10 TV Storylines Actors REFUSED To Do
6. Jim Kisses Cathy - The Office
The first of two aborted storylines on this list which would've driven a wedge between an insanely popular TV couple, we have the planned infidelity subplot involving The Office's Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer).
In the show's eighth season, a temp worker joins Dunder Mifflin's office to cover Pam's maternity leave - an attractive young woman named Cathy Simms (Lindsey Broad) who quickly develops quite the romantic interest in Jim, despite knowing he's married with children.
Though Cathy's attempts to seduce Jim are ultimately firmly rebuffed, creator Greg Daniels initially planned for the pair to share a kiss while away on a work trip in Florida.
The prospect disgusted John Krasinski enough that he even went as far as to refuse to shoot the scene outright, feeling passionately that having Jim cheat would risk obliterating the audience's investment in his and Pam's relationship altogether.
In the book "Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office," he said:
"That's the only time I remember putting my foot down... I remember saying things that I never thought I'd say before, like, 'I'm not going to shoot it.' ... My feeling is there is a threshold with which you can push our audience. They are so dedicated. We have shown such great respect to them. But there's a moment where if you push them too far, they'll never come back. And I think that if you show Jim cheating, they'll never come back."
And once again, the actor was right. Having Jim kiss Cathy would've been a devastating, wholly unnecessary betrayal of both Pam and the audience who'd spent eight years watching the pair.