Craig Robinson

most competent employee at dunder Mifflin. That's right, the voice of reason in all of the insanity, the incredible Craig Robinson. Like so many of the characters on the Office, a lot of the inspiration, as you'll hear for Darryl Philbin came from Craig's real personality. He is an incredible musician and a hilarious comedian. Greg Daniels actually discovered him by seeing him perform perhaps one of the greatest comedy songs

of all time, Somebody's Sucking Mi Lady. Now. Despite the name, and despite the fact that Craig admits to singing his way into booty calls, he insists that his act is a great place to take a date. And I agree. I highly recommended. Craig is amazing. In addition to his work on the Office, He's gone on to work on many other amazing projects, from Brooklyn nine nine to Hot

Tub Time Machine, to Cleveland Show and American Dad. I know you've all been waiting to hear from him, and I am so excited that today is finally the day, even though he didn't teach me any super cool new phrases like dink and flick of. But before we dive in, just wanted to give you a quick reminder that the world's best book, if I do say so myself, or holiday present or late night reading, is already available right

now for pre order on Amazon. It is called Welcome to dunder Mifflin, The Ultimate Oral History of the Office. So go check that out and get ready to be overtaken with your love for the show. But for now, the time has come to welcome our very own warehouse foreman and my good friend, Craig Robinson. Bubble and Squeak. I love it. Bubble and squeakan Bubble and Squeaker cooking every month, left over from the night before. But what's up? How you doing so? I mean, I'm good. It's been

so long since I saw you? How long? I mean a couple of years. It's been a few what's new in your life? I mean, I'm doing this right now. I'm on the road a lot you. Oh yeah, yeah. Is this thing on? Yeah, it's probably on. We start already. We'll not really tell the truth, man, I mean it's it's recording, but I'm just interested in up. Okay, um check check check check? Are you checking your sound? Yeah? Are you a sound expert? Well, you're a musician, so yeah.

I mean I don't know if it's going loud or something there. Did I ever tell you the story? This is before I think we had done the pilot only and I hadn't been in l a very long. Did I ever tell you going the Mbar story? For real? I went to the m Bar and they used to do like an open mic night, and somebody was like, oh, go to the m Bar. I think I knew somebody who was like a server there, and I remember it was David Cross was there, and Sarah Silverman some other

people and you you were so far and away. The funniest thing that night, Well you had a guy with Yeah, I think me and Jerry did Yeah, Yeah, how many shows you do a year? I mean how many cities? Oh shows, shows are like you know, five sometimes seven a weekend, So I probably do thirty thirty plus weeks. Are you jesus if I'm not filming myself? So you're the hardest working manag show business? Not by um? Okay, So rewind back like two thousand three four? What were

you doing before the office came on? H stand up? Doing much stand up? And you know, I had some parts here and there. Um did a show called Lucky. Yep, I was on FX and then a great show thank You Coming. Yeah that was that was lightning in a bottle right there. And then yeah it was two thousand one. We started four four yeah, okay, so yeah, so Lucky and then about to stand up? I'm not sure. Did

you do Second City? Yeah? Chicago? Yeah, I did the training st and I didn't do the okay, I just did one through all the classes and then I moved to l Okay. Um, you incorporate music a lot into your stand up. Do you think that Darryl being a musician on the show did that come from you? Do you think the writers wrote that? Absolutely? Yeah? They they We were like a towel being rung out. They got whatever. But whatever they knew we could do, they got it

out of us. Right. Absolutely, Yeah, you started pretty early. I mean I remember that Christmas episode you and I think we were djay in the corner and then gradually you star. Yeah, we had like what he called those little balls that with the lights and uh disc disco ball. Obviously, I mean for people who don't know, music comes very easy to you. Yes, I have seen people hum you tunes and you start playing well trained here is it

trained or is it natural? I mean both. You have to sit down and like there's time I was sitting, like, play a song and breakdown note for note each churt we wanted to play again. We want to play again until I get and go through the whole song. And he Once you do that, you know sometimes you start you know, see patterns and you know, see what's going on in the song. So that's how you learned. Do you read music? Yeah, but how you do not like I can hear me. It takes me a while to

read some music, but I can hear pretty good. You hear better than anyone I've ever seen. Okay, No, I'm just saying I'm trying. I don't know, but you trained yourself to do that. I think people think about it as being sort of a natural gift, but no, it's definitely a gift. But it's it's you know, it's a gift. You have to work for it. It's like you gotta know you had the talent to do it and then

just developed that, right. I remember later on they kept pairing me with you and Ed Helms in musical situations. It's the ZiT, Kevin and the Zitz. There was Kevin and the Zitz, and I remember we would you know, we never had time to read the episodes before we did them, and we would read the episodes and they would be like song, song, song, and I don't know if you knew this. I would go to them and I would be like, okay, when is rehearsals? When is rehearsal?

And then I would come to you and I'd be like all right, you guys, can we And you'd be like yeah, yeah, no, we're good, We're good, and Ed be the same way, like as like, no, no, that's fine, No I got it, And I was like no, no, no, guys, I don't have it. I don't know what the hell

I'm doing. Um there's a quote that has been attributed to you which that you basically started doing music because it's there were so many funny people in Chicago that you wanted to do something that was different in a way. Is that true? Not exactly? Okay, Um, I just you know, it's my thing. And I had a song that I

did in college that transferred over to the stage. I would like play, you know, piano, the same singing to a girl on the phone, you know, singing a nice and like talking to a singing to a little bit. You know, it's romantic. And I hit up with it, can I have some booty? Right? And then I was like, okay, him, listen to see if she's laughing and watched so if she's laughing, okay, we're good. But so then I did that like a I don't know, some open mic kind

of thing. But it when the open mic, it was like, you know, actors in the room on a Friday night, like you know, and then you just did what you do. So they wants to start doing comedy. I went up and did this show and uh, it didn't go too well. I was just think all heckless heaven. It's in Chicago, and you get eight minutes to perform. The first three minutes, nobody gets the mess with you. From the third minute on if people wanted to hecker you. There are three

people in the audience who have rubber chickens. If you've got all three rubber chickens, you had to get off stage. And then uh, three people have score cards. So I got two rubber chickens the first night, and before I get there, I'm not getting a third chicken. It's good night. Then the next week I came back with my keyboard. That was all she wrote. You did the song that ends with your buddy getting the phone. Um, somebody's sucking

my lady. Somebody's sucking my lady. Yeah, somebody's Yeah. That's that's what you saw. That's what I saw at MBAR. That's what got me like they got me in front of Apple Town to get me in front of Greg Daniels. Yeah. When I did my audition for the Office, Great Games

was like, doesn't get any funny into that. I was like, okay, now audition, Like, oh what like items like a big voted confidence right, I'm thinking like, oh man, now do you do lucky and then you're doing stand up and then how did you did you know about the Office before you came on? I saw the British pilot on an airplane and I was dying, right, and I was like, damn, I wish I could find it, you know. And one day I was like drumming past Sev and I saw

a picture David Brent. Now that's that's the dude from this show, you know. And then I end up getting the audition. No, I didn't know much about except for that pilot, right. And when you got the audition was did you think it was just for one episode or were they sang like you may come around. No, it was just I mean it was it was the first season, right, so you didn't even know, you know, way I was getting what was going on. So I just came in and did the did the audition, and they called me

later after y'all get well under way. I was established an episode for Yeah, And did you know Allison Jones before that? I don't know if I worked with Alison. I'm not before that. No, you know what let missing? I think I had gotten forty I'm sorry, knocked up? How did I do that? Everybody does that to me fort Your Virgin. I'm like, no, it's knocked up, knocked up and I just messed it up. I got auditioned for Fortio Virgin, but I didn't get that, but I

did get knocked up. So I'm not sure exactly when want happened right right right at first? But did you know that it was had the possibility to to recur at that point or zero idea of just doing a job right? What was different for you or was there anything different for you in terms of the way that the show was shot. Yeah, that was. It was way different. Like everything else was like a movie was you know, the two cameras doing a thing, but nobody was swinging

cameras around, right. I feel like Daryl, you know, even from the beginning, had kind of a gem thing with the camera, like it felt like you were on the same page, Like you would do the looks to the camera, like did you just see that idiot. I didn't get a lot of camera looks untill later, but people do say, yeah, see me as a voice of reason and in all the insanity. Yeah. Ben Silverman says that you're the smartest person who worked at Dunner Mifflin. Well, no, not you,

but Darryl, right right, right right, I can see that. Yeah, Daryl was just trying to you know, be honest, make an honest buck, And I couldn't believe a lot of things that I was going around him. And you know, he knew he had to keep the piece and knew he had to uh keep his job. So I don't I don't think he has without smart in these cats. He just was, you know, just like would you beliet these cats? You know, but it felt like, you know, they showed a lot that the warehouse maybe was run

more efficiently than the regular office. Like you were you were good. Yeah. Um. Darryl's relationship with Michael in the show, it was a very like he kept coming to you for advice, particularly on black culture. It was a very very funny dynamic. What was your experience working with Steve? He's the greatest. The way he could turn it comedy button off and on like a falsett. It was just genius to me. Whenever I had seen with him moment and I was like titilation, you know, very exciting, and

I learned from him, stole from him all of that. Yeah, it's funny. That you said you said that because I thought you were going to say something else, which I think is also true. Is part of his genius is how he turns so quick, even within a scene. You know what I mean, But he is he is fighting down one path and something may happen and he just turns it like that and he's like, you know, ultimate scene, part of two. He listens and reacts two. You know what's going on? Like we had a scene I didn't

even really notice until it aired. It was a negotiations. It might be my favorite episode just because the work I did with Steve and being able to play with him like that. It was a scene where he's like, I'm not going to speak first, like to tlie to speak first. So we did a couple of takes and it was fine, uh, And then he did his next take and he's making these faces and if you look closely, you can see Meet started crack a smile on that. But it was just like, without even speaking, he could,

you know, pull us out of you. The laughter is like, oh, he's about to get me. But also in that episode when I was saying uh, where he listens and you know, like the perfect improvisation partner. You're listening and take it to the next level. So we're talking about, you know, getting raged from Jan and I said, make it happen, Captain, he said, I will, Sergeant, my god, game amazing. Do you think that your relationship with him evolved throughout the show? Yeah,

but I think everybody's everybody evolved in that show. Everybody I went through character development. Um, that's one of the things that makes it what it is. People got to know these people, right. But yeah, I think every every situation evolved to something. I mean, you started out and your episodes were mainly about like the office versus the warehouse, whether directly in basketball or like a weird class thing where you have like the white collar and the blue collar.

Talk to me about the transition for you character wise or as an actor of you finally coming up and being a regular part of like the Bullpen characterise. Um, it felt like like it did in real life, like oh many making you a regular, you know what I'm saying. So definitely move on up for Craig Infidery, you know, and it was like more responsibility. And Rain used to say, I had the sweetest schedule in Hollywood. Is that I would come in for like an episode here and then

four weeks later come in do the Christmas episode. But yeah, character wi it was it was like, yeah, step up and okay, let's starting to see you know, starting to feel me. And for Craig myself, it was like, hey, this is this is awesome, like because I didn't understand, like I thought we were a year to year like

every other show. You know, you don't know, you don't know, But it was something about the offered like like I remember one one year they were like many was like, yeah, we're gonna be dating, and it didn't happen for a year, and I kind of forgot about in the next year we were dating. I was like, Oh, that's that's interesting. How do you'll know we're gonna be picked up? You know? I guess you don't know, but you do that kind

of I wasn't, you know, none of those conversations. So one of the people that I've talked to is TV critic, and she talked about The Office. One of the things that was notable about it was that it was she defined it as casually diverse. Do you feel like the Office in terms of race or your experience, do you feel like it it did something right or wrong in terms of that it presented us as people, and that's all right with me. I don't notice right or wrong.

I think casually diverse is a great way to put it. But it just, you know, we would regularly it would look like a real office. We weren't like, you know, models walking around. It was so proper dialogue. This was like just Okay, these are people. Someone probably has something mentally problems that they need to take care of right there, unleashed on society and it's fine. Do you think the show did anything in terms of a positive message in

terms of diversity or race? I mean, you were nominated for three and double a CP Awards, correct lost three, Nick Cannon, Ice Cube, and somebody else. But um, I mean people from all walks of life love the Office. So I wish I could speak to that specifically. Somebody, you know, somebody would be like, you know what, I had a problem with black people, But it's just that show. You know, I don't know, right, I just don't know that answer. You know what's funny? This is kind of

side note. Someone pointed this out that in Christmas Party, we were talking about before season two Michael tells Darryl that he can't wear a Santa hat, and eight years later Megan Kelly there was a controversy was started by Santa Clauss white kids. Yeah, like he was before anyone ever knew who Meg and Kelly was. He was making a joke out of what she would say in the future, calling America. Yeah, um, do you do that in your

comedy race? Yeah, stuff, we're just about America. No, not really. No, I have a date XT my acting mostly for like lovers. It's a great date night. I mean it's for everybody, but it's a couples get I don't know, a boost out of it, a boot, like a sexual boost. Something you give a sexual boost, something deftly happens. Yeah, I'm definitely about the you know, the relationship. But interesting, I wonder what my vibe is. I don't think it's that. Yeah.

Darrell eventually interviews to be the new manager. Did you want that? John? No? Why I just didn't. They were talking about me being it and I was, and on time I went up to Paul, I'm like, hey man, just uh, you know, just put that in your pocket game of dollar, Like you're thinking about the manager but I was no. I did not want to be managing. I thought that was interesting that my name got brought up and it was cool, and you know, I thought about it, but that would be like and all that.

But no, it seemed like it looked like a lot of work. Way different than rain talking about your schedule coming in one episode for four. Yeah, but the path to that, Oh was amazing. Uh, it's gonna go Kathy Bates and Will fare All, Will j Aimes, James Spader. I look back at some of those episodes like, that's right, that actually happened, Spade. It was incredible, man, God damn. Yeah. How was it like working with you know, once Steve left?

Working with those guys, I mean, these are legends coming in and you just like hanging out, no battle trailer, Oh, what's up? Catherine Tate? Katherine Tate, who I don't know anything about Melan That's that's my homie Steel to this day, she's the best Spader. How is working with Spader different than Steve Well? I mean, you know, Spader, He's how do you describe the guy? He's his own world, he's his own I don't know. It was cool, it was

real cool. He was you know, chatty and you know, say what's up and he's smoothed with it, but you know he's got that weird, creepy funny and Steve was just like a falsetto whatever you needed. And in Spade of eight they wrote to him beautifully. Yeah. He It was just interesting how they just approached it in a totally opposite way from like really wanting a crafted acting

performance to way more sort of improv fass Ale. Yeah, you were talking before about the leading up to Darryl becoming the manager and getting to work with all of those people. I mean, that was that was a huge storyline for you. I mean, and then eventually you going off and working with Jim. Do you think today Darryl would still be working with Jim at the Athlete Athlete Oh yeah, oh yeah. They be at all no dope

games and killing it. Heck yeah, I mean, I'm sure he would have found another way to rise about his point, but uh, may views in his own company. Who knows Daryl was ambitious? Yeah. Uh again, going back to Ben's talking about Darryl being the smartest person in the office, but he was overlooked a lot. I sort of like you know, like Kevin was overlooked. Um in the basketball episode like where I was like, oh, yeah, of course that guy can't play, and then you know you exactly, Darrel,

know you really are an athletes? Really I am. I mean we on a south Fall killed bro, you killed? Oh I forgot about that stuff like Okay, don't make me run that fast. That's all hit it far enough so that hit it far enough so I don't have to run so fast. Yeah, but Daryl, But it felt like Darryl kept being overlooked, at least by Michael. I mean he was in the warehouse, he put in the you know, trying to be looked at. I guess what was your negotiation? Was that your favorite episode? Probably? Yeah,

just the sheer amount of work Mike and idea. And they said people only want to call him Mike. That's right. I didn't even realize that. Yeah, you're the only one who called him Mike. Um, what was it? What was it like for you working with Krasinski? How was he different than Steve? And he's a paint in the ass, But it was that John always struck me. I mean he just knew like he feels like he was you know,

just just brilliant dude. You know. Uh, I love his directing and he's funny, you know when he wanted to be, but he was the more the leading man kind of dude. Yeah, but you know he was always cool man. It was great in the finale. Um, do you remember what happens in the finale We all go back to Scratton like a year later and we do that Q and a panel on the show. Yeah, and Ellie and her parents were there thinking about that. Yeah, Joel Q sick. Was it sad? Sad to watch on uh in that moment

with Ellie and because I don't know what was going on? Right? Yeah, that was pretty you know, rinching well and Creed singing the song all the faces he sings that and then Jenna takes the painting off the wall and goes outside. Oh yeah, I do remember that. Jens Alotta talked about that.

Greg used to talk about the show was like a giant parking lot that goes on forever, like as far as you can see, there's just asphalt everywhere, and then just line parking space, parking space, handicapped space, and that just goes on and on. He said, But then when you start to look closer. You see the little cracks in the parking lot, and every once in a while there's just a little teeny flower it comes up out of the ground. And examining that beauty in a waste

land was what the show was trying to do. I think that's why it relates to people. One of the many reasons. Of course, have you ever seen Greg go into his own like what so we were doing this shows what in the office was Mr Robins? Mr Robinson? So we the pitch like the big pitch was like later on in the day, and uh and cats he was there. Tracy shout out Tracy and she had to move. She's like, great, we gotta go. And Greg went into this feverish, fierce like you saw his brain work and

he started writing and banging. It was it was like watching Michaelangelo paint or something. It was it was like, Oh, this is happening right now in front of me, dude, is incredible. Salute Greg Nagels. Yeah. When when he was doing it, going into his writing mode and cast Key was trying to shut Greg we go, he almost like you know, like he was typing. It was. It was it was amazing brow he was just he like he had an idea and he had do I swear it

was like watching Harry Potter or something. It was it was magic. It was like a world wind around him and he almost barked at her, which she trying to get it to go. Yeah. See the smartest comedy person you know. Yes, I'm to say absolutely a do love working with Greg. I mean he couldn't be a nicer guy, you know, and then smartest dude and room. Yeah, what are you what are you most thankful for? For the Office? Um?

You know, when you meet people, it's it's this uh genuine like like it feels like you you have friends everywhere, and that's, uh, that's a big part of my life because you know, these friends come out, they support my shows and what have you. And it's a lot of like the deeper goals. You know, people had these stories of you know, my my uh mother had cancer and you know we watched The Office and you know, we got through this and it will be these incredible heart

wrenching stories about our family. We don't talk, but we bond over the Office. You know. Thank you asking me You're like, why why the hell is the show still relevant? And I think that's that's a big part of it. People really connect through the show with family members or whoever. Right, why do you think it resonates? I mean, here was my impression anyway that people are like, oh the office. Yeah, people can relate because sixty million people work in offices

around the country. So of course, now like it's young people who are really into it. Soldiers for sure, man um. Yeah, and the young people like starting and people are like, yeah, I'm on my knight, my time around watching it or we watched it, you know, three times or four times. You know, it's a phenomenon. I don't know how to put my finger on it. I think that awkwardness, you know, it's got everything that humor awkward, it's got heart, you fall in love with people, you know. It's a beautiful.

So yeah, alright, guys, do we need anything else from Mr Robinson here? No predictus. Good thanks buddy, You're welcome, sir, dude. It's been so crazy. I've seen everyone, uh, John, Johannah Rain, I'm sure this is the most born interview. I'm suck at these things. Just good ladies and gentlemen. The man himself, Craig Robinson Craig. It's so good to see you, and I think we can all agree that you're anything but boring. Thank you for taking the time to stop by, and

thank you my favorite listeners for tuning in. You're in luck because today if we've got a double whammy of a release. So make sure you go check out round two of my conversation with director Ken Kappas right now. I will see you over there the Office. Deep Dive is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Lang Lee. Our senior producer is Tessa Kramer. Our producers for this episode are Liz Hayes and Diego Tapia.

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. Mm hmmmmmm