‘I’m bricking it’: Felicity Ward faces high expectations for The Office Australia

The undying popularity of the 2001 British original and its 2005 American remake ensures this new version of The Office faces an intense performance review right from the get-go. Its daunting target is to simply match the lofty comedic heights of those predecessors while operating under the all-encompassing shadows cast by their respective stars, comedy titans Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell.Felicity Ward is the first woman to lead The Office franchise in its 23-year history.And all of this before we acknowledge that Ward is the first woman to lead The Office franchise in its 23 years and 13 versions, and what this means in an age of culture wars and online dogpiling.After checking all those boxes, ‘bricking it’ seems quite reasonable.AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.“I don’t think I’ll have any real idea about what it’s going to feel like or how real it will feel until October 18,” she says, referring to launch day. “I don’t know whether it will have any impact on…