WEBVTT - Best Of - Pt. 1 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:17.680 Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Office Deep Dive. 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:22.360 I am your host, as always, Brian Baumgartner. So as 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:25.800 this podcast begins to take on well a new look, 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:29.160 to take new wings and launch into version two point oh, 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:30.960 which I can't wait to share with you, I have 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:36.600 to admit I've been thinking a lot about how extraordinarily 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.639 lucky I have been to to get to create all 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:42.600 of this and to have so many of you respond 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.520 so well to it. You guys, it means so much 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:49.840 to me. So for a special treat, I am compiling 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:53.160 the best of the best from the Office Deep Dive 0:00:53.320 --> 0:00:58.680 into a two part episode release. I couldn't include everyone, 0:00:58.920 --> 0:01:02.160 of course, and I truly do love my entire office family, 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:04.679 So go back and listen to any of the episodes 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:08.800 you might have missed. But today we're gonna start where 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:14.240 it all started, across the pond in jolly old England. 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:18.559 In actually in the land that made the very dish 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:21.720 that inspired our own Creed Bratton to write this podcast 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:25.559 theme song, Bubble and Squeak. That is, we are going 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:35.080 to begin inside the beautiful mind of Ricky Gervais Bubble 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:42.200 and Squeak. I love it. Bubble and Squeak on bubble 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:46.080 and Squeaker cooking it every month, left over from the 0:01:46.240 --> 0:02:00.360 night before. Do you remember the first time you met 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:05.920 Ben Silverman? Yes, I do. I was walking down the 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:09.480 street in London. I think I was going to see 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:14.640 my agent, and the phone rang um and he said, Hi, 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:18.360 it's Ben Silverman. You don't know me. I wanna I 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:23.440 want to remake the Office for America. And I went, okay, 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:25.239 all right. He said, can we meet up? He said, 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:28.000 I'm in town. I went right. He said, where are you. 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:30.600 I'll come to you. I've gone the cab. I went okay, 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:33.399 and I looked up and I said right, I'm right 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:37.959 outside Starbucks in ward Or Street and he went, wait there, 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:40.840 I'll be down fifteen minutes, and he jumped in a cab. 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:44.280 He got I've never met anyone like him. He came 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:46.240 and found me because obviously he knew what he looked 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:49.600 like because he'd watched the office. And he talked to 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:52.440 me and I said, well, listen, let me introduce you 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.200 to my agent to get the ball rolling. And I 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:58.799 took him in to see Duncan Hayes as my UK 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:03.320 still is my UK agent, and that's and that was 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:07.120 the beginning of it, and then I can't remember all 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:09.280 the details or all the phone calls, but I think 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:16.200 the next big step was we sort of auditions show 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:21.320 runners and we saw some amazing ones from my favorite 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:25.160 programs of all time. We we chose Greg, and I 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:28.760 think we chose Greg not just because of his body's work, 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:30.359 which was as good as anyone's and he was a 0:03:30.440 --> 0:03:35.200 nice chat but I think I think it was because 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:37.240 he was the only one that brought up that he 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:40.480 thought it was a love story that was very important 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:45.080 for me, that the love story. So you know, I 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:47.400 didn't want to I never thought of it was, you know, 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:51.600 just the sitcom. You know, you traditionally sitcoms were, as 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:54.280 I say, an ordinary guy getting into capers and ending 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:57.120 num back at square one, and there wasn't there wasn't 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:01.280 really romance. But you know, we stole that from America 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:04.680 because you know, and movies, because you know, there was 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:07.000 always a love interest in movies and a lot of 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:11.480 Americans shows have had more romance and love interests than 0:04:11.880 --> 0:04:15.360 than ours. That was usually about a grumpy, middle aged man, 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:19.040 so we we like that. And then I can't remember 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:22.159 what all of this this was in, but I think 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:24.880 it was the Golden Globes where we won for the 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:30.000 Office and I won Best Comedy Actor. I think that 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:35.279 was the same week. So we went to Ben Silverman's 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:38.560 office and I don't know it before and after, but 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:42.800 then then and Gregg came to London and that I 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:44.640 think that was nearer the time when we were very 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:49.080 getting very close to actually start in production. And we 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:54.680 worked out the translation what was slow in America? You know, 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.120 what was the equivalent of this, and what was the 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.440 equivalent of that? And do we have this? And what 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:06.440 almost did like a blueprint to you know, just americanizing stuff, 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:11.599 and then we started. Then we started auditions and and 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:15.080 that was it. I do remember at one point, I 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:19.560 think before or auditions, or when we were thinking of 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:23.159 looking for you know, that David Brent and I think 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:25.760 Ben Silverman called me and said why don't you plane? 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:28.919 And I said, well, what were the point of that? 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:32.440 I did my best? Now I want to rest. Now 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:34.839 I want some I want some other Schmack to do 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:40.800 a two D episodes. But mainly my really, apart from 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:43.160 the fact that I was lazy and I was terrified 0:05:43.200 --> 0:05:46.279 of being working hard for seven years, I said no 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:50.520 this should be this should be made by Americans for Americans, 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:53.640 and I was flattered that they even let us being 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:57.240 involved as we were. But you know, it really took 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:01.240 off when they started making their own show. Is the 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:06.080 first episode was basically a remake, but then it just 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:09.120 got further and further away, and you know, by the end, 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:11.320 it yeah, it was it was his own show. And 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.960 I remember that people were scared because The Office was 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:18.880 such a media darling, you know, to a few Americans, 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:24.080 even its peak. I remember the Office in America, the 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:28.480 our version. I remember it was the biggest show on 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:34.160 BBC America and it had something like one point one million, right, 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:38.200 and Ben Dield was saying, listen, there's a lot of 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:41.560 people that haven't seen this that won't be prejudiced. But 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:45.880 of course, I remember he was worried about the press 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:50.120 saying this is a you know this, we love the original, um, 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:52.880 and he came up with a really good thing. When 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:54.760 they were saying, why would you do a remake for 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:58.720 this that the original was perfect, he said, well, why 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:02.080 I wouldn't. I wouldn't make the film of a shitty novel. 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:05.360 I'd make a film of the best novel I could 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:09.400 find and I thought that was such a clever counter 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.280 But of course we want to remake of something that's 0:07:12.320 --> 0:07:14.480 really good. At wine, we do a remake of something 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:20.480 that looks terrible, and then soon you know, people forgot 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:24.840 that there was original. Some people don't even know there's 0:07:24.840 --> 0:07:29.200 an original. To most Americans that they have no idea 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.680 that this is a remake, and they don't care. And 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.200 you know, and I imagine most people who love the 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:40.240 American Office, they prefer it to the British version. So 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:43.080 and which is a great position to be in for me. 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:48.160 I remember once it was after syndication and someone, someone 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:52.160 on Twitter sent me a tweet that said, the American 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:55.520 version of the Office is so much bigger and better 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:58.240 than yours. How does that make you feel? And I 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:11.080 sent back, fucking rich, Well, there are certainly worse things 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:15.360 to feel. So Ricky was in England more than happy 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:19.440 to let the Office take off in a brand new direction. Meanwhile, 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:23.080 back in the States, some of our cast was still 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:27.560 keeping a close eye on Ricky's work. Rain Wilson in 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:31.640 particular had his eye on the prize. Were you aware 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:33.880 of the British version of the Office? I was, I 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:36.920 was so my friend Sam Catlin, he had heard about 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.480 it and he had seen a couple episodes and somehow 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:42.040 gotten some like British DVD or something like that, and 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:45.160 had like even like an English DVD player or something 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:50.199 somehow had advanced copies, and like, you've got to see it. Groundbreaking, amazing, 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.400 And so we went over like on a special occasionally 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:57.680 We've got to watch the Office, and we were blown away. 0:08:57.720 --> 0:09:01.080 So I was really truly one of the first people 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:03.000 to see it in the United States. It might have 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:04.800 been one of the first couple of thousand people to 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:07.719 see it in the United States, and just we loved it. 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:09.160 And then he would get his hands on a couple 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:11.160 more episodes and we'd go back and have dinner and 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:14.719 watched like two or three more episodes. So I loved it. 0:09:15.000 --> 0:09:18.160 And what happened was I got cast in a pilot 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:22.560 with Jeanine Garoffalo for ABC. Mark Marin was in it 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:26.560 and Bob oden Kirk was in it. And this was 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:29.760 this infamous pilot that we did the table read and 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:32.959 they pulled the plug after the table read. So they 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:36.480 had sets built, we had locations, we had cast, we 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.360 had plane tickets. We were flying out the next day, 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:42.200 literally the next morning after the table read starts shooting, 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:45.520 and uh did the table read? It went terribly, but 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:48.080 I guess what, I still got paid. And that was 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:51.040 the same pilot season as The Office, kind of the 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:53.240 Office didn't really follow a pilot season when it was 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:59.280 first casting, right. So what happened was Vernon Sanders, who's 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:03.040 one of the UM executives and NBC executives, right, And 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:04.720 I ran into him in the parking lot on the 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:07.480 way to this infamous table read, and he's like, hey, 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:09.320 we got good news, and I was like, what's that is? Like, 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:11.440 we got the rights to make the American version of 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.000 the Office, and I was like, outside, I was like, 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:17.679 oh great, and inside I was like, motherfucker, goddamn it. 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:21.960 That's fucking sucks. Because I love the British Office so much. 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:25.320 I didn't have an idea of like even what the 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:27.760 American Office would be, or what role I would play 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:30.480 or anything like that. But I was just like inside, 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:34.560 I was just kicking myself. And then the plug gets 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:36.520 pulled on that, and then I called my people and 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:39.360 I'm like, hey, I hear about this Office and they're like, yeah, Well. 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:41.520 It was a few months to go on that. So 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:45.440 fortunately that the space was opened and the door was opened. 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:49.240 The universe works in mysterious ways. Brian, That's right, it does, 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:53.000 and so you eventually get a call to go in 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:57.600 and meet correct. I was the first audition for the office. 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:02.679 I have in my office us at home, framed the 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:06.800 audition sheet of Alison Jones the first day of the 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.560 auditions for the office. And I was number one on 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:15.120 that list. So other people on the list, or Jenna Fisher, 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:17.480 you can find. It's on my Instagram somewhere. It might 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:19.920 even be in my book in the in the photos 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.760 included in my books, you guys can find it. But uh, 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:26.520 I think Adam Scott audition. I think there were, um 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:29.520 there was a lot of great talent that auditioned. My 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:31.680 story about that I'll share with you really quick was 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:34.960 when Steve left, Alison Jones came to me where he 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:37.320 had a little party, a little reception. She came and 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:39.520 she goes, I was looking for stuff for Steve that 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.120 I thought might be cool. She probably gave that to you, 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:45.000 like when she was searching around and she hands me 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.800 a sheet and it says Kevin, and it says Brian 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:54.600 baum Gartner Eric stone Street and Jorge Garcia no kidding. 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:58.160 So that was like the final three but oh fantastic. 0:11:59.320 --> 0:12:02.760 So you although Eric stone Street is way richer than you, 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:09.000 he is now he sorry shoot sorry. So yeah. So 0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:12.520 on that first audition, I auditioned for both Michael and Dwight, 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.200 and my Michael was just terrible. It was just simply 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.800 a Ricky Gervais impersonation. And I knew that I had 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.320 more of an affinity for the Dwight role. Uh, And 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:24.360 I knew that I could really deliver on that. I 0:12:24.440 --> 0:12:26.240 just felt it in my bones. I'm like, oh, this 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:29.720 is me, this is that is exactly my kind of weird. Yeah, 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:33.280 well that I mean, you're but you were so different 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:36.360 also than Gareth in a British version. I mean he 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:41.880 was much crook, yeah, weasily and and Dwight way more 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:48.880 authoritarian and trying to derive power, whereas Gareth seemed more backstabby. Yeah, 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.600 we're different in a lot of ways and similar in 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:55.840 a lot of ways. And it was this incredible luxury 0:12:55.840 --> 0:13:00.720 to go, Okay, here's Mackenzie Crook, brilliant actor, really strange 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:04.920 looking dude, and he killed as Gareth and was so 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:09.040 interesting and I get to steal all of his best stuff, 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:12.360 and then there's maybe stuff that I can add that's 0:13:12.400 --> 0:13:14.840 more of my own, so it's win win all around. 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:18.120 So one of the things that Dwight is most known 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:24.480 for is saying absolutely ludicrous, preposterous stuff with a total 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:27.079 straight face and a dead pan, without any knowledge that 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:31.120 what he's saying is ridiculous. And really, Mackenzie did that 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:35.640 so beautifully and I really just frankly stole that from him. 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:38.720 Another thing I stole from him was the haircut um. 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:40.400 I read an interview with him where he said he 0:13:40.440 --> 0:13:43.400 went to like just a local barber shop out in 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:47.040 like Slough or some you know, suburb of London, and 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:49.480 he kind of got the haircut that would be the 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:52.760 least flattering for his head and the most ridiculous haircut. 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:54.680 And I read that I was like, oh, I want 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:57.079 to do that. So I spent time in the mirror 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:00.200 figuring out what's the haircut that is going to make 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.440 me look the most ridiculous. I have a huge forehead, 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.480 and I was like, I'm going to frame my forehead 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:10.920 perfectly with these little draperies of hair that will highlight 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:14.280 the enormity of my carapace. Is that a word? I 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:18.000 think it is a word. They aren't even listening. Um, 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:19.920 and then like really short on the sides, and then 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:23.680 in intense, and then it evolved over time. Yes, the 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:28.120 office did have some pretty bad haircuts. Glad to know 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:32.120 that dwite style was on purpose. I wonder what Jim's 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:37.840 excuse was. Anyways, now reins on board the office crew. 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:40.840 But what about the rest of the team. Ken Kapas, 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:45.400 one of our amazing directors, told us about how another 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:49.040 very important saleswoman came to be a part of the show. 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.640 Tell me about what's true and what's what's lore or 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:57.840 fairy tale? How did Phillis get cast in the show? 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:04.760 I well, I will tell you what happened. So, um, 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:07.640 we were doing uh probably you know, kind of more 0:15:07.680 --> 0:15:13.600 traditional auditions, and in the room Greg, myself, Phyllis Allison, 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:16.440 and the setup was is that I sat next to 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:18.640 a video camera and on the other side of the 0:15:18.720 --> 0:15:22.120 video camera, Phillis was sitting and Phillis was reading off 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:26.880 and Phillis was her casting associate. And I hadn't met Phyllis. 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.320 All I knew is I was sitting next to her 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.560 and there was a camera between us and the actors 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.840 who were auditioning were some of them were kind of 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:38.120 playing it to the hilt and kind of working a 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:42.400 little too hard. Phillis, meanwhile, was reading her lines in 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:46.360 in this very kind of monotonal way, sometimes not even 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.200 looking up at the actors, just looking down at the 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:52.640 sheet of paper. And I just became fascinated with her 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:55.280 and started looking at her. And there was a couple 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:58.160 of actors whose auditions I kind of missed because I 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:03.480 kept throwing Phillis these glances. And I finally, during a break, 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.240 I took Greg aside and I said, this woman really 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:10.240 belongs in a paper company. And so we Greg thought 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:14.520 about it and he said sure, And now there's a 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:19.840 there is there is one additional detail that's so wonderful, 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:23.840 and that is that after Greg said sure, let's ask 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:26.640 her to be in the bullpen, and she agreed to 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:28.640 do it. That Greg and I had a discussion and 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:32.520 Greg said, do you know if she can act? And 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:35.320 I took Phyllis aside and I said, do you have 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:40.000 a lot of acting experience? And she said not, not really, 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:43.520 but she said that some years earlier that she had, 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:49.080 you know, worked in burlesque in Branson, Missouri, and I 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:53.880 said stop it. And she then later that week brought 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.640 in a photo of herself into like a very you know, 0:16:56.760 --> 0:17:01.880 wonderfully old fashioned burlescout was on her desk for ten years, 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:05.679 nine seasons and the So that is the Phillis story 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:10.200 and and I couldn't be happier that she became such 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:32.439 a beloved member of the ensemble. So now the crew 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:35.800 had come together and the office was starting to air, 0:17:36.720 --> 0:17:40.639 but we were still very uncertain about what our future 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.320 would be. Every day I felt like we were on 0:17:43.480 --> 0:17:50.040 borrowed time. And then lightning struck. Steve landed a massive role. 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:53.920 Here's Angela Kenzie to tell us all about it. Forty 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:57.240 year old virgin, right year old virgin. That was the 0:17:57.320 --> 0:18:00.680 game changer for Steve and Jenna. I have talked about 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:02.400 this where we had this moment where we're like, oh 0:18:02.440 --> 0:18:05.720 my god, our friends Steve is gonna be like real famous, 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:09.359 like real deal famous. I really felt like they were 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:12.240 banking on Steve, and I was like, Okay, I will 0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:15.560 attach myself to the Steve wagon. I'm banking on him too. 0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:18.359 I thought that that was a really good sign, but 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:21.199 I still wasn't confident. I mean I still was like 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:24.520 when we finished those first six because season one was 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:27.560 just six, they printed our names on pieces of paper 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:30.840 and then laminated them and put a piece of velcrow 0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:32.760 on the back and that's what stuck to your door 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:36.080 of your trailer. And I went up to my ripped that, 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:38.760 ripped it off and said, I'm gonna save that. That 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:41.959 was fun because you were sure it was done. I 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:44.200 just didn't know. I mean, they were putting so much 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:46.639 at the time. NBC had the show that was like 0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:49.960 our rival sort of show that was this couple, and 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:53.440 they were on every bus everywhere. We weren't on any 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:56.200 buses if we weren't anywhere, And I was like, wow, 0:18:56.200 --> 0:18:59.600 I've put a lot of money on those guys. Yes, 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:02.800 was not a whole lot of confidence. But Kevin Riley, 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:05.000 I was about to say, I knew Kevin Riley was 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:07.080 fighting for us, and I know that's why when we 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:09.520 ultimately won an Emmy, all you guys lifted him in 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:11.520 the air and that's the photo that made the l 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:14.359 a times because we all knew as a cast, we 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:16.840 stayed on the air because Kevin Riley put his neck 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:19.920 on the line for us. Right when did you feel 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:25.520 like we actually had security? I know, distinctly. Ahead Well, 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:29.800 I remember getting an email that our first Christmas episode 0:19:30.080 --> 0:19:33.119 had become the number one download on iTunes, and I 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.280 was like what, and I said, oh, that's it. Mom 0:19:36.359 --> 0:19:39.600 was getting rid of for Chevy Blazer. And then I 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:45.879 got a Honda. Um yeah, that that That was a 0:19:45.920 --> 0:19:50.240 huge moment. And it's funny. Before that aired, there was 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:52.199 a moment that was very significant for you and I, 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:56.840 which was boost crews when we finally became series regulars. Yep, 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:58.719 I found out I was going to be a series regular. 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.200 And there's a photo that, um, I think Oscar took 0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:03.000 of Jenna and I when I found out. We're jumping 0:20:03.040 --> 0:20:05.280 up in the air holding hands. And I mean up 0:20:05.359 --> 0:20:07.600 until then, we were basically like week to week. Like 0:20:07.640 --> 0:20:10.040 I remember in Halloween episode when they were like, yeah, 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:14.080 we're gonna actually fire one person, We're all like, okay, Hi, 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:18.520 how's it going. I petitioned for it to be you. 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:22.560 I want you to know. I remember saying to my mom, 0:20:22.600 --> 0:20:25.000 I'm like, Mom, you know pretty much anyone can go 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:28.800 really And she was like, well, every office needs a bitch, 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:32.240 That's what she said to you. Yeah, She's like, every 0:20:32.280 --> 0:20:35.680 office needs the bitch. I'm like, your mom was confident 0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:38.359 that it wouldn't be you. My mom was you haven't 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:41.960 you know Bertie Kinzie. She's like, don't speak it, don't 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:48.600 speak it put out the positive. Oh man, So at 0:20:48.640 --> 0:20:52.399 this time, so this happens, Um, we shoot Booze cruise 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:57.040 in airs. After Christmas. Christmas episode happens on TV. It's 0:20:57.040 --> 0:21:02.359 our largest audience ever ever. Then iTunes streaming. We become 0:21:02.520 --> 0:21:06.240 number one in that and then Steve wins the Golden Globes. 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:08.760 What do you remember about that night of us at 0:21:08.760 --> 0:21:12.200 the Golden Globes? Um? I remember I got a spray 0:21:12.240 --> 0:21:14.640 tan because I thought I was really white, like too 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:17.440 white in my dress, and so people were like, get 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:19.040 a spray tan. And then Rain made fun of me 0:21:19.119 --> 0:21:21.080 so much. He was like how what what? So one 0:21:21.119 --> 0:21:23.520 day on the office, Angela Martin is like pale, and 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:27.240 the next day you look like orange. He was like, Angela, 0:21:27.359 --> 0:21:30.400 I was like, I don't know me. And then um, 0:21:30.440 --> 0:21:33.480 we weren't allowed to sit in the main room. Only 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:35.720 Steve got invited into the main room where the fancy 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:38.760 people were. We were in the annex and we watched 0:21:38.840 --> 0:21:43.080 him win like on TV, and we were we we 0:21:43.280 --> 0:21:46.640 about like fell out of our chairs, literally we fell 0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:48.280 out of the stuff. But we made such a scene 0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:51.520 that other fancy people were like those guys we were screaming, 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:54.439 were so excited. And when the party lets out, it 0:21:54.480 --> 0:21:56.280 lets out into the room we were in, and we 0:21:56.440 --> 0:21:59.800 like we tackled Steve. We're so excited. We were all 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:04.000 so excited. It's hard to put into words how special 0:22:04.040 --> 0:22:07.439 it was for our little show to finally start taking 0:22:07.440 --> 0:22:12.000 off and for Steve, our our show dad, to start 0:22:12.040 --> 0:22:17.399 turning into such a massive star. You know, these days, 0:22:17.920 --> 0:22:21.520 with how popular the Office has become, it almost feels 0:22:21.600 --> 0:22:25.920 like it's always been that way, but it hasn't. And 0:22:26.240 --> 0:22:29.000 I think having our own special way of doing things 0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:32.000 really helped to make that happen. A big part of 0:22:32.040 --> 0:22:35.840 that was having so many of our writers double as 0:22:35.840 --> 0:22:42.359 our ensemble cast. So here's mos, Mike. Sure, when was 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:45.639 the decision made for writers to start acting in the 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:48.520 show from the before the before the pilot? I mean 0:22:48.680 --> 0:22:53.000 Greg coming from SNL, Greg wanted SNL is very um. 0:22:53.200 --> 0:22:56.239 The membrane between writers and actors is very thin, and 0:22:56.920 --> 0:22:59.040 all the actors right stuff and a lot of the 0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:01.879 writers are in sketch is and stuff, and almost everyone 0:23:01.920 --> 0:23:04.040 there's a writer performer, even if he or she is 0:23:04.119 --> 0:23:07.439 only on staff as a writer or something. And he 0:23:07.560 --> 0:23:09.879 liked that, and he wanted to get rid of the 0:23:10.520 --> 0:23:13.320 false dichotomy of writers and actors. So he hired Mindy 0:23:13.400 --> 0:23:16.000 specifically because she was a performer. She was in a 0:23:16.119 --> 0:23:18.520 play called Mattin Band that she had written in New York. 0:23:18.920 --> 0:23:20.919 He hired b J because BJ was a stand up 0:23:20.920 --> 0:23:24.719 and a writer. He and then like we made Paul 0:23:25.000 --> 0:23:28.399 against his will play Toby in the first season, like 0:23:28.440 --> 0:23:30.479 we forced it. He did not want to do it. 0:23:30.640 --> 0:23:33.879 He hated it, he hated acting, but we forced him 0:23:33.920 --> 0:23:35.560 to do it because it was so funny to have 0:23:35.640 --> 0:23:38.639 him be the guy that Michael Scott hates more than anybody. 0:23:38.720 --> 0:23:40.480 But it was that was always the design. I think 0:23:40.520 --> 0:23:44.400 he wanted everybody to to write and perform, ideally except 0:23:44.440 --> 0:23:48.919 for me, because he made me a freak. Most famously 0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:53.359 and most annoyingly to me, played the character most shrewd. 0:23:53.560 --> 0:23:58.719 Oh my god. We never talked about most Oh my god. 0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:01.639 I I assumed it was gonna be your first question. 0:24:01.680 --> 0:24:03.639 I I know I have a whole section on it. 0:24:03.680 --> 0:24:08.280 But you were so great. Um, all right, well then 0:24:08.359 --> 0:24:11.560 just very quickly, sure you were cast as most I was, 0:24:12.080 --> 0:24:14.800 and you're happy about that. Now. I hated it. I 0:24:14.840 --> 0:24:16.520 hated every second of it. Why did you hate it? 0:24:16.560 --> 0:24:19.560 Because I was wearing wool clothes and had a neck 0:24:19.600 --> 0:24:22.320