Gbemisola Ikumelo on Creating Adelola Olofin in The Paper

The Paper is a spin-off of the fan-favorite mockumentary sitcom The Office, which had its own cultural wave during its run. This time around, the cameras are locked in on The Toledo Truth-Teller, a local paper barely hanging on while a fresh cast of characters tries to keep it alive. The series leans heavily into satire, tackling the decline of traditional journalism, the rise of clickbait, and the increasingly wild reality of people getting their news directly from social media scrolls.

At the heart of the chaos is Adelola Olofin,  an accountant reluctantly turned journalist, played by BAFTA Award-winner Gbemisola Ikumelo, who also contributes behind the scenes as a writer. In conversation with Taji Mag, Ikumelo reflected on the balancing act of shaping a character both on the page and in front of the camera.

“I love getting to play in both camps,” Ikumelo said. “Spending more time with the character as a writer before stepping onto set as an actor is so useful. You’re constantly figuring out how your character fits into the wider story we’re telling. That perspective helps me understand Adelola more deeply.”

A New Relationship With the Camera

For Ikumelo, The Paper marks her first time working in the mockumentary style, a format that treats the camera as an active participant. At times, it even becomes another character.

“There are moments where you don’t even realize the camera has caught you,” she explained. “Suddenly, you’re watching playback and see a side glance or an eye roll you didn’t know was there. You can’t ever turn off, you have to stay alive through the whole scene.”

She also pointed out how differently cast members use the lens. “Like Melvin (Gregg)’s character is really much like me, he’s pals with the camera, he’ll even call it over. And then there are some people who look at the camera for validation, like, ‘Did you just see that?’ It becomes this silent partner in the story.”

Learning to look directly into the lens during “talking head” confessionals was a revelation. “I’d been told for so long never to look at the camera,” she said with a laugh. “It took me a while to relax into the genre, but once I did, I realized how much fun it could be.”

Building Adelola

What makes Adelola stand out, Ikumelo believes, is that she isn’t a stereotype. “She’s a little grumpy, a little irritable, a burnout, and yet, she’s layered,” Ikumelo said. “That makes her three-dimensional, someone real. I love that she’s not like any character I’ve played before.”

Part of Adelola’s depth comes from Ikumelo’s own background. The actress was born in Nigeria and raised in the UK; Adelola, meanwhile, is written as Nigerian-born but raised in Ohio. That detail gave Ikumelo a personal connection to her character’s identity.

“It was such a gift to play someone who shares a piece of my heritage,” she said. “But I also wanted to push against expectations; instead of making her the stereotypical ambitious immigrant, I leaned into her being burnt out. She’s not trying to impress anyone. She just wants to get by, which gives us room to explore her growth.”

Lessons From a Veteran

The show also benefits from the presence of The Office alum Oscar Nunez, reprising a new role within The Paper’s newsroom ensemble. For Ikumelo, working alongside him was a masterclass.

“At first I couldn’t even look at him, I was like, oh my God, it’s Oscar,” she recalled. “But he’s so warm, silly, and generous. He even gave me practical advice about boring things like taxes and contracts. Watching him improvise is like studying a casebook in comedy.”

Beyond the Newsroom

Ikumelo is no stranger to comedy, having broken out on the sketch show Famalam. Asked which of her wild characters she’d love to drop into The Paper, she didn’t hesitate:

“One of the aunties, absolutely,” she said with a grin. “Imagine them storming into the newsroom, arguing over subscription fees, and fighting in the office. That would be chaos and a lot of fun.”

With its humor and vibrant cast, The Paper seems ready to capture the same charm that made The Office a cultural touchstone, this time with a twist for today’s fractured media landscape. The whole first season is now streaming on Peacock.