Greg Daniels, Michael Koman, Domhnall Gleeson, and Sabrina Impacciatore spill details on the upcoming The Office spin-off, The Paper, during a press conference.
Peacock’s new comedy series, The Paper, is poised to take a fresh look at the mockumentary format. Co-created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, the show centers on the historic Midwestern newspaper, The Toledo Truth-Teller, and its new editor-in-chief, Ned Sampson. The series promises to blend the familiar observational humor of the mockumentary with a renewed sense of purpose, as a group of determined, if inexperienced, journalists attempts to revive local journalism in the digital age.
At a recent global press conference, Domhnall Gleeson, who stars as Ned Sampson, and Sabrina Impacciatore, who plays his delightfully manipulative rival, Esmeralda Grand, provided insight into their characters and the unique creative process. Co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman also offered a look behind the curtain at the show’s development.
A Conversation with the Stars of The Paper
Q: Domhnall, what was your process for researching and developing your character, Ned Sampson?
Domhnall Gleeson: I did a fair bit of research for my own benefit. I traveled to Ohio, specifically to Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo, and spent time with journalists from a variety of newspapers. I shadowed a few of them and talked to a lot of people about what it’s like to be a journalist or an editor these days. The difference between those who have seen the industry go from a “huge behemoth” to something “shrinking, shrinking, shrinking” was really interesting. What they all had in common was their belief in the foundations of journalism, which was incredibly useful for Ned’s character.
Q: Ned has an optimistic and slightly quirky nature. How did you balance those aspects of his personality?
Domhnall Gleeson: I think the main thing is that he’s romantic about journalism. It feels like the “great romance of his life.” He hasn’t been in the industry since college, so he’s obsessed. He doesn’t know the reality of what it is now, which is where the romance comes in. It’s like your first girlfriend—you always see it through “rose-tinted glasses.” That romantic notion feeds into his quirkiness and sets him apart from the rest of the staff who are living the day-to-day reality of the newsroom.
Q: Sabrina, your character, Esmeralda Grand, is very distinctive. Did you have a lot of input into how she was shaped?
Sabrina Impacciatore: The character was already brilliantly written. The audition sides were 11 pages of monologues, and they gave me a key to understanding how manipulative she was. During the audition, I was using real emotions to make her seem authentic, and Greg and Michael told me, “Sabrina, she’s pretending to cry.” I realized that her power is her manipulation. We had so much fun creating her signature look—the long nails, the Gilda-inspired hair, and never wearing pants. My goal was that by next Halloween, people would dress up as Esmeralda.
Q: What about her personality? How did you make such a competitive and “nasty” character likable?
Sabrina Impacciatore: I had to find a place of need. I thought about Tweety Bird—whatever she does, she does it to survive. It’s constantly a war for her; it’s “either me or either you.” She sees enemies everywhere and has to use every possible weapon. Her pure femininity is her power, a way of seducing people and getting what she wants.
Q: Co-creators Greg and Michael, how did the idea for this show come about?
Greg Daniels: The documentary crew from The Office is back, but this time they’re in Toledo, Ohio, chronicling the revival of a struggling newspaper called The Truth Teller. The show provides a satirical look at the challenges of modern journalism.
Michael Koman: We wanted to create a show that felt like an extension of the same universe as The Office, but with a brand-new cast and a fresh take on the premise. While The Office was about a paper company, we follow how the internet has affected a local newspaper. There’s a tremendous history for local papers, and this show explores that in a humorous way.
Q: What did you think of the cast and their performances?
Greg Daniels: We felt like we were in good hands. Domhnall’s character has to keep a “crackle in the room” and the possibility of failure alive at every point. And Sabrina’s character, Esmeralda, is a subtly complicated part because she has to seem get-up-and-go and always hopeful. It’s about finding that balance, which the wonderful writers’ room, led by Michael and me, worked to achieve.
Michael Koman: We were amazed by the improvisational skills of the cast. In fact, for Sabrina’s first audition, we just sat her down and started asking her questions as her character. She just went wild and improvised everything. We had muted ourselves, and after 45 minutes, we unmuted and told her she had made us laugh so much. It’s this type of commitment that brings these characters to life.
About The Paper
Following up on the story from “The Office,” the documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch discovers a disappearing Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters.
This mockumentary follows the daily lives and struggles of dreamers in love with journalism, and their less-than-competent co-workers, trying to deliver accurate news without the resources or training to do a great job.
The Paper premieres on Peacock September 4th.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.