Angela Kinsey - Pt. 1

the entire run of the Office. But I am very happy to report that Angela Kinsey and I actually became very good friends on the set of the Office and we are still great friends to this day, thankfully. Um, but we actually met many years before the Office. How Ever, neither of us remembers it. Okay, So when Angela and I were in college, Angela went to Baylor, I went to s m U. Hail to the Red and the Blue. Um. We had the same spring break and one year we

both separately went to Acapulco, Mexico. Random, I know, but at some point during that trip we ended up in the same cab, like the the same van cab with a bunch of other people. And long story short, many years later, back in our little corner, we figured out that we met on that night in the cab in Acapulco, Mexico. Even though, like I said, neither of us have any memory of it. Um. But luckily for your listening pleasure today, we do have a lot of great memories from our

ten years working together on the office. We truly were Angela, Oscar and I. We were the stars of our own show over in the accountant's corner. Let me tell you it was a great show. At least we thought it was a great show. Anyway, Please welcome my bestie Angela, Kinzie, Bubble and squeak. I love it. Bubble and squeak on Bubble and squeaker, cookie, every moment left over from the night before. Oh, I mean I tried you were coming. How are you? I'm good? How are you? How's your family?

I'm waiting for my Christmas car. Everybody's good. Ago, I got it. I'm glad. It was so memorable. Hi guys, Oh my god, I'm so low, so low. I think that's more about your height. Hey, Jenna was just in that chair and had no issues. Well, she's taller than I am. All right, I do this for a living. You know what is going on? This is a microphone, you know, it occurs to me, we have you and I do this all the time together all the time. Are we already recording? I think it's gold is going

to happen. We're always paired together to do like press and always satellite tours. And because we're good together, Bud, Yes, we are, we are. How are you good? You look good? You have like a snazzy sports jacket I'm wearing us. I dressed up for you. Thank you. I like the mood lighting. I like what you've done with the room. Kind of got a sexy vibe. This is my first day in this room, like we could be in a lodge maybe like in Vegas, a Vegas lodge. Well, they

made it, they made it feel like home for me. Um. Well, I'm happy to be here, Brian. I'm happy that you're here. It's fun to go back and talk about this. Really fun. I mean, Jenna and I are having so much fun. But I I know, we knew it was a great show, that we were part of something special. But getting to watch it again and I'm watching it now with like

no agenda. I hit the mic. You're a professional. I'm not Agenda is the wrong word, but I'm watching it now just as an audience, Like I'm not thinking about like, oh did I get my line right? Or you know, I'm just watching it as an audience and I'm just loving it and I'm just like, ah, man, we got to do that. Do you remember I'm going to go out of order here, but do you remember when we

were almost fired? You mean you mean which time? The time with kin Kopas, at the time when we made Oscar tell a story really loud under the come one where we had Oscar. Oscar gets really animated and he gets worked up and he's kind of like a very passionate storyteller. Yes, all right, So to set this up, show is brand new. We get hired and we're out in the parking lot and we're we're supporting casts. We are not a big ticket item on the show. We

are easily replaceable. And Oscar starts telling the story very loudly, very loudly, and we were This is when he kind of blames me. We were sort of standing over in the sun and I'm like, guys, let's go stand in the shade, and I scooched us up against the wall of the building, apparently right under a window where they were filming, yes, and then Oscar continues the story and he goes Kinsey almost coping fired because she's like, Oscar over here, come down loudly under the window and we

got yelled at. Ken koppas himself leaned out the window our director and said, hey, guys, could you can you keep it down? We're trying to film here. We're like, oh, we're out of here. I have to say what I learned really quickly that moment is the fight or flight and all of us Oscar I don't know if he meant to deer in headlights. He stepped out and looked up. My ass hugged the wall. I made myself so small I touched into a shadow. I don't think Ken saw me.

I think he just saw Oscar. You went flat up against a dumpster. Who probably I was like, I can like stepped out and was like okay, and then he was like, um okay. Two thousand and three, Yes, before anything related to the office happened. What were you doing, oh man? Two thousand and three. I was working at Improv Olympic Theater and I performed there anytime they give me stage time, so usually about three nights a week.

I did improv. Um. I was in a show with Kate Flannery who ended up playing Meredith on the Office, and Kate Wall, Laura Kraft. Really hilarious people were on this show. Rich Fulture was our only guy and the name of the show was Girl Team Balls, Girl Team Balls performing three nights a week. No, no, no, That was one of the shows I was in. It was like Sunday nights at like ten o'clock, which is like really when you want to see comedy. And then I had like a few other improv shows I was doing.

I was all in it. It was like my life. I know, Brian's nodding at me like nerd, but so you're doing improv Olympic and I'm working. I'm working at the theater and I'm performing there and then auditioning, Yeah, auditioning like every little thing I could do. I had a bunch of national commercials. Those were the days where you could get a big national commercial and it would like you would make a nice income, especially like I just had a tiny, little one bedroom apartment. It's not

like any big checks. Um. I had a Chevy Blazer that my parents had helped me buy out of college that Chevy Blazer made it until about oh gosh, around Booze Cruise. I was driving back from Long Beach and I made a left and my right tire made right, rolled right through the intersection. Oh my god. Um, and now did you know about the British Office? Of course, I was a huge fan. You're a huge fan. I

thought it was amazing. But you know, I grew up with a lot of British television because I grew up overseas, and um, that was like I grew up on faulty towers and good neighbors and all these that kind of sense of humor really appealed to me. Okay, so you get called to audition. Well, actually I knew Greg Daniels at the time. I was related to Greg by marriage. You guys know that out there right. I've talked about it, um, And I mean, I just loved Greg. He was so

supportive of my career. He would come to my improv shows. I look back on it now, Brian, and I know you you do too, because you have kids. They probably had to get a babysitter coming to my show like I. But when you're in your twenties, you don't think of that. You're like, I have an Amprov show at Tanna Clack that Sunday. But now I think about it and I'm like, what like it takes to get out to get to

someone's whatever it is. So he was always so supportive, and he was going to be doing the remake, and he said, you know, this is when you should come in for you should this is kind of in your wheelhouse. And I was like, okay, and I was nervous. I was nervous about what that looked like in the USA because I loved the British version and I was like, oh, no, are they gonna But I knew if anyone could do it would be Greg because he's he is just brilliant,

he really is. And so you get the call and you go, is there anything specifically you remember about the day you went into audition. You were auditioning not for Angela and I was auditioning for Pam. I remember it very very well because before I went in, Greg said, Angela, that sounds kind of funny saying this. Um He's like, I am not going to acknowledge you, okay, like we don't know each other. He said, trust me on this. If they just think you're there just like anyone else.

It's going to serve you better. He goes, I know you can do this. You know you can do it. I am not going to in any way let them know that I know you and you don't do the same. So I was like, Okay, got it, And you don't mean my poker face is horrible. So you're walking in and you're like, Hi stranger, Hi greg Um. But no. I walked in and there was a room full of people as a producer session. He was in the back corner, and Um, I wore a like a pink turtleneck and

my hair sort of half up, half down. And I had really worked hard on the scene. I felt really good about it and it was going great. I was reading with Phyllis and there's a moment when Michael fake fires Pam in front of Ryan the Timp, and it's such a jerk move right, and Pam calls him a jerk. She starts to cry and she calls him a jerk because you kind of realized that as crappy as this

job is, she probably needs this job. And when Phyllis as Michael fake fires me, I look up and I called her a jerk, but I guess I was like jerk. Like everyone started laughing, and I remember in my mind thinking like I don't think I'm supposed to have laugh right there. So you got a laugh on the jersey, I got a laugh on the jerk line. But every

it was like everything was going great. I walked out there, Greg really like close to his chest, gave me like where no one could see, like a big spile of thumbs up, which you know, I was like on cloud nine, and I felt great about it. I walked out there. I was like whoo, and then I didn't get it. Um and like that was that, and you know, you go into your next audition. I had an audition for a pilot for the Oxygen Channel. Do you remember the

Oxygen Network. I was a big star on I bet you were, but I bet you crushed it over there. It was a pilot that was like, um, an improv pilot, kind of like Curb your Enthusiasm before curb. And they got these phenomenal improv actors and I had auditioned for it and got it, and they were flying me to New York and I thought I was so fancy getting

flown first class to New York. We filmed in the village and I was like, Oh, this one's the one going like this has happened, And I played the slutty receptionist, perfect perfect um. And then two months went by I was waiting to hear about that, and I got a call saying, you know that show the Office, they really liked you. They just thought you were a little too feisty for Pam and they were like this this woman is like like, she works in accounting, and she's sort

of stuffy. She doesn't really have anything nice to say about anybody. And then they said, when you come back in, just really downplay your looks, like, you know, this is a very drab accountant and a paper company. Instagram, so I read with Kim Koppas and it was like one line and I'll never forget it because he said, um, well, Angela, you know how he talked, Well, Angela, Yeah, you made a real meal out of that line. And I was like, wait, is that good? I don't know do I want to

make it me a lot of that line? But I felt really good about it. It It was the scene that you and I ultimately do. And and then I got a call that I got it and I couldn't believe it because it was like this thing that I had let go. I was like, that's great. And then I remember thinking like, well, what about Salon Royale. The pilot I did for Oxygen It was called Salt Royal Clan Royal, and um, it didn't go. Salon Royale did not go. So I went from the slotty receptionist to the prickly accountant.

What now? What would have if Salon Royale had gone? I think I would you would not have been on the office. No, And I would have been a lead. I would have I would have thought, who I'm like one of the leads of Salon Royale. Yeah, I know, Well it all worked out. Oh my goodness. So you did you know anybody else that had been cast? You had worked with some people? Yes, I knew Oscar Nuniez. We had done a sketch comedy show called Hot Towel.

Sketch comedy shows. I'll have weird names because because you're in your twenties and you think you're HILARI yes, hot the hot towel they hand you like on a plane. We were like this, let's be hot towel. Well, I don't know because they had flown you first class that experience and you were like, oh, let's call it hot towel. Oh it actually wasn't. That would be perfect, but it actually wasn't my idea. Um, so I knew Oscar and then um, Kate Flannery and I had done improv together,

Dave Keckner. I knew all the improv circles you know. Um do you remember having any reaction with Ben Silverman or Koppus Coappus. I loved, like right away, he was just amazing, And I'll never forget our scene when we did the pilot. It was the last shot of the day and we had had a long day and I could tell Ken was done. He wanted to go home, and he has this two line scene and accounting he sends everyone home but us. We're over there in the corner.

You and I have been waiting all day for this moment. And I said my line, you said yours and he goes, okay, Um, why do you First of all, Ken doesn't say action, you know, he goes go in and then you do your scene and he's like, you know what, why don't you do it again? But like give it half of that, like give it half of that. So I say my line was like, well, if someone's gonna be fired, I, yeah, it's probably gonna be me. And he was like, YEA, give it half of that. And I'm like, do I

sound like some vaudeville commy? Am? I like, if someone's going to be fired, I don't probably maybe, Like I was like, give it half of that. So I was like, someone's gonna be fired, It'll probably be me. And he was like and one more less. I'm like what? And then and then I remember you and I so I did. I said it. I just like gave it nothing right. And then he was like, I think we got it. And then he left and I turned you and I was like, are we going to be fired? And You're like,

I think we just I think we're fired. I think we suck. Oh my gosh. What do you remember that was different about shooting the pilot for the Office than anything else you'd worked on before. Is there anything different that you remember? Well? Sure, I mean there were a few things. First of all, like the tone, like just the fact that can like made us get there early

and do work. We were to go to our desks and do work like we were filing papers or typing something and sit in silence, take a call if you want to take a call. It was very method kind of go there and work on your desk and he just rolled b roll camera. And then also like we had no marks, like the sort of um the idea that you were on a TV show. It didn't feel like that. It didn't feel like any other set I'd been on. It almost was like I was on a reality TV show and I had been miked untild to

go work in an office somewhere. Like the feeling of the crew, all of that was just like it wasn't there. There were only like the crew felt very small, like Skeleton Crew and all the other shows you're on. It

feels like a production, right, that's very interesting. The idea that we didn't have marks, right then, In normal television shows they mark where you're supposed to stand so the camera can capture you perfectly in your scene and focus walking up delivering your lines, and we didn't have that. This was a documentary, so the camera was expected to

find you wherever you happen to land. Yeah, they would say walk up to reception and you're going to deliver your lines at reception and you know, Angela you're going to stand over by the copier and Brian you're going to stand over by the coat rack. But they didn't within three ft of that area. We could roam around and do whatever we wanted. Right. Also, there was no there was no missing wall, right we were in and in fact the pilot we shot in an actual office space, right,

and so the walls were not moving. Bowl. They had to truly work in the space they were in, which I thought was great because it is a documentary. They can't fudge that. They have to. Like if the walls there on other TV shows, they'd be like, well, fly out the wall, move the wall, it's messing up my shot.

But this you had to work around it. And I think like the camera finding you and if it was blurry or a little bit, if they missed you and then had to find you, all of that was gold for this type of show because they didn't want it to feel like a polish, polished network television show. Yeah, how do you feel like choosing Scranton to set the space and what do you think that did for us? Well?

I think it grounded it and made it like any town. Right, it could be anywhere, so these things can happen anywhere to anyone or just a normal town. I really liked that. I also think that a lot of the shows skewed towards big cities, and um, I like seeing the smaller towns. Yeah, I think that also. I mean, you're right, but I think also Greg taking it a step further and saying we're going to create in any town by being as absolutely true and specific as we can to this town,

right and it. It is one of the things that doesn't make me sad. If if you were going to say, what are some regrets about filming The Office, is that we never got to film an episode there on location. And they tried, they really tried, but it was a lot of moving parts to move a whole cast and crew and set up for a week. But we tried to do the St. Patrick's Day, remember the parade, and that would have been so cool. You know what's so crazy is that Jenna said the same thing, and I

said the same thing. It's one of my biggest regrets that we never went there as a production. Now we all went there and it was I fell in love with the place, so did you. I still think you should have a bar there called Malons. You should have a bar called Malons and Scranton. You and I were the first ones to go. We were yes, and then we came back and we're like, you guys, you all have to go. It's amazing. That is one of my favorite weekends of my life. And that is you guys,

that includes becoming a mother. Like that's how much fun this weekend was. It was just a blast. First of all, they sent a limo for us. We were in New York City doing press and I got in at first. They picked me up first, and they were going to pick up you. You guys, this is before you texted people. This really dates us. But I had like a BlackBerry and I was trying to tell Brian we were We had arrived to pick him up, and I was like, we're in a stretch limo that looks like a truck,

like an suv. It was, and they had it all the stuff in there because we were gonna then drive to Scranton. And I was like, Brian, what is happening? Where are we going? Yeah? I that first time in Scranton. Actually, you and I it was like we were the Beatles. Yeah, we went up to a rooftop in Scranton because they said, oh, a few people from the city want to meet you.

Love some drinks. We went up there and they were like four thousand people on the roof and it was just me and you no, I know, yeah, And then when we all went back, everyone was like, oh my god. I remember ed. Helms turned to me. He wanted to go into this train store and we had to go out the back entrance because the store had been surrounded by people, and he said, angel this might be the

closest will ever be to being a beatle um. I've been talking to people a little bit about creating their characters. Was there because your training was an improv Well, I did theater like all through you know, high school and college. I did theater, But my love and passion was improv and comedy and sketch comedy, right, And so creating the character of Angela, did you? Was there like a special sauce that you had about creating her physically or well?

The way I dressed for my second audition. When I came back in for what would end up being Angela, they asked me if I could bring my own clothes to the pilot. I wore my own clothes in the pilot, So yeah, I guess my gray on gray that I what I had in my closet ended up being a

color scheme for her. Um. I brought a photo of myself and my grandmother, Lena Mackenzie, and my eyes are closed in the photo and it's a black and white picture, and I just thought it was really funny that she would frame that it said I Heart Grandma, and that's what I because Ken really wanted us to decorate our workspace, and I put that on my desk, and so, you know, I guess in my mind I saw her as this

sort of stuffy gal, but she wasn't malicious. She just took work very seriously and she was here to do work. She wasn't there for shenanigans, you know, And that's sort of how I approached her. The one line Greg told me is she probably doesn't have a lot of nice things to say about everyone. And then I had a prop on my desk that was a paper clip holder that was kind of a big cat laying on its side.

I still have that to this day. So I thought like, well, I have this photo of me and my grandmother, this her grandma, her best friend. I don't know. I have this cat paper clip holder. I'm wearing all gray, and I know she probably doesn't have a lot of nice things to say, so that just sort of informed me. I started to put her together. And then you know,

in the pilot, I improvised the whole Sprinkles thing. Kin Koppas wanted me to pass around papers in the background of a scene and I asked him what what papers said, it doesn't matter, and I doodled a little cat and I said, you're invited to Sprinkle's first birthday party. And I sort of made it up that I had found this cat in the parking lot and I invited everyone but Jim. I just figured Jim would have made fun of me or something. And that was all stuff I

was doing on my own. You know, you saved the sprinkles and posted I still have the sprinkles posted not. You gave me the one that was on the partition when we wrapped. You gave me that, and I like, I love it so much. You kept it. No one else kept Kevin. Kevin my my the person that drove me crazy is kept was sentimental and in a weird way. Um, do you remember seeing the pilot for the first time? Yeah? Yeah, what did you think of it? I thought it was

really funny. I thought it was really funny, and I thought, well, maybe we have a chance. But for me, when I really thought oh this is we've got something was Diversity Day and that scene of all of us in the conference room with those note cards on our forehead. I was Jamaica, you know, and I think you do want to stop it. You and I had that great scene. Um. I remember looking around and being like, oh, this is I'm not seeing this on TV right now. We're the

only people doing this here and this feels really special. Yeah. And do you remember anything about getting the call that the show was picked up for a series. I do. I was. I mean, I I thought, oh my god. My first thought was, well, I guess I could go down to part time at the theater, like because I just didn't know, Like nothing for me had ever stuck. And I remember being I was excited, but being nervous

if it meant I should quit the other job. Okay, so we finished the first season and then we come back for season two. What do you remember that changed? Um? Hair and makeup. The hair and makeup was like a like if my my grandpa that used he used to like try to make things with wood. The makeup area was like someone who put together a few pieces of plywood and like clamped a light on it that looked like an electrical hazard in the middle of an empty warehouse.

Season two, we had a trailer. You walked inside and it was a hair and makeup trailer, and there was music playing and you sat in a chair and there were lights, and then we moved to an actual sound stage and then fourty year old Virgin, right year old Virgin. That was the game changer for Steve and Jenna and I have talked about this where we had this moment where we're like, oh my god, our friends Steve is

gonna be like real famous, like real Dale famous. I really felt like they were banking on Steve, and I was like, Okay, I will attach myself to the Steve wagon. I'm banking on him too. I thought that that was a really good sign, but I still wasn't confident. I mean I still was like when we finished those first six because season one was just six, they printed our names on pieces of paper and then laminated them and put a piece of velcrow on the back and that's

what stuck to your door of your trailer. And I went up to mine, ripped that, ripped it off and said, I'm gonna save that. That was fun because you were sure it was done. I just didn't know. I mean, they were putting so much at the time, NBC had the show that was like our rival sort of show that was this couple, and they were on every bus everywhere. We weren't on any buses if we weren't anywhere, And I was like, wow, the putting a lot of money on those guys. Yes, there was not a whole lot

of confidence. But Kevin Riley, I was about to say, I knew Kevin Riley was fighting for us, and I know that's why when we ultimately won an Emmy, all you guys lifted him in the air and that's the photo that made the l a times because we all knew as a cast we stayed on the air because Kevin Riley put his neck on the line for us. Right when did you feel like we actually had security?

I know distinctly remember well. I remember getting an email that our first Christmas episode had become the number one download on iTunes and I was like what and I said, oh, that's it. Mom was getting rid of for Chevy Blazer and then I got a Honda. Um yeah that that That was a huge moment, and it's funny. Before that aired, there was a moment that was very significant for you and I, which was boost Crews. Yes, when we finally became series regulars. Yep. I found out I was going

to be a series regular. And there's a photo that, um, I think Oscar took of Jenna and I when I found out. We're jumping up in the air holding hands. And I mean up until then, we were basically like week to week. Like I remember in Halloween episode when they were like, yeah, we're gonna actually fire one person. We're all like, okay, Hi, how's it going. I petitioned for it to be you. I want you to know.

I remember saying to my mom, I'm like, Mom, you know pretty much anyone can go really And she was like, well, every office needs a bitch, That's what she said to you. Yeah, She's like, every office needs the bitch. I'm like, your mom was confident that it wouldn't be you. My mom was you haven't you know Bertie Kinzie, She's like, don't speak it, don't speak it put out the positive. Oh man, So at this time, so this happens, Um, we shoot

boost Cruise. It airs after Christmas. Christmas episode happens on TV. It's our largest audience ever ever. Then iTunes streaming. We become number one in that and then Steve wins the Golden Globes. What do you remember about that night of us at the Golden Globes? Um? I remember I got a spray tan because I thought I was really white, like too white in my dress, and so people were like, get a spray tan. And then Rain made fun of

me so much. He was like how what what? So one day on the office, Angela Martin is like pale and the next day you look like orange. Like Angela. I was like, I don't know me. And then um, we weren't allowed to sit in the main room. Only Steve got invited into the main room where the fancy people were. We were in the annex and we watched him win like on TV, and we were we we about like fell out of our chairs, literally we fell out of the stuff. It. We made such a scene

that other fancy. People were like, oh, little guys. We were screaming, We're so excited. And when the party lets out, it lets out into the room we were in, and we like, we tackled Steve. We're so excited. And then season two happens, and then that year we win the Emmy. Yeah, that was so cool, and now we're you know, at least in terms of the Emmys. What do they know, but we're now the number one show, um, And so we've gone from do we even have a job? Are

they going to let us do one more? Two now suddenly? Or a hit? Do you think that that changed anything? Well, yeah, for sure, it changed everything as far as the network was concerned. I think that the show was fantastic. I think our fans were there, but it really made us bankable for the network, and then we started getting the bigger orders. Um. And then creatively the show started finding its form in terms of we're gonna have a cold open, the episodes are going to take place more or less

in a day. What do you think the cold opens allowed the show to do. I think they allowed to show other departments, other little just relationships and worlds within dunder Mifflin. Well, Yeah, they could be character studies too and not have to be tied to anything to any storyline, right. I mean the Kevin making his chili. It's never discussed again. There's never any conversation. At least once a year Kevin says he brings in the chili. He never brings it

in again. He does it one time, he spills it and that's it. Um. But I think in terms of it allowed the show to do something for pure comedy, for a character study. Yeah. I feel like there are a lot of ways that our show did that that I loved, and I think that was Greg Daniels, you know, just doing his thing. I mean, there would be nuggets dropped in a monologue like a talking head and you're like what, and it's never revisited again. But it's just information.

All of a sudden, we all know that Creed did action movies in Hong Kong, what you know? Like whatever? I mean, Dwight has some really good ones too, um. But I love that about the chili. It's just assumed information. And and we start in the middle we don't explain to you everything. I was just rewatching um the Halloween episode and when Michael leaves he walks right past Hank. Never introduced Hank. That's just where he sits. That's who

he is, his security downstairs. But there weren't these big like now we must introduce this and this is a thing. It was just like their life, all right, you guys. That's it for now. We are out of time, as they say, but we will be back with more of Angela, I promise in a future episode. And until then, we have a bunch more great interviews coming your way. Thank you so much for listening, and please please just for me,

have a great week. The Office. Deep Dive is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Langley. Our senior producer is Tessa Kramer, our associate producer is Emily Carr, and our assistant editor is the A goo Topia. My main man in the booth is Alec Moore. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by my great friend Creed Bratton, and the episode was mixed by seth Olandski