Steve Carrell Ups Michael Scott With Community Gesture
By Movieguide® Contributor
Steve Carrell is doing better than his character, Michael Scott, when it comes to serving the community.
Carrell’s THE OFFICE character similarly volunteered to help some high schoolers go to college, but famously did not make good on his promise.
In partnership with nonprofit Alice’s Kids, Carell announced he is paying for over 800 high schoolers to go to prom for free after their community was affected by the Palisades fires.
“Going to prom should be a celebration, and we wanted to help make the big night just a little easier for seniors whose lives have been turned upside down by the wildfires,” said Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of Alice’s Kids, per ABC News. “Hopefully, this allows the students to unwind and have some fun after a devastating year.”
“If you have already paid for your prom tickets, they will reimburse you for your prom tickets. It’s a pretty good deal…” Carell added. “Have fun [and] enjoy the prom.”
Carell’s donation will allow over 800 high school seniors across 6 different schools to attend their prom for free. The donation comes after numerous celebrities have leveraged their platforms to help those affected by the Palisade Fire and other fires across L.A. that ravaged the city in January.
While plenty of celebrities lost million dollar plus homes and properties many in the industry were quick to highlight the less fortunate people who lost even more and do not have the same means of recovery.
“The immediate toll of the fires is really on the below-the-line workers who crew [TV and movie] projects,” Tyler Aquilina, an author on Deadline’s Production Pipelines: Film and TV in Flux report, explained in February. “Now they’re facing additional financial burdens, many of them who may have lost their homes or possessions in the fires at a time when work was already scarce, thanks to both the post-peak TV contraction that we’ve seen that has resulted in a major drop-off in the levels of films and TV shows being produced, along with the general production exodus away from Los Angeles.”
In total, the fires displaced over 150,000 L.A. residents, while taking the lives of 29 people. Furthermore, over 11,000 homes were destroyed across 40,000 acres, amounting to over $30 billion in damages.
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Movieguide® previously reported:
As wildfires continue to devastate the Los Angeles area, many celebrities have stepped up to help those in need, including Jay Leno.
Specifically, he brought hot food in his own 1941 fire truck to the firefighters working long hours to keep people safe.
“We’re cooking for the [firefighting] crew,” Leno said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “We’ve got some BBQ going because, they’re all getting boxed lunches.”
Leno said the destruction is unfathomable, comparing the amount of damage to that of 9/11.
“It’s unbelievable,” the former TONIGHT SHOW host said. “It’s the biggest natural disaster…it’s ten thousand buildings…you get on that hill, and you look for miles and there’s nothing.”
ABC reported on Jan. 15 that the Palisades Fire, which began on Jan. 7, has covered over 23,000 acres, destroying 5,000 structures. It’s at 19% containment. The Eaton Fire has destroyed 7,000 structures, burning 14,000 acres, and is now at 14% containment.
But despite the immense loss, Leno sees the beauty of communities coming together to help one another.
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