,” which follows employees at a newspaper in Ohio, is also now streaming on Peacock, and has costumes in the exhibit.
Features include Michael Scott’s office suit, Meredith Palmer’s “Casual Friday” dress, Dwight Schrute’s wedding suit, and Pam Beesly’s copy of the “Threat Level: Midnight” screenplay.
“Steve Carell was — we were talking to him about how nervous we were to be compared [to the Office],” Frei recalled.
“He said, ‘the same thing happened with ‘The Office,’ compared to the UK version,” she revealed, referring to the original Ricky Gervais “The Office” on the BBC.
According to Frei, Carrel told them, “‘At a certain point, you just have to let that go and do your own thing.’ And I do think that was the best advice, because you can’t compare it,” she said.
What do you think? Post a comment.
“The Office’ is special and amazing, and all we can do is make our own entity within the universe.”
She noted about Carell: “I thought it was very sweet and humble advice from a man who has become one of the most beloved sitcom actors of all time.”
