Here’s Where You’ve Seen the Cast of ‘The Paper’ Before

The Paper, Peacock’s latest mockumentary comedy, premiered last week and has been racking up some promising reviews. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, the series is designed as a spin-off from The Office, which completed a nine-season run in 2013. The same documentary crew that explored daily life at the Dunder Mifflin paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, heads to the Midwest to chronicle life at a failing newspaper in Toledo, Ohio.

If the employees at the Toledo Truth-Teller look familiar, it’s because you’ve seen the actors in other television shows and movies over the past decade. The Paper has assembled a great cast. Some might be new faces, you’re bound to recognize a few of them. There’s even one in particular that every fan of The Office will know…

Oscar Nuñez

As Oscar Martinez

Anyone who has seen the trailer for The Paper knows their jaw dropped when Oscar appears onscreen. He sees the cameras and a look of terror crosses his face as he says “not again.” That’s right, Dunder Mifflin accountant Oscar Martínez has moved to Ohio and suddenly finds himself in the exact same situation he was in with a documentary crew at Dunder Mifflin. On a comedic level, it totally works, and the nostalgia factor for The Office fans is bound to be strong with the return of a familiar face.

Since The Office ended, Oscar Nuñez has had a busy career in television. He’s appeared in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, New Girl, Adam Ruins Everything, Life in Pieces, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Shameless…and the list goes on. He played Father Doug on TBS’s People of Earth and Assistant Principal Carlos Hernandez on the Netflix sitcom Mr. Iglesias. He also appeared in several movies, including Disenchanted in 2022 and The Long Game in 2023.

Tim Key

As Ken Davies

Tim Key is an English comedian and writer best known for playing “Sidekick” Simon Denton in Steve Coogan’s Alan Partridge comedies. His first television appearance was on the first season of Britain’s Worst Driver in 2002. He’s appeared in multiple episodes of Inside No. 9, plus episodes of Taskmaster and Drunk History: UK. From 2017 to 2021, he played James Wirm in the BBC mockumentary comedy Pls Like. He also appeared as Gus in The End of the F***ing World and Gregson in The Irregulars.

In terms of film, Key played Commissioner Harold Scott in the mystery comedy See How They Run and Father Ambrose in the black comedy Wicked Little Letters starring Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and Jessie Buckley (Men). He played Pigeon Man in Mickey 17, starring Robert Pattinson (The Batman). Most recently, he starred as Charles Heath in The Ballad of Wallis Island, a comedic drama he co-wrote with Tom Basden (Here We Go).

Ramona Young

As Nicole Lee

Romona Young’s first leading TV role was in the horror series Z Nation, where she was introduced as Kaya in Season 3. After Z Nation’s five-season run ended, Young appeared as Sam’s (Gideon Adlon) crush in the comedy Blockers. She also landed reoccurring roles on The Real O’Neals, Santa Clarita Diet, and Man Seeking Woman.

Young was busy in the years leading up to The Paper. She played Mona Wu on The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow from 2018 to 2020. Young then had a significant role as Eleanor Wong in Mindy Kaling’s Netflix comedy-drama Never Have I Ever from 2020 to 2023. In 2023, she won Best Supporting Actress at the California Women’s Film Festival for playing Tanner in the horror comedy The Prank. Currently, she voices Dr. Annabelle in Nickelodeon’s Super Duper Bunny League.

Alex Edelman

As Adam Cooper

Alex Edelman got his start at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014. He then went on to do a few stand-up comedy tours: Millennial, Everything Handed to You, and Just for Us. That last one premiered on Broadway in 2023, earning him a Special Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.

He’s done some writing for television, including two episodes of CBS’s The Great Indoors. In 2020, he was a story editor on Netflix’s Teenage Bounty Hunters. As an actor, Edelman appeared in the 2024 comedy Unfrosted. The Paper marks his first leading television role.

Gbemisola Ikumelo

As Adelola Olofin

Gbemisola Ikumelo is a British actor and comedian who has been nominated for four BAFTA Awards. She won in 2020 for the short form comedy Brain in Gear and again in 2024 for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme for Black Ops. Some of her TV appearances include Broadchurch, Sunny D, Mandy, Sex Education, Death in Paradise, and Temple.

Ikumelo wrote six episodes of the comedy Famalam, a series in which she also starred. In 2022, she worked as a writer for Amazon Prime’s A League of Their Own television series led by Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) and canceled after one season. She also played the character Clance Morgan in all eight episodes. In 2021, Ikumelo appeared in Corrina Faith’s (The Innocents) horror movie The Power.

Melvin Gregg

As Detrick Moore

Melvin Gregg is an actor best known for playing DeMarcus Tillman in the Netflix series American Vandal. Before that, he played LaShawn Devereux in Hulu’s Freakish and Zach Taylor in the drama UnREAL. After American Vandal, he played Drew Miller on FX’s Snowfall and Ben Chandler in the first season of Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers starring Nicole Kidman (The Perfect Couple).

Gregg’s film credits include The Land, High Flying Bird, The Way Back, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Boxing Day, and The Blackening. He appeared in three movies in 2023. He played Larry in the comedy House Party and Skemes in the drama Story Ave. He also starred as the unnamed protagonist in the science fiction thriller Share?.

Chelsea Frei

As Mare Pritti

Chelsea Frei had a reoccurring character on TBS’s The Last O.G. before landing the role of Bridget Moody in the Fox comedy The Moodys opposite Denis Leary (Rescue Me) and Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds). She went on to play Alison in Dollface and Maya Campbell in The Cleaning Lady. Other TV credits include Shrill, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Poker Face, and Animal Control.

Frei currently has two films to her name. In 2019, she voiced Bethany in the Universal animated movie The Addams Family. This year, Frei played Megan in the Netflix romantic comedy drama The Life List, based on Lori Nelson Spielman’s novel of the same name. The film stars Sofia Carson (My Oxford Year) and Connie Britton (Nashville).

Sabrina Impacciatore

As Esmerelda Grand

Sabrina Impacciatore is an Italian actor who appeared in several television shows before making her feature film debut in 2001 as Livia in Gabriele Muccino’s The Last Kiss. Other film credits include The Passion of the Christ, Kiss Me Again, 7 Women and a Murder, Across the River and into the Trees, and Ragazzaccio. She did the Italian dub for Lily in the animated film Turning Red.

In 2022, Impacciatore landed the role of Valentina in Season 2 of HBO’s The White Lotus, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. More recently, she played Elena Romano in G20 opposite Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder). She also played Dr. Susanna Pulice in the drama In the Hand of Dante.

Domhnall Gleeson

As Ned Sampson

If you watch a lot of movies, chances are you recognize Domhnall Gleeson. While he is the son of acclaimed actor Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin), Domhnall is a talented actor in his own right with an impressive resume. His film credits include Never Let Me Go, Anna Karenina, About Time, Calvary, Frank, Ex Machina, and Brooklyn.

He is known as General Hux in the Star Wars movies and played Andrew Henry in The Revenant opposite Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road). Gleeson starred in the Black Mirror episode “Be Right Back” in 2013. He co-created and starred in Channel 4’s Frank of Ireland. Other television credits include Run, The Patient, White House Plumbers, and one of the title roles in Alice & Jack.