Chelsea Frei on Industry Change, The Legacy of ‘The Office’ and Season Two of ‘The Paper’

Words: Jenn Lehwald | Photography: Lewis Vorn | Styling: Katy Cutbirth | Chelsea Frei Makeup: Kenneth Soh | Chelsea Frei Hair: Kelsey Gustovitch | Gbemisola Ikumelo Makeup: Tay Rivera | Gbemisola Ikumelo Hair: Porshawna Mosely | Ramona Young Makeup: Sarah Nelson | Ramona Young Hair: Ryan Burrell | Sabrina Impacciatore Hair: Andrew Ly | Sabrina Impacciatore Makeup: Sabrina Rinaldi | Special Thanks: Margaret Crane, Alex Wong and Olivia Cooper at Universal TV

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Chelsea Frei knew exactly what The Paper was up against. The Office is her favourite show of all time, so stepping into its universe came with a particular kind of personal pressure. But that anxiety has eased now: Mare Pritti has emerged as one of The Paper’s stand-out characters in her own right, with her relationship with Ned, played by Domhnall Gleeson, becoming one of the show’s most closely watched.

It’s impossible to ignore the similarities to Pam and Jim in Mare and Ned - though Frei is conscious of what those comparisons mean when The Office is the show she grew up loving. The difference now is that Mare doesn’t feel like she’s being measured against the characters who came before her. She’s found her own place within The Paper, and Frei is getting more comfortable with where she can take her. Outside of acting, she’s also working on writing and directing a project of her own, beginning to think about the kinds of stories she wants to tell when she’s the one creating them.

Looking back at Season 1 of The Paper, did you have a sense while you were making it that it would connect with people the way that it did?

I think we were all so nervous in Season 1. It was such a different beast from Season 2 because it was so secretive, and we knew there were going to be so many comparisons to The Office. We were just hoping people would see it for what it was.

I remember laughing every day on set, but also thinking, “Oh my God, I hope we don’t ruin the legacy that is The Office.” It’s my favourite show of all time, and there were so many talented people I’d known and looked up to for so much of my career. We were all just in one room, and it definitely felt like a big responsibility.

But I think the beauty of Season 2 was that we got to shoot and were a little more relaxed about it. There was an ease to it that I think we didn’t have in Season 1.

I remember laughing every day on set, but also thinking, “Oh my God, I hope we don’t ruin the legacy that is The Office.” It’s my favourite show of all time

Do you find yourself thinking less about that legacy when you’re playing Mare now, or is it still in the back of your mind?

I do think about it less, thankfully. I think you have to. It’s just not good for the show or for you as a performer.

I think so much about acting, particularly in something like The Paper, which is so much about being a grounding force, is that in order for me to get there and play her, I just can’t be thinking about something else. I need to be in this moment.

How has your experience been working with the cast over the past two years?

I hadn’t even seen what the show looked like, and I just knew it was the best experience of my life. We’ve become so close as a cast. There are just people on that show who will be my best friends forever. We’ve been going through this together for over two years now.

Even if there are tough days — of course it can be all-consuming, and you miss certain things, you can’t travel for when you’re shooting, stuff like that — to be getting to do what I love with people that I think are the most talented people in the world, I’m like, how could I not just be so grateful every single day?

You’ve obviously worked across comedy and drama and have a very varied résumé. How has working on this show changed the way that people see you as an actor?

I mean, I think this show has just been a kind of masterclass. I always think of it like, I can’t believe I get to be in a room with Greg and Michael. I’m just learning from these people.

For me, it’s less about how people view me and more about what I’m learning about myself. And how, even as an actor, to be deeply invested and involved in the story. It’s such a collaborative effort.

Do you think this project has changed your relationship with your career, or how you think about it in general?

I think the industry is changing so much, in a way that’s shocking, and I just feel so lucky to be working.

Even if there are tough days — of course it can be all-consuming, and you miss certain things, you can’t travel for when you’re shooting, stuff like that — to be getting to do what I love with people that I think are the most talented people in the world, I’m like, how could I not just be so grateful every single day?

And of course, that’s not me giving you my Miss America answer. That’s genuinely how I feel.

I feel like I have that all the time too. Sometimes I have to step back when I’m having a really stressful day and think, “Okay, I’m on the Universal lot in Los Angeles for work. It’s going to be okay.”

Exactly.

When you think about what you want to do next, what’s something you’re hungry for that you haven’t done yet?

I mean, I’m really excited to hopefully create. I feel like it’s kind of taken a back burner for me just because I’ve been so lucky to be working as an actor, but I miss it. My background is sketch comedy in New York, just running around the city and creating things.

I’m really excited to hopefully get back to that.