It is most certainly a new era at The Office.
Following Steve Carell's Michael Scott's departure after seven bumbling, fumbling and ultimately lovable seasons, the show is undergoing a series of changes. While a new regional manager has yet to be introduced, joining the cast full time as Kathy Bates's replacement as CEO of Sabre -- the company that owns Dunder Mifflin -- will be James Spader, who played a sort of demented Jedi mind trick business man in last season's star-packed finale.
The show's cast has begun work on season eight, and E! Online caught up with some of its stars to see how the James Spader experience has been thus far.
"He scares me," Brian Baumgartner, who plays Kevin, laughed. "It's great. The energy he has is so totally different. The writers have done really a great job. He has these demented arguments that on the surface make no sense, but he's talking, and suddenly and you're like, 'Oh yeah, that's right! That's right!'"
"He has this grounded intensity that we've never seen on our show before that makes these kind of little Scranton peons stand at attention," Kate Flannery, or Meredith, added.
Steve Carell agreed a few months back, telling Access Hollywood, "I think it's an excellent choice. I think it's great and he will infuse all this new energy into the show."
For more, including what Ellie Kemper and Zach Woods think of Spader, click over to E! Online.
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