‘The Paper’ Star Domhnall Gleeson On His Career Interests And New Show

Domhnall Gleeson attends Universal Television’s “The Paper” series premiere at Harmony Gold on August 27, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

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Domhnall Gleeson is the gifted Irish actor that audiences have come to know over the years, with his many memorable roles in a wide array of genres – from Harry Potter and Star Wars to About Time and Ex Machina. Now, Gleeson, 42, is starring as Ned Sampson in the new Peacock comedy series, The Paper.

Existing within the same television universe (but not a direct spinoff) as the American version of The Office, which aired on NBC from 2005 until 2013, Universal Television’s The Paper takes place in Toledo, Ohio at a deteriorating newspaper company known as Toledo Truth Teller. When Ned joins the team as their new Editor-in-Chief, he attempts to motivate his somewhat reluctant staff, with the hope of bringing authentic and impactful journalistic storytelling back to their paper.

Told in a mockumentary-style fashion that often acknowledges the film cameras, similarly to The Office, The Paper brings the joy and absurdity that viewers loved from its predecessor series, yet effectively stands on its own two feet as a fresh series with plenty of heartfelt passion and meaning beyond the laughs.

I sat down with Gleeson to discuss his new Peacock series, which is now streaming and has already been renewed for a second season, wondering first how The Paper got on his radar and if he had any early reservations before joining the production.

Gleeson said, “I think when I heard what it was and when I heard that it was tangentially connected to The Office, I definitely was like – Oh my God, like that show was so amazing, so good. They found the perfect ensemble. They did it so well. It was so funny. I was like – Well, if they’re remaking it, I don’t know what reason there would be to do that. When I found out that wasn’t what they were doing – that it was its own thing, off to the side – there was one character (Oscar Martinez, played by Oscar Nuñez) coming over, but it’s a whole new setup about journalism. When I found out that Greg Daniels was the showrunner and Michael Koman was the other showrunner, who’s just amazing – did Nathan for You and all these incredible comedy shows. Once I found out what it was, as opposed to what I was worried it might be, I was incredibly excited. Once I read the script and talked to the lads, I was all in.”

Beyond the hearty humor that does exist throughout this new comedy series, an over-arching theme on The Paper is the very real and timely narrative of returning to grassroots journalism during a time in our real world when media is largely criticized. So, has Gleeson noticed that as an overall focal point?

“Oh, most certainly. I mean, I think that’s at the heart of it. When Ned joins the office, they’ve sort of stopped functioning as a working newspaper. It’s a lot of clickbait and it’s a lot of wire stuff that people don’t really care about. What he cares about is the truth and speaking truth to power. He thinks that’s really important. He doesn’t understand how under-qualified he is and how under-qualified everybody in that office is, with the exception of Mare (played by Chelsea Frei), who’s actually a really good journalist. I love that the show cared about that, even though it’s a comedy and it’s silly and it’s funny, and that’s the main thing. I like that the backbone of it cared about journalism.”

With The Paper episodes being written by, produced by and even directed by Greg Daniels, who is also the mastermind behind The Office series in the U.S., I was curious what it means to Gleeson to have Daniels in a guiding role alongside him on this new production.

Gleeson said, “Greg is always a great boss. There’s nobody you would rather be going to work for. He cares about what’s funny, but he also cares about people and he cares about the vibe and he really cares about the show. Even though he’s been doing it so long, he has got the enthusiasm of a teenager. No, teenagers are not known for their enthusiasm – he has got the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old. He just lights up when he finds something funny. It’s what he cares about. And so, going to work for someone like that is incredible. Someone that talented – it’s wonderful.”

Further acknowledging with Gleeson that The Paper series exists within the same world as The Office, but is not a spinoff, I wondered how he feels that the new Peacock comedy series stands apart from The Office, in truly becoming its own entity.

“Well, I think what they’re trying to do in The Office is very different to what they [at Toledo Truth Teller] were trying to do in the office, you know what I mean? What they’re trying to achieve, in terms of it being good journalism – that’s a different pursuit that evokes different sort of feelings in the people who work there. It’s also just two totally different ensembles – two wonderful ensembles. The ensemble of The Office is like one of the great ensembles ever created, and the way that all those characters grew and the actors grew and just how they nailed every single person across the board is incredible. I think as you get to know our characters, you’ll see they’re totally different, but I think they’re equally wonderful.”

Next, reflecting upon Gleeson’s own celebrated acting career up until this point, I was curious if he has noticed his interests and priorities in the characters and stories that he wants to tell lately, evolving at this stage of his career.

Gleeson said, “I mean, I assume they do evolve as you evolve as a person, but I think most of what I care about is – Am I working with good people? Am I working on a good story? Like that always just ends up being the center of it. So, whether that’s playing number seven on the call sheet in a film or number one on the call sheet in a TV show, or number one in a movie. If it’s doing a play for a few months, it’s the people and it’s about trying to continue to do different things. So, I don’t think that has evolved as much. I still want to always do something different.”

When speaking about The Paper’s ensemble cast, Gleeson said of his creative team, “There are characters in this show who in the first couple of episodes have like maybe one line of dialogue, two lines of dialogue – and they are just insanely funny. Always having somebody else to go to – having a different point of view, having a different feel of a character. When you look over at like Eric Rahill in the show, I think is incredible. He plays Travis and he’s just so funny. Gbemisola Ikumelo is wonderful. Ramona Young is incredible. Tim Key made me laugh every single time he was on-set. He plays Ken. You’ve just got a million ways to make people laugh and I think they’re all super. I’m so happy I got to work with them.”

With audiences now able to tune in for all 10 episodes of The Paper on Peacock, what is Gleeson most excited for people to see from his character Ned and this new television creation?

“I think there will be a bit of a storm, because it’ll be compared to stuff. Everyone will talk about what they wanted it to be or what they were expecting it to be, and then what it is. Then, the storm will pass and what would be left with is how people feel about what the show is. That’s what I’m excited for – I’m excited for people to find out what the show is because I’m really proud of it, and I hope we find our space. That’s all I hope for us, is that we find our space.”

As I concluded my conversation with Gleeson, I left him with my signature and original interview question, wondering what he would say to his new The Paper character, Ned Sampson, if only he could.

Gleeson said, “If he was a friend, I would tell him to relax – to just relax. I mean, he’s very wound up and I would tell him to relax – but I think the moment he relaxes, he won’t be funny anymore. So, as for him to continue in the show, I would tell him he probably needs to get more tense. So, it would be different if he’s a friend or if he’s a character in a TV show.”