The Office Sweet 16 Party

this is exciting. Now. I checked, weirdly, this is not recognized as a national holiday. Weird. But in honor of the special occasion, I am throwing you are fans a sweet sixteen party. This episode is for you, the wonderful fans who love the show and have been showing so much love for this podcast. I'm going to answer some of the fantastic questions that you sent in and tell even more behind the scenes stories that we didn't get to on the podcast. And I'm gonna respond to some

of your comments about the podcast itself. I seriously love hearing from you guys, so I am very excited to respond to some of your burning questions. But first, because this is our special fan episode. I am going to have a chat with one well lucky fan. This guy is an office super fan. I met him wow, thirteen years ago. Then he started like stalking me on social media. And then one day I show up to set and this guy's on set like talking to all of the

other actors. And then he ended up making an appearance in one episode of the show, the series finale no Less. And he also happens to be the NFL's m v P and for sixteen years, the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. That's right, Please give a warm welcome to my friend Aaron Rodgers. Aaron, how's it going. That's a nice intro there, buddy. I mean, if you're looking for someone eventually the Hall of Fame, I might be available

if you're interested. You get the perfect face for radio, my friend, Like I've always always told you, uh years though I can't believe it's been thirteen years. I remember when we met. I was so juiced because I was a huge fan of the show. But um, wow, that is it's it's crazy thirteen years and and my favorite part about that story is I didn't know who you were. I don't know you were either I thought you were somebody scatty or so yes. I Um, when when did

you start watching The Office? Did you watch it from the beginning. I didn't watch from the beginning. Um, I was a little bit. Uh well, i'll tell you. I was way into the British Office. I'm a fan of Ricky's your Base for a long time. I watched those two seasons. I said, I thought they were absolutely brilliant. And my friend Joey longtime friend, and got me into it and we had started watching his House. I mean,

you know, right when it came out. And I remember when when I heard the there's gonna be an adaptation in the States, I was like, and well, how can they do this show in the States, you know? And I remember, so I didn't really get into it the first season and I started watching it. I think I'm guessing there was like a DVD that came out. This was after VHS, so this is probably a DVD that came out. Remember watching it and going, oh, they did the Jello episode like in the British Office and stuff,

and this is the season went on. I was like, this is really funny, like and this is this is gonna be really good because you guys started to go in your own direction and from that point forward, I was hooked. And I've seen it so many times through and I watched it, I think, uh, two and a half times through Uh, during COVID, So you watched it two and a half times. That's amazing. I knew we had talked, and I knew that you were rewatching it again because periodically you will like send me a green

shot of me doing something really stupid. Uh, And I knew that you you were watching it. Why why do you keep coming back to it? I mean, I guess specifically, like what is it that you love about it? I mean, it's it's hard to just pick one thing. I just think there's so many things about this show that are so beautiful and and and that should be timeless. But I think the interesting part about the show is that it would get canceled by this culture we live and

I think before it even got going. And uh, for reasons that I think are so beautiful about the show is that it's it's people who aren't necessarily PC and and don't always say the right things and and I think that's the beauty and any great TV show is it's characters who are relatable who you can go, oh, man,

I love this about Jim. You know, he's an awkward situations and all he can do is just look around and look at the camera, you know, paying um with you know, a relationship that's you know, in and out and you just want somebody to commit to you or or Michael, you know, you just want him. He just wants to be liked so badly. That's all he cares about is like people, you know, respecting him and liking him, and you just we we start, especially in those characters,

with people that we know in our own lives. So we're not only loving the characters, but we're loving it because every time we see Kevin, we're reminded of someone. Every time we see Ryan the Temper, were reminded that someone from our lives. It makes us laugh, or makes us mad, or makes us anything, any type of emotion that brings it kind of brings even deeper in the show. And I think just the meanings, the deeper meaning of the show in the way it's crafted, I think is beautiful.

The way it's written, the character arcs for so many um of the people. You you start to just really love on the show yourself included. I love your character arc throughout the show. How kind of as the show goes on, you're You're the way you talk kind of gets kind of gets smarter. And I remember the first time I met you, I was like, Oh, you don't talk like that, like you're doing the show. But I

love your character. I love Rains as Dwight. Um. I love the fact that Creed story and how he got his part and fill us his story she got her part on the show, and and Robert California coming in as bizarre as you could possibly imagine Spader and just killing it and actually kind of bringing you back in after you didn't know what was gonna happen when Steve left the show, and and then just how it ends, you know, and to be a part of strangely a

part of the penultimately in the in the final episode, um, where there's just a couple of just amazing lines I've I've mentioned him before, and you know, when Andy speaks to camera there in the last episode, it's just so beautifully written and spoken by him talking about you. You wish somebody would tell you're in the good old days before you left him. I think that's it's it's that

and that's what the show does. It's such a nostalgic part of so much of our lives where we can just remember where we were when we saw certain episodes or what phase of life we were in when the show was going crazy, and that's why we're all thankful for that's why we binge the hell out of it

on Netflix. Yeah, you know, it's funny ed not too long ago, he I think it was on Twitter he sent out that quote and he had a picture of me and John and Rain and himself all in our Texas after the Golden Globes one year and I remember back to that more like he was doing it on purpose, obviously, but just him for me personally, going back to that night and going back to so many nights like that with those guys. Um. Yeah, it's that one still gets me.

That that one still gets me. And because you brought it up, I was going to bring it up later. But you know, one of the questions that I asked everybody was about the very last line of the show, which is i'll paraphrase, but Pam talking about why they chose dunder Mifflin as a subject for this documentary and then realizing that it was a good subject because there's Beau the in ordinary things, and isn't that kind of

the point. But through all of the shenanigans, all of the you know, crazy you know, like I've said many times, we felt like we were just being idiots, you know, for a decade, But there was an underlying feeling there that people like you just said, seemed to respond to. That It celebrates that that ordinary nous um or or seemingly ordinariness in people. Yeah, I couldn't agree with you anymore.

I mean, there's a lot of misty moments in the last episode and just that last montage of of Jim and Pam talking to camera, you know, especially when Jim's talking about dunder Mifflin and this amazing, crazy, you know, bizarre place that he lived and worked at and the people that he grew up with and Creeds, you know, playing the guitar there, you know, after the you know, Angela and and do I come up after you know the wedding is just this is some the just sweetest,

most beautiful moments and in a show's ending, I think because you're bringing that nostalgia and and just a great montage and um, and you kind of you wrap things up now. I'm I love watching movies and shows and and sometimes I think, you know, for certain shows or movies you don't need it, and you don't need to

wrap things up. It's almost better with the mystery. But I think with with the ride that that the Office took us on for so many years, like it was fun to to see all these different stories wrapped up, and and to have ah Steve come back the way that he did and the time that he did. That's

what she said, joke was so perfectly done. And and to see Nelly come back, and to see Ryan and Kelly end up together, and um and Dwight in the dream job that he wants to and you and your character with your bar and you guys patching things up, and and Jim, you know, getting a grand gesture from Pam to to go do his dream job. I just

there's so many beautiful moments put in the end. It comes down to that set, which I was lucky enough to go on thankfully when I when you when you showed me around, But just to end it there for all of us, you know, it was just a really special moment, I think, and I'm sure it was for you guys to you know, it's it's funny coming up in a in an episode not too long from now. I sit down with Creed and he I saw him

the night before. We actually played in a benefit concert the night before, and I said, hey, tomorrow, you're coming in, we're gonna chat. Bring in your guitar. And he played that song for me, just sitting and right now I'm I'm I'm having feeling just him sitting there playing that song with him. It will never not do something to me for sure. Um the series finale, you mentioned you were not scripted in the show, as you know. You know,

I've never revealed who was scripted. I may have told you it was a it was a famously remember it was a famous tennis player. Let's just go with that. It was a famous tennis player. And we finished the table read and I went to Greg Daniels and I said, hey, you know, I don't know if you know, if somebody knows him, if he's going to come in or whatever. I was like, but you know, I just want you to know. Aaron Rodgers a big fan of the show, and he's like Oh, do you think Aaron would do it?

I think he would. And uh, and then yeah, you came on. Um, I remember us hanging out. Obviously we weren't in it together, but a little bit, you know, offset how was that experience for you coming on the shows as being a big fan of the show and you've gotten to know a lot of us at that point. But yeah, and and that's the fun thing. I got to be around, said a couple of times, and and be out, you know, with you guys a few times, and met a number of people, had met Angela and

Oscar and who else? Did I meet? Craig m bj Novac you're doppelganger? Yeah, yeah, guys looking at the side by side picture online? Yeah yeah, yeah, dead on. And I met I met Steve on a plane randomly one time. And I met Rain on set. So it was fun to be out there. Uh. And we got to be with Ed Helms on that shoot. So I was pumped. I mean, I remember the drive down. I was so excited to to just like be on the set and

and to see what was going on. I didn't know what I was, you know, really the role I was. I was walking into um and then I meet my two other guest stars. It's uh Santa Gold, who I didn't know who she was before, but she was really

really sweet and just a really sweet special person. We had a fun, fun day and then Clay Aikin was it was and I had known Clay because I had been a fan of American idol um so uh to this day when people you know who that's the beauty in the show, there's so many people who just have watched it now and they're like, hey, I just saw you on the You're on the Office. I'm like, yeah, that was like eight years ago, you know, Like, but I love that, and that's the timeless nature of the show.

But it was so fun beyond set and just watching Ed work, you know, through his his bid and you know, I just have so much respect for him and I love what he brought to the show. And it's just he's quirky nard dog that only only he could do.

Umbody was so funny beyond the said my favorite memory from the show was you know, my lines, And I've gotten some guff for it over the years, but it wouldn't like I had the greatest lines, you know, and and the one line, you know, the lines that they end up using in the montage of the kind of the viral song that comes out You're just not good or whatever. Like I didn't mind those lines, but flag

on the play was not my favorite line. And I just felt like, like, I get this, it's a football reference, you know, but I would never say that, and Brian, you know me, I'm like, it was just so cheesy. So so if we did twelve takes, you know, if we did twelve takes, you know, four the times I said flag on the play. The other eight I just kind of add lib. But I was like, can I

just say something that I think I would use? And so the first like I think three takes, I said flag on the play, and then I just add live after that, and the sweet sweet script lady would come by and go, Mr Rogers, um, your line is flag on the play, and you know that was like that was like after like the third time I hadn't said it. So we're in like take eight now, and I'm like, I'm still gonna go something different, And you know, she

was so sweet. She never lost her patience, but I could tell by about take eleven she was like, Hey, your your line still is flag on the place. Oh yeah, yeah, sorry, I forgot you know that I said flag on the play and they got the twelfth take and I'm like, yeah, they're gonna use that. That's but it was so it was so fun being on there and then to see myself, you know when they you know, when they cut to the viral video of the baby wow, wow, you know

in the last episode. Um Man, it was so fun And I do really appreciate be You're setting that up for me and give me the opportunity because although I never got seen and in another one of my all time favorite shows, I've been in the penultimate episode of now two of my all time favorite shows, the other one being a Game of Thrones, which are still people don't realize I might have been in there where with the office they can actually see my face, my slightly

bloated still on my phase of eating the copious amounts of dairy products all the time, but I did ahead of last surday on set. Do you feel like that your life has changed since being on the office, I mean, do people recognize you in public? Yeah? I'd say that was probably the biggest. The biggest thing I will say though that you know, There's been some things over the years that I think I've helped my brand as much as anything. I always give State Farm credit for this

bizarre discount double check that. When I read the script first time, I'm like, this is not funny, this is like they gotta change since sure enough. I mean for years it was. And you've been with me on the golf course at Taho that was, and Pebble Beach that was like the only thing people would yell at me and I would and I would just laugh. How that

kind of changed my you know, my public persona. But you and I have talked about the numbers of people that have watched this show on Netflix, four times as many watched on Netflix as any other show. It's unbelievable. Um now, it's obviously over at the Peacock, but uh, but I will say that I'm sure there were some people wondering who the hell that was, and then other people going, oh, isn't that that guy who's the insurance guy? Is he was in the office? Wow? Okay, so yeah,

it might have helped my brand a little bit. But that's funny. I appreciate it, buddy, It's fun He did a great job with the you know, with the first podcast. And that's the thing I think is beautiful is it's so many people have you either loved this show since season one or I've gotten into it more recently, but it has stood the test of town time because it's just so relatable and it has such a good message

all the while. It just keeps you laughing the whole time because you just you know, some of the stuff that Michael Pools and the pranks at Gym pools on Dwight all the time, and and your character Aric and Oscars and Angelas and everybody kind of gets that's cool. Everybody kind of gets through opportunity to shine in different episodes in different ways, which is which is really cool to see as well. Yeah, one of the things we've we've talked about is you know why the show is

still so big? I mean, why, quite frankly, is it bigger now than it ever was when it was on? And um, I think you've touched on a lot of those things, sort of the universality that you know, how how much people relate to the show. And I think there's something else which I've sort of come to in

these conversations with so many people. Is that so many shows after a decade or or longer since we you know, and it's been sixteen years since the pilot aired, um is that they feel dated or they feel not quite right. And I think that the discovery that I've had is

that a documentary can never be dated. It is about these people at this time, and it's so defining the time that it you know, the clothes or the technology that maybe isn't exactly the same, that doesn't matter because it's about that and you're following that journey on that time. And so you never do that like, oh, that's an old joke or oh that's you know, look at that flip phone or whatever. It's like, you don't if there's a documentary about the seventies, you don't go this looks

this is dated. It's like, well, yeah, it's about the seventies. Dink um. Anyway, Yeah, that's that's a really fascinating point that I'm just thinking about as you're saying that. It makes a lot of sense because you watch old episodes of uh Seinfeld of Friends or Saved by the Bill. There's some of the shows we grew up on, you like, man like they didn't have phones and they didn't the way they communicated and some of the jokes and stuff.

You look at it differently, for sure than when you look at this faux documentary style, which by the way, is just so brilliantly genius of Ricky and Stephen, you know, to to start off, like and you pick a paper company too, it's like, wait, what what do we Yeah,

that's why. So and you pick a place, you know, Scranton, p A. It's like, it's just this beautiful combination of like the workplace, the fact that it's shot as a documentary it's in Scranton, p A. And you have the non PC characters in a time where the era is changing, and yeah, just all it's just all so beautifully done. Um, and I think it will continue to standard test of time because there's a love affair of nostalgia of a time like that where things were maybe a little less

precious than they are now. Well, thank you so much for talking to me about this as usual, so perceptive and and so deep about um well life and the show. Um. But before we leave, I feel like it's only fair that I ask you this question that you've told me without me asking many times who's your favorite character on the office. If you're definitely in my top five, I think, uh, that's exactly right. That's I thought it was gonna be

a quick answer for you. I mean for those we play a lot of golf together, and oftentimes it's in public. You you always say that it's Creed. That's what you all. You always say that it's Creed. But maybe you're just needling me, and I'm just needling you because you know you may have been higher on the call sheet than him, and you actor types, you are also worried about who's ranked number one and number twenty on the call sheet? Are worried about that? Just after this is what you

did too? You try to turn it right back on me. We had a classic. I just show this. We had a classic. You know. We're waiting on the on this whole in South Carolina playing the BMW event, and there's it's it's a it's a part five, but it's a short part five. You can get home and two. And so we're a couple of groups stacked up and we're talking to the crowd as the group is walking on the fairway and asking them who their favorite characters are and and Brian gets a little sensitive, you know, about

the situations. So he starts, you know, talking about who his all time favorite quarterbacks are for the Packers, and mentioning far and part Star and Don mckowski and Lynn Dickey and all these different people. Right, it's always he's always trying to get some jebs. And look, I I've always been a fan of of Jim's character. I love I mean, I feel like he's a relatable character. For sure.

He's very athletic. I know you try and try and feel like you're the uh you know, you've made some sort of fifteen shots in a row at some point in the basketball episode, but Jim is definitely the most athletic. Check the tape. Check check the tape. I've uh, I miss miss Missy anybody. I miss miss our beck and voice for sure. And I appreciate you have me on here. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Aaron, Thank you. There you have it, folks, Mr Aaron Rodgers, thanks so much for stopping by my friend.

I appreciate it. All right, there is plenty more coming up. Uh maybe even another special guest, who knows. But first let's get to the Q and A Section mail bag. Mail bag. Yes, I am told hundreds, if not millions, of you reached out on social media with questions about the Office. I'm going to try to answer as many as I can here, But if yours doesn't get answered, or if you have even more questions, don't worry. We will definitely be doing more episodes like this, So let's

keep the lines of communication open. People subscribe and comment on Apple podcasts, the I Heart Radio app, or any other social media because me or my team we will be watching, so listen. I apologize in advance if I mispronounced anyone's name today. But our first question, mailbag, we have someone, I'm told who might be able to challenge Aaron's title as the number one fan. Gregory Hunter McDowell says, Hi,

Brian in alone, I watched The Office twenty two times. Wow, it was my go to show from tragedies to triumphs. My favorite thing about your character was your side glance to the camera. My question would be what was your favorite game or website on your work computer you went to to portray working. Great question. Uh, Now, when The Office came on, we didn't have internet access the first year, and then they were like, well, let's make this more realistic, right,

We're all about realism. So our computers started working, and what my space was the social media do your um at the time, and so a number of us got on my We thought, well, if we're in an office, what are office workers around the land right now doing? There on my Space? So I got on my Space as my character Kevin Malone, and I had a blog,

and I never veered from actor to character. In other words, it was Kevin Malone, who was sitting in an office called dunder Mifflin, was not aware that he was being filmed or on television, who was just writing about his experience. I need to go back and read some of those blogs and see if they're just terrible or if it's kind of fun. But the most fun thing I did was people started on my Space asking me for signed pictures.

Will you send a signed picture? And I thought, well, I can't do that because I'm just Kevin Malone, an accountant who doesn't know he's on television. So I said, well, I don't know why you want a picture of me, but if you send me a signed picture of you, then I will send you back a signed picture of me. And I got thousands of signed pictures from people to Kevin uh and and it was it was a lot of fun. I then I sent them a headshut back.

I kind of destroyed the game at the end. I was like, Okay, well this is what you want, so I'm gonna I'm gonna send that. But I had a lot of fun doing that. So I would say I did a lot of my Space sing I don't think

that's a word. And um and I paid bills because I thought I would get on an online you know, bill pay thing and I would like pay bills because I was like, oh, well, these documents look like financial documents, and I'm an accountant, right, so it's very realistic that I'm shuffling around my bills and paying them on set. It works. So there you go. That was what I would do on my computer. Uh. Daniel Gutierrez says, Hi,

dad who chose this comment? Well, Hi, Daniel, I didn't know you existed, but it's good to know that you do. I hope you're doing well in life and reach out when you're when you're thirty five. Uh oh. We have a one star review from gold Hohore gold Whore. I don't know how else I could pronounce that on the Apple Podcasts app with the following comment one star review. Not what I thought. I thought it was work related.

Now wait a second. You listen to the podcast and thought this was about a deep dive into working at an office? Gold? Horror, my friend? And did you did you read the description? Because I'm pretty sure in the description it should be clear that this would not be about working in an actual office. But I'm sorry you were you were dissatisfied. Katie O zero zero one oh a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Love this podcast. I love it, But just play the whole podcast. Why

do you need to break it up? Trying to remember past episodes will be kind of annoying. I listened to Rogan for three plus hours. Thanks well, Katio zero zero one, Thank you for the question. We've we've gotten this question quite a bit. Why are we breaking up and releasing part one Part two? For some of the people we interviewed. Well, the reason why is we've structured this podcast as a deep dive into the office, so we have subjects or

sections themes. For example, we've started with the origin section, which is the beginning of a show, bringing the show from Ricky and Stephen from the UK to the US casting the pilot, how difficult it was for the show to stay on the air it's first couple of seasons, and so some of the interviews that were particularly long, we wanted you to hear from those people when we

did our deep dive into that subject. So as we move on to other subjects, like the camera as the character when we talk about Steve Correll leaving, some of the parts of those interviews fit better in those sections. So we're not trying to torture you by only releasing a part of the interview. You will hear part two is very very soon. But that's the reason that we have structured it this way. We're trying to tell a story, a narrative through all of these interviews, so you really

get a deep dive into the office. Andrew Montavan asks, did the Office, like the physical set become a home for you guys? I have seen so many bloopers and so many things of you guys just enjoying yourselves and each other. It must have been ours anyway, big fan

of the show, the podcast and anything the Office. Um, thank you very much, Andrew, and yes, I mean what a lot of people don't know, which we haven't discussed so much in the podcast, is for that one half hour of television you know on NBC with commercials, was really twenty two minutes that you see on TV. We generally would be at the office sixty to seventy hours

a week. I mean those that was the amount of time that it took to get those twenty two minutes for an episode, and we would shoot one episode in a week. So, yes, it looked like a home because it was for a while. And that's one of the things that made it unique about other shows because of the way the show was shot. We were all there so much. Usually it's like the star of the show might be their sixty to seventy hours in a week, and everyone else kind of comes in and does their

scenes and then they leave. We were all there. But I think that's one of the things that gave us um the truly special bond that we have. Ahmed Skywalker rights, Hi, tomorrow is my birthday. Can you say happy birthday to me? Ahmed? Happy birthday? Uh? This next post I am told got a number of likes who used to laugh the most during the scenes and was it hard to control the laughter. Samuel big Fan from Brazil. Mindy Kaling that that that Mindy Kaling, and I think she would own up to that. Um.

But I will answer this in another way. The person who was known as the one who laughed the least, Oscar Nunius. He has the greatest dead pan and it is really hard, very very difficult to break him, that's for sure. Maybe in the scene the Gay witch Hunt, Steve finally got him and occasionally he would laugh. But but Oscar Nunias was um. He laughed the least, and I I had a difficult time myself. I'll be honest,

Cassidy Rights. I drive all day for work as a medical career, and I've really enjoyed listening to your podcast while working. It helps the day go by faster and makes sitting in traffic a little less boring. Well, Cassidy, thank you one for the work that you're doing right now,

which is so important, uh and crucial. And you know, by the way, if there's one good thing that has come out of this this hot circle of garbage they call a global pandemic, it is the appreciation that all of us now have, or certainly should have for the people who are working on the front lines, um, nurses, doctors, medical couriers, those who are doing important things that keep us safe. So thank you, Cassidy, and I'm glad that

I can make sitting in traffic a little less boring. Uh. A lot of questions here I am told about will of course my chili or specifically Kevin's famous chili. Uh. A lot of likes. On the next question, hey Zeus, Mendez says how many batches of chili were made when Kevin brought in the chili and dropped it? And how many times did you have to shoot that cold open. Well, I'm tremendously proud of this, hey Zeus, so I will

answer it. Um. I assume they had three batches of chili, because I remember very specifically the set dress ng um props people coming to me, like not wanting to tell the bosses or the producers or whatever. They were like coming to me kind of back channeling and saying like, okay, the biggest issue was the carpet, right. So they had gigantic pieces of carpet that they had laid out over the floor and they came to me and they were like, Brian,

we have three pieces of carpet. And I mean by giant piece of carpet, I mean from the front door all the way past the reception desk over to like the we called it the gem and Dwight pod of desks there um. And they were like, we have three pieces of carpet, so we I mean, we can't do any more than that. I got it in one I'm a I'm a one taker. I don't think that makes sense, but I here's the thing. There were three pieces of carpet, but there was only one of me, and so they

had thought about cleaning the carpet. I don't know that anyone really understood what was going to happen to me when I was done. I mean, my hands were kind of stained right like they weren't they were, it was not a natural color. And that day I might have showered with five people. I mean there might have been five people in there. I mean from wardrobe and makeup and hair people. I mean I was like striping. I'm not to get to graphic here, but like taking off close.

I was such a mess. And if we had not gotten it in that one take, I don't know, I don't know what we would have done. If we would have had to just come back the next day. But thankfully, um, thankfully we got it and well that moment, I mean truly, I cannot believe what has happened to them more. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be talking about Chili Um all of these many years later. Uh. Jason Swimmer, sorry again, I apologize if I'm if I'm

missed pronouncing the names. My name is Jason, and I'm a podcaster too. It would be awesome if you could shout me out. Well, there you go, if I said your name right, Oh, Schwimer, Schwimer, that's it. Actually he did. He did give his own pronunciation, Jason Schwimer. Um, good luck to you. My friend, Grant Bain says, thank you

for this podcast. What are your thoughts on the theory? Oh, here we go that Kevin is a secret genius who is running an embezzlement operation at the company and he uses that money to buy the bar in the finale episode. It's one of my favorite theories. Okay, So I used to get asked this all the time when I did Q and Ice, and I finally went down the dark, dark rabbit hole, which is is redditum, which is fun,

but you don't want to get caught down there. And I started reading these feeds and people how they from small moments, how they had concocted this idea that Kevin is a secret genius was so amazing to me. I can only tell you that was not that was not

in our thoughts. I'm sorry to say that, and it certainly was not in mind playing it now, maybe Greg Daniels would answer differently, but I think I think the idea is amazing and and in point of fact, speaking of deleted scenes, the idea of in part behind Kevin's bar, I will share this. Here's a here's a new thing for you, here's a new what do we call them,

I don't know, never before heard moments. So the idea from Greg in the series finale was that Kevin became a fan favorite once the the fictional documentary started airing. Kevin was a fan favorite, and everywhere he went people would buy him drinks. And there was a bar that he would go to and people would buy him drinks.

This is it's something like this, and part of it was based on my own experience, by the way, like in life, so he had gotten a gigantic credit tab because he couldn't consume all the drinks he was offered at this bar, which was partly how he obtained the bar. I think it was something like that, but that was part of the idea, was that Kevin became a huge fan favorite once the fictional documentary aired. Um Emily Lemkey, Emily from Kansas. I sometimes think about where the characters

would be today. Where do you think Kevin would be still at dunder Mifflin Married. Well, let me tell you, Emily, what I hope is that Kevin is still sitting at that bar and he is really really happy. That's what I imagine him where he is and what he's doing today. And I hope, I hope, beyond hope, that that is where he is. Angelo writes not to get too negative, but I'm genuinely curious, what was truly the most stressful or emotionally tasking time or moments for all of you

as a cast. Angelo from Buffalo, New York. Oh, I don't know that that's negative. Listen. I I'm gonna answer this in two ways. I don't know how you intended it, but the first couple of years, as we have discussed and will continue to discuss in this podcast when the show was truly almost canceled. There's we're not exaggerating this, like we truly thought we were out of a job a number of times over the first two years, including after we filmed the pilot, so before anything was on TV.

That was very stressful, um and very emotionally difficult for us. In terms of on set activities difficult. I'm sure everyone would have a different answer. Minus the fire, not the fake fire drill, but the fire. When Ryan started the fire, we were shooting that it was supposed to be fall in scranted and we had on coats and in that parking lot in in Van Nuys, California, it was about a hundred and ten degrees and that one was that one was not fun. Ryan Spady says, why use big

word when small word do trick? Ryan, do you mean, why waste time say a lot word when few word do trick? I think that's what you mean. Benny spie Whack, Oh writer and producer Benny spie Whack, from an Oral History of the Office, writes Greg Daniels, said he always looked to you for a button. What's your favorite one? Yes.

So I was tremendously proud that Greg brought this up in my interview with him that oftentimes at the end of a scene, um, nothing funny would be happening, like there would be an important reason that we would need to have a scene in for the story of an episode. But you know, in comedy, you you often want to end a scene on a button. And so Matt Sone and Randall Ironhorn, the camera people would would at times look to me and I would try to give them

a button. What was my favorite one? I'm not exactly sure. I think it would relate to the episode with Kevin saying what does a bean mean? There was something very funny about that, and I think it was scripted once what does a bean mean? Because Kevin got no beans and other people had beans and this was very concerning to him. Uh, And I think I ended up saying that and ended the scene with that button what does

a bean mean? I'm going with that right now. Ella Hendrickson rights, this is Ella here, Hi, Ella, who would you describe as the unsung here rows of the office? Wow, that is a great question. Um, Phil Shay, who was our prop master, he was an unsung hero of the Office for sure. The amount of props that were written into the show and that just existed on the set of The Office that were needed in particular episodes, sometimes very obscure objects that were difficult to find. He is

a true unsung hero of the show. Um. Now they've both gone on to great success. I've mentioned them before, but Matt Son and Randall Einhorn, the guys who were holding the cameras, I mean, that is tremendously difficult work and they were generally just held on the shoulders um and sometimes for long periods of time where we would shoot and go back and improv and I physically demanding work.

But but not just that, the degree of care that they showed for how the show was shot and really viewed themselves as a character trying to find the right story as a documentarian would. Um, those things are difficult to write, they're difficult to direct. But those guys just got it. So even though they have great success now, uh, someone appreciates them, I would consider them unsung heroes of the Office for sure. Julian Go Tiangko rights. I'm sure I missed that up Hi, Brian, huge fan. This is

Julian My favorite episode is the Niagara Falls episode. My question is who in the writer's room came up with the idea for Kevin to wear Kalenix tissue boxes as shoes after his shoes were incinerated. Another fan, Rebecca Morrow, asked, were they hard to walk in? Where they custom fit to your feet? It's one of my favorite scenes of

all time. Well, I I will tell you I if I'm at a fan event or a college or something, I am always amused with who come up and are wearing tissue box shoes because I know that it's really not comfortable. It's they're really they're they're not comfortable. And I will tell you actually, when we for John Krasinski's show during the pandemic Some Good News, we did a wedding and he came to all of us and asked

us to appear. And I was like, well, I have to have tissue box shoes on right, I'm attending these people's weddings. Let's let's do it. I couldn't find any big enough, so I don't actually know. I have intended to go back and ask Phil Shay Props, like where did you find these? Maybe they were like Costco Sam's Club supersized clean xboxes. I don't know, but I couldn't find any um that that fit me. Yeah there and

again not comfortable. Uh wolf calm oh a five star review on Apple Reviews rights, I'm going down, yelling Timber, and I want to swim in this amazing Ear Whole Candy until I'm old and wrinkly. Wow. Maybe my favorite comment or review of all time. Ere anything that mentions Ear Whole Candy and I'm going down yelling Timber. Well, that works for me. Breezy Benna on Apple Podcasts, Uh, five star review again, thank you, great job. I love both podcasts, The Office Ladies and this one as well.

They did such a wonderful job giving us multiple points of views and even deeper dives into such a great show. Now I have two podcasts to look forward to. Uh, Breezy Benna, I couldn't agree more. And let me just say, if you haven't checked out The Office Ladies podcast, very they don't sound like me. I know, it's very weird. Uh. They have done a fantastic job going episode by episode,

examining and telling behind the scenes stories. Uh. It's a rewatch show and it's fantastic and so um my good friends Jenna Fisher and Angela Kenzie gracious, even though they're talking all the time on their podcast, they graciously agreed to come and spend hours with me um talking about the Office in a different way than even they do on their podcast. So yes, Um, please check that out

and thank you so much for listening here. Um. Whyatt Stevens asks prior to your casting of Kevin, where were you in your professional career as it pertains to film and TV? If The Office never happened, do you believe other projects could have kept you in the game? And lastly, if I can, what's the best advice you could give to one entertainment Wow? Great questions, Wyatt. Um. First of all,

I was a theater actor. I had graduated from college and was traveling around as a regional theater actor, doing very very uh small theaters and doing some large ones as well. And I was traveling city to city getting work where I could, and I decided to move to Los Angeles. I felt like it was time. I had had a couple of experiences that that made me want

to pursue it, and I was fortunate enough. Um, just a couple of months after coming to Los Angeles, I met Alison Jones and Greg Daniels and was cast on the Office. So for me, I was very new in film and television. I had done a few guest star parts, I had done a couple of commercials, um but when I was first seen on the Office, I had not done much film and television at all. And I feel tremendously lucky one obviously to have met them and to

have found the right show for me at the right time. Um. My advice for anyone wanting to be an entertainment is consume material, watch material, practice your craft. You know. I will say it was very lucky that I met Alison Jones and Greg at the same time. I will say I knew the British version of the Office, and I knew the style worked well for me. I knew they were looking for unknown people, so I actually pursued this job.

And if I hadn't been watching other television or studying what was being released, what the styles were that were being released that appealed to me and my specific sensibilities and strengths, I would not have pushed as hard for this show. So it was timing. It was great timing I was in Los Angeles, but also I watched things, even things that I didn't like or appreciate. I watched them because I felt like I needed to know what was out there in order to work in the business.

So thank you. Um, Kathy Chevalier wait wait wait or Chevalier potato potato. Do any cast members hope to do a sort of reunion show in the future. Has anyone pitched any ideas? Um? We have discussed it quite a lot. I believe it is certainly possible. There are some ideas that have been circulated amongst email and text chains, but I am not at liberty to discuss that. I will answer any questions about anything that's happened in the past.

As for the future, I will only say, oh, I think some people would love to do that, and I've heard rumblings of some ideas of it, So there you go. Sorry, I know that's devil not as satisfying, but um, but yes, it is discussed on occasion. Dr Pickens rights who in the cast would be the best at hide and seek? Quick answer would be Angela because she's the smallest. Uh

Dwight is the craftiest. Kevin would be terrible, And yeah, I'm gonna go with Angela because what, as Michael says, at one point, she could hide behind a grain of rice, so they're probably way more options for her to hide than anyone else. So let's go with Angela. She's the best at hide and seek. All right, Thank you all for all of those questions. Those were amazing. Uh and now I'm told, I'm told we have another very special guest joining us now, a man of mystery and intrigue. Oh,

Mr Terry Carnation. Hello, Terry, you're a you're a big fan of the Office. I am the Office is number one fan. Thank you for having me on your show. Kevin. Oh, it's Bryant Brian. But that's fine, It's easily sure, it is. I have seen all fourteen episodes at least twenty seven times. Um, Terry. I think there's like two four episodes of the show. Yes, it's magnificent. I love the show. I love I love offices.

I love office buildings. You know. I feel like offices and people who work in them are disrespected and it's the backbone of the American economy, and so I love all the drama. Yeah, but I do have some questions about the show for you. Great, I would us that's what we're doing today, and thank you for having me on behalf of all the all the big fans of the office out there. Thank you for having me of course. Um, of all of the characters in the accounting department, who

would you say is most likely possessed by biel zabab? Um? Well, I'm definitely not Angela, That's that's for sure. I know, I mean, I I mean I haven't seen I haven't seen the show, but she seems fiery, feisty in a way that that could suit the dark Lord's purposes. You haven't seen the show. I've seen the show so many times, um that it feels like I've never seen the show before. But I am, I am the biggest possible fan. Oh well, thank you. Yeah, I um, I don't know. We'll say Kevin.

We'll thank Kevin was possessed by Beelzebub, that's you. Yes, I'm interesting, he would be the Yeah. M hm. Which of the salesman do you think is most likely to have been abducted by aliens? I? Um, probably Dwight. Who would probably be Dwight? Dwight screwed Dwight, Dwight Shrewd. Do you know Dwight, you know the character Dwights, Yes, ridiculous looking, bombastic gentleman. Yes, interesting? Interesting? And in which of the which of the cast members of the office uh might

have seen Bigfoot or any cryptid lockness monster? Terry, I don't, I don't think. I don't. I don't know where these questions are coming from. This seem they seem totally not on the point of what we're doing today. I'm so sorry. I appreciate you being a fan and at the same time feel as though you've never seen the show. Okay, I'm going to come clean. I've never seen your stupid show. Okay, yeah,

But I am Terry Carnation. I am the philosopher of the paranormal, and I have a podcast that is launches in April one. We're all fine. Podcasts are found. If if anyone out there has concerns about demons, alien abductions, lizard people, Bigfoot another cryptids, um, please tune in Dark Air with Terry Carnation as I guide you on a journey through the unimaginable, through the unexplained, through the mysterious, fantastic.

Thank you darting behind your pathetic Okay, thank you at Workplace Comedy and join me on a fascinating journey into the subcon Thank you, Terry dark Air with Terry Carnation available well wherever you get your podcasts if that's your thing. Thank you so much for joining us. I e wasting our time here today. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. God. That guy sounds like Rain Wilson. Did you, guys, that guy sounds like Rain Wilson. That's unbelievable.

People are unbelievable. Anyway, Um, folks, that was it. I'm sorry it ended so weirdly. That's what That's what he said at conclude. That's yet the end our Sweet sixteen celebration. Thank you so much through all of you except Terry. Uh, thank you for listening. Thank you for participating in this week's episode. We're gonna do it again sometime, so keep the questions and the comments a rolling. As they say, in the meantime, we're gonna be back Tuesday, next Tuesday,

at our regularly scheduled time. The word regularly is a difficult word to say. Another interview, this time Kevin Riley. Now, guys, this is the person who was there from the very beginning and is the reason that The Office was on television. I cannot wait to share that with you. Until then,

have a wonderful week everyone. The Office Deep Dive is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Langley, our producers for this very special episode where Emily Carr, Diego Tapia, Liz Hayes, Tessa Kramer, and Ryan Zachary. My main man in a booth is Alec Moore. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak performed by my great friend Creed Bratton, and the episode was mixed by seth Olandsky. Hello, well who's this? Oh? No, you see? Oh look it's

Andy Dalton. Hi Andy, Oh listen you guys. Uh. I'm sorry, Uh Aaron apparently there. I'm told there's another super fan who is on the line. U. Terry Carnation, is that is that you? I'm still here. I haven't left thanks to the double booked me too. I apologize. I I didn't double this. This was unexpected. Uh, Terry Carnation, are you are you there? I am, yes, I am. Thank you for having me. I'm the biggest fan of of

you Kevin and and uh Brian Mr Rogers. Um, I love I love sports, especially Key and it's great just to meet you both. Is this is this a call in show? Brand? This is a calling podcast now now, no, it's not a calling. We're we're having, we're sharing with this is within the let's bail on this