In terms of the sorts of characters an actor can play, there are few roles extra thankless than the dangerous selection in a love triangle. The primary few seasons of “The Workplace” targeted so much on Pam having to decide on between her candy coworker Jim and her impolite fiancé Roy, however I do not suppose any viewer was really rooting for Roy there. Whereas Jim’s season 3 girlfriend Karen (Rashida Jones) has loads of defenders within the fandom, there are far fewer essays on the market arguing why Pam ought to’ve picked Roy as an alternative.
Roy’s actor, David Denman (who additionally starred within the very underrated “Brightburn”), all the time type of knew this was the way it’d work out, though NBC briefly tried to persuade him in any other case. Because the Hollywood Reporter defined in a 2019 profile of Denman:
“Forward of what can be his remaining run, it wasn’t completely clear he’d be exiting the present. Throughout contract negotiations forward of season three, NBC supplied the actor a wealthy deal that might kick in ought to he be requested to proceed for season 4. Denman’s then-agent informed the actor that the writing was on the wall: NBC was providing massive cash for a hypothetical season 4 to maintain him below his previous contract for yet one more 12 months. He’d by no means see that cash.”
How ‘The Workplace’ removed Roy
In hindsight, it appears inevitable that Roy can be written out of the present. He was characterised as type of a jerk, somebody who was impolite and inattentive to Pam. He was the annoying impediment in the best way of two star-crossed lovers. Nevertheless it’s straightforward to overlook that there was a short second in season 3 (AKA the second-best season) the place he appeared like a viable Jim different. In season 3 Roy had cleaned up his act and began making a real effort to be a superb boyfriend.
By the season’s midway level, Pam was again with Roy and Jim appeared pleased with Karen, and it wasn’t clear how this might change any time quickly. As Denman put it, “We might been main that third season, perhaps Roy and Pam will get again collectively.”
However then Pam tells Roy about her kiss with Jim, and Roy responds by vandalizing a bar and making an attempt to assault Jim on the office. It was a second the place any trace of a Pam/Roy endgame got here crashing down, and Denman knew it the second he learn the script. “Abruptly, Roy was an fool once more,” he stated. “I went, ‘Uh. We’re undoubtedly not going to get again collectively.'” As he defined additional:
“At that very same desk learn, we came upon ‘The Workplace’ has been picked up for 3 years. Everybody goes, ‘Oh, my God! It is superb!’ And I turned to [showrunner] Greg [Daniels] and I’m going, ‘I am not going to be on this, am I?’ And he goes, ‘No. It is not you. Actually. I must get Romeo and Juliet collectively, and I can not actually do this with you lurking round.'”
Roy left in season 3, however he would return in triumph
Understandably, the present needed Roy out of the image. In spite of everything, they’d go on to do the identical factor with Karen within the season 4 premiere, which shortly established that Karen had give up her job on the Scranton department proper after Jim broke up along with her. Season 4 was Jim and Pam’s honeymoon interval, the place their younger love appeared as healthful and carefree because it ever would; having Roy or Karen stick round would’ve killed the vibes.
Fortunately, Roy would return to “The Workplace” for the occasional one-episode storyline, most of which established him as being in a extra secure place from after we final left him. In his season 5 look he gave the impression to be principally over his relationship with Pam, and within the season 9 episode “Roy’s Marriage ceremony” he inexplicably gave the impression to be thriving. He’d grow to be a delicate, profitable, piano-playing man; after the primary three seasons implied that Roy’s presence was holding Pam again, season 9 all of the sudden raised the concept that perhaps Pam was holding Roy again too.
“I came upon a number of the occasions I got here again, [John] Krasinski was combating to have Roy come round,” Denman defined. “He needed to combine up issues, create extra stress and extra battle and stuff.” Certain sufficient, “Roy’s Marriage ceremony” is without doubt one of the tenser later-season episodes of the present, one that actually appears to be foreshadowing the demise of Jim and Pam’s marriage. Roy could now not have been the impediment getting in the best way of Jim and Pam’s romance, however he may nonetheless trigger bother for them six years down the street.
