Sabrina Impacciatore Sought Steve Carell's Blessing for 'THE PAPER' Role

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The actress also jokes about a new ambition to become a motivational speaker.

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Sabrina Impacciatore stopped by TODAY to discuss season two of THE PAPER, the Peacock mockumentary comedy spun off from THE OFFICE, and revealed she flew to New York specifically to get Steve Carell 's blessing before taking on the role. She also opened up about the pressure of joining a beloved franchise as its only Italian cast member, joking, "We felt that we were accepted as our own show, but still, I'm frightened. As the only Italian in the show, you're always wondering, 'Is it going to translate, my sense of comedy, is it going to work?'"

Impacciatore stars in THE PAPER, which follows the documentary crew that once chronicled Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch as they turn their cameras on a historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it. Her appearance on TODAY comes amid a run of press stops from the show's cast promoting the new season, during which she has also spoken about the demands of joining an established comedy universe.

During the segment, Impacciatore also revealed an unexpected ambition beyond acting: she said she hopes to become a motivational speaker, offering viewers her own words of encouragement about staying present in the moment.

Impacciatore previously spoke with LATE NIGHT WITH Seth Meyers about her experience on the show, where she revealed she improvised her entire THE PAPER audition after having just 24 hours to prepare, and described living in fear during the show's table reads.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Sabrina-Impacciatore-on-Getting-Steve-Carells-Blessing-for-THE-PAPER-20260923)._