Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Kate Flannery and I played Meredith Palmer on
Speaker 1: the Office. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Office. Deep
Speaker 1: dive with me. That's right, your host Brian Baumgartner. On
Speaker 1: today's show, we have the incredible Kate Flannery. As you
Speaker 1: just heard now. I have always felt a special bond
Speaker 1: with Kate because I think more than anyone else in
Speaker 1: the cast, Kate and I we put our bodies on
Speaker 1: the line for the show. I mean just in terms
Speaker 1: of pure physical comedy and like shameless personal humiliation. I
Speaker 1: think Kate and I deserve medals for bravery and and
Speaker 1: maybe Kate most of all, she was just completely fearless
Speaker 1: and she was always up for anything she was asked
Speaker 1: to do. In fact, the last time I saw Kate
Speaker 1: before we sat down for this conversation, I went to
Speaker 1: see Kate uh in a taping for Dancing with the
Speaker 1: Stars that Kate was a contestant on, and she asked
Speaker 1: me to come see her perform, and I went. And
Speaker 1: let me be honest, it's kind of a weird experience.
Speaker 1: You're in this giant warehouse, there are assistants moving around everywhere,
Speaker 1: There's applause signs telling you when to laugh, and went
Speaker 1: to clap, and went to stand and went to sit
Speaker 1: and and then all of a sudden, the music starts
Speaker 1: and Kate literally descends from the ceiling because she's doing
Speaker 1: this Mary Poppins number. She's Mary Poppins. And I see
Speaker 1: her descending and I immediately start crying. I'm I am
Speaker 1: overcome with emotion because the fearlessness, and let's be honest,
Speaker 1: I'm not We're not spring chickens. And she had total
Speaker 1: commitment and she was dancing her heart out. But that's
Speaker 1: Kate anyway. I did not cry in this interview, but
Speaker 1: we did talk about how Kate had to flash her
Speaker 1: boobs a lot on the show, so that was the
Speaker 1: thing we didn't We didn't cry, but we talked about boobs.
Speaker 1: How's that for a setup? Without any more blabbering from me,
Speaker 1: here is the woman who bared it all for your entertainment,
Speaker 1: Kate Flannery. Bubble and Squeak. I love it, Bubble and
Speaker 1: squeak on Bubble and Squeaker cooking ever from the nut, Well,
Speaker 1: well are good? How are you good? How's it going?
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, awesome? They becked in a box. They
Speaker 1: have been locked in a box. This is not our
Speaker 1: regular studio. Yes, this I thought was construction, but apparently
Speaker 1: it's a folly. Are you gonna make folly sounds? I'm
Speaker 1: going to just start running on the grass. You can
Speaker 1: recreate the fire drill step right exactly. Um. You can
Speaker 1: throw your coat on the thing unless you're cold. What's
Speaker 1: up to you? Is she fine? Here on the mic?
Speaker 1: Can I talk about people behind their back on this?
Speaker 1: You can say whatever you want. UM, So now I
Speaker 1: know some of this, but two thousand four, yes, what? Well?
Speaker 1: First of all, what was your training exactly? Like? What
Speaker 1: were you doing work wise before the office? Well? He
Speaker 1: was in Chicago. Right after college. I studied theater UH
Speaker 1: in Philadelphia and in Virginia for a couple of years,
Speaker 1: and then I UM graduated from the University AUNTS in
Speaker 1: phillip And then my aunt sent me a ticket to
Speaker 1: check out Chicago and Second City because she thought it
Speaker 1: would be a good fit. So I studied a Second
Speaker 1: city and then I got hired by the touring company,
Speaker 1: so I knew Steve. Steve was in one of the
Speaker 1: resident companies when I was touring UM. But then I
Speaker 1: moved to New York. I did the year long tour
Speaker 1: of the real life Brady Bunch a few years later,
Speaker 1: and then moved to New York for six months, and
Speaker 1: then got asked to do the show Valley the Dolls
Speaker 1: in l a uh. And then I was here for
Speaker 1: about a year and then came close to a few
Speaker 1: different shows. I was like up for the Data Carvey Show,
Speaker 1: which obviously Steve, Steve Coral and Steve Colbert got I
Speaker 1: tested for it to get came close, um, and then um,
Speaker 1: the show I was doing when off Broadway. So I
Speaker 1: went to New York. So I was in New York
Speaker 1: for three years. Okay, I'm old five years. So you
Speaker 1: were in Chicago in and around Second City for five years,
Speaker 1: then went back to New York, then l a then
Speaker 1: back to New York for three years. And then when
Speaker 1: did you come back to l a uh. I moved
Speaker 1: back because I got a new manager, and I was
Speaker 1: basically like waiting tables, and then started to do my
Speaker 1: comedy act, the Lampshades, and was, you know, just like
Speaker 1: doing some guest star stuff. I did Bernie Mac. I
Speaker 1: guess Creed was in the same episode that I did
Speaker 1: a Bernie Mack. Yeah, he didn't have any lines he
Speaker 1: was just like a doctor in the background or something.
Speaker 1: I was so funny. And then um, I booked a
Speaker 1: recurring gig on Boomtown and my second episode we were
Speaker 1: about to shoot and they said that the show got canceled.
Speaker 1: So that was that, and then I was I had
Speaker 1: auditioned for the pilot of the Office. I was up
Speaker 1: for the part of Jan. I read for the part
Speaker 1: of Jan, did not get it. Obviously they want a
Speaker 1: completely different way. But Allison Jones said that I think
Speaker 1: the show was good for you, which was awesome. And
Speaker 1: then I just remember like doing my comedy act like Lampshades,
Speaker 1: that we were We were supposed to do so many
Speaker 1: things and like kind of fell through. We were supposed
Speaker 1: to be on Mad TV for four episodes, and I'm
Speaker 1: like they canceled when it was a whole lot of
Speaker 1: almost And then I remember getting a call that they
Speaker 1: were trying to fill a spot after they shot the
Speaker 1: pilot in August. You guys shot in February, and in
Speaker 1: August I got the call to go in and read
Speaker 1: for Allison Jones. And then by the time I got
Speaker 1: home from that I found out I got the job.
Speaker 1: Because I didn't have a cell phone side away for
Speaker 1: my landline to get to message. Okay, so wait, so
Speaker 1: you read for jan I do not know? Yeah, yeah
Speaker 1: I did, but there would be too much sexual chemistry
Speaker 1: between me and Steve if I got that part. She
Speaker 1: said she thought she still thought it would be a
Speaker 1: good like I love. That's why I love about Allison.
Speaker 1: It's like she remembers things. So I somehow registered, you know,
Speaker 1: And I remember going to the next audition for what
Speaker 1: became Meredith. I don't she was called Meredith at the audition,
Speaker 1: but I remember they said no makeup, and like, really,
Speaker 1: no makeup. Usually when they say no makeup, it's like
Speaker 1: lip gloss and semescara. And also was like really no, no, no, no,
Speaker 1: take it off, take it off, take off the lashes. No.
Speaker 1: I wasn't very much but yeah interesting. Yeah, so then
Speaker 1: you so you came back and at the time, you're
Speaker 1: do you remember what the what the description was of
Speaker 1: the character just said she was lactose, intolerant, divorced and
Speaker 1: had his directed me go light chill, right, Yeah, and
Speaker 1: you knew who? Did you know? I knew Angela because
Speaker 1: we were in an improv group in All chickenprov group
Speaker 1: called Bitch Planet in two thousand in l A. And
Speaker 1: I knew Steve because I knew him from from Second
Speaker 1: City and also he did the first few months of
Speaker 1: the Really Brady Bunch. He was the first Greg Brady
Speaker 1: when we used to do that crazy show. Yeah, yeah, crazy,
Speaker 1: but there was so much sexual chemistry between me and
Speaker 1: see what we could. I'm just kidding, sorry, I mean
Speaker 1: he you definitely showed your boobs to him a lot. Yeah.
Speaker 1: The first time we shot that Christmas episode, he said,
Speaker 1: I'm not looking at them, I'm just gonna stay at
Speaker 1: your clavical. I was like, I think, I mean, should
Speaker 1: I be insulted by? Might should I feel? But I
Speaker 1: don't know what to do. He was such a gentleman
Speaker 1: though really I knew he was my best interest at
Speaker 1: heart to the end. I um. I have said many
Speaker 1: times in terms of just pure comedy and the direction
Speaker 1: with McDougall and like everything, that moment with you at
Speaker 1: the end might be one of my favorite moments, Oh
Speaker 1: my god of no of the of the whole series,
Speaker 1: because he's so well directed to and it's so like
Speaker 1: just the way that it played. It was such a subtle,
Speaker 1: unexpected crazy, so unexpected and you have that like that
Speaker 1: like gas band of like oh my gosh. And then
Speaker 1: him just the look on his face and picking up
Speaker 1: that camera and taking a picture just is so perfect.
Speaker 1: And even the moment after we were like he's you know,
Speaker 1: he's not going to do anything, Like he's like he's done.
Speaker 1: That was it. That's all he wanted was a picture,
Speaker 1: which is so fantastic because I feel like so many
Speaker 1: other actors would have played that differently, and Steve had
Speaker 1: such economy and such brilliant I I mean, I'm sure
Speaker 1: you remember this, but I feel like every every you
Speaker 1: never knew exactly what he was going to do, and
Speaker 1: he could do five different, six different things in different takes,
Speaker 1: like completely different with the same words, with the same dialect,
Speaker 1: and just be like, make these really amazing, subtle, strong choices,
Speaker 1: crazy great. I felt like I was watching someone who thought,
Speaker 1: I have to make the people in here laugh, Like
Speaker 1: that's what I'm gonna do. And if we rehearse it
Speaker 1: and we do this and we do that, like then
Speaker 1: everyone's gonna expect exactly. Yes, so great at that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's that's so well put. Yeah, he definitely had a plan.
Speaker 1: He definitely had many many ideas all the time. Oh
Speaker 1: my god, I'm such a deadbeat as an actor when
Speaker 1: I think. But I think he's really one of those
Speaker 1: rare gems. And it's just shocking that he didn't want
Speaker 1: an Emmy for that role. Yeah, it's a travesty, but
Speaker 1: he's he's not a politician, he's never been, never been so,
Speaker 1: and I think some of its politics, which is um,
Speaker 1: so you come back in and you are now reading
Speaker 1: for Meredith or unnamed misdirected me character and um, did
Speaker 1: they show you the pilot? Did you see the pilot?
Speaker 1: I saw the pilot later I saw the pilot. Uh yeah,
Speaker 1: after you were cast. Yes, okay, did you have any
Speaker 1: specific thoughts about it? Well? I was nervous that it
Speaker 1: was exactly like the British pilot. I think everybody was nervous.
Speaker 1: But I still thought it was funny, and I thought
Speaker 1: what they added that was American was really funny. What's
Speaker 1: a what's you know? And I thought everyone was much
Speaker 1: more understandable than the British fruition. I'm one of those
Speaker 1: people that watch Is the British Office with subtitles because
Speaker 1: I want to get it all. Is that terrible? No?
Speaker 1: It's not terrible. When I walked through life with you,
Speaker 1: I need subtitles too, But you're just like Philly, Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1: I hard to understand. Sorry. Um, so I heard that
Speaker 1: Greg made a conscious decision to stay as close to
Speaker 1: the British pilot because he thought if he did, the
Speaker 1: network couldn't give no. Wow, brilliant, brilliant. It makes so
Speaker 1: much sense. And I remember my brother Chris Hasten, who
Speaker 1: I met on the show. He's a still photographer for NBC.
Speaker 1: He was shooting the pilot gallery and he was told,
Speaker 1: if anybody looks at the camera except for Steve, that's it.
Speaker 1: We're done. Like Greg really wanted to look documentary, and
Speaker 1: and Chris said there were so many specific instructions because
Speaker 1: Greg was so uh protective of making sure to get
Speaker 1: this absolutely rights. Thank god. Interesting. Yeah, so even in
Speaker 1: the PR shoot, Chris the photographer was directed, yes, which
Speaker 1: is never the case, I mean very rarely. There might
Speaker 1: be a note or two, but nothing, nothing that's intense.
Speaker 1: And Greg was like, just you know, um, very stressed,
Speaker 1: stressed out about it. He just wanted to be absolutely right.
Speaker 1: Thank goodness. Do you feel like, um, you had any
Speaker 1: specific hurdles or anything you had to overcome specifically because
Speaker 1: you weren't on the pilot. Well, I wasn't sure if
Speaker 1: I was coming back every week. I wasn't sure. I
Speaker 1: remember talking to Phillis about it. She goes, I think
Speaker 1: you might. I'm like, okay, because I definitely felt like
Speaker 1: I was getting stories, um because I I'm allowed to
Speaker 1: say that I replaced somebody from the pilot. So I
Speaker 1: was getting stories that like, you know, they're going to
Speaker 1: see you know, if if this is actually even a place,
Speaker 1: like maybe it's you know, maybe this character won't anything exists.
Speaker 1: I don't even know. So there was pressure definitely, but
Speaker 1: you know, I was like, okay, we'll see I mean,
Speaker 1: everybody's nice. And they told I don't remember this. They
Speaker 1: told us to bring paperwork, which so the first season
Speaker 1: we literally sat at our desks because they wanted us
Speaker 1: to really be busy doing real what looked like real
Speaker 1: office work. I thought that was so brilliant. Yeah. Do
Speaker 1: you think that that did anything to help create the ensemble?
Speaker 1: I do, because I feel like everyone had a focus immediately.
Speaker 1: You weren't like looking for someone to throw you the ball,
Speaker 1: and if you did get the ball, you were busy
Speaker 1: doing your work, like that's what people doing a documentary.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's so it must be so uncomfortable for
Speaker 1: somebody in a regular scrant In Pennsylvania office to have
Speaker 1: a camera around, Like that's not a comfort zone. There's
Speaker 1: nothing comfortable about that. So I love that that was
Speaker 1: part of the mix. And then we we had this
Speaker 1: weird medical paperwork that was like they bought, the prop
Speaker 1: department bought. So I remember creating these like weird little
Speaker 1: patterns of stapling things and like, and I remember Jenna
Speaker 1: and I had a whole dance where we would have
Speaker 1: these weird clearance papers that we would sign for each other.
Speaker 1: It was so bizarre, but it was fantastic, right right,
Speaker 1: No one's talked about that before, but yeah, like our
Speaker 1: prop papers were essentially old expired medical documents from people's procedures,
Speaker 1: like a bunch of the ton of them. They lasted
Speaker 1: for years, yes, And I remember doing the same thing
Speaker 1: like okay, and I would pull pieces of paper that
Speaker 1: looked more like Excel, like like that number right, so
Speaker 1: like so like if I had a whole thing that
Speaker 1: was mostly writing, I was like, wow, this doesn't really
Speaker 1: look right, right, Like I need something that looks like numbers,
Speaker 1: and then you would look and it would be like
Speaker 1: red blood cell count numbers for Jason Alexander from Wow.
Speaker 1: Jason's okay though, everybody, It's ok Yeah. It was a
Speaker 1: bizarre This is so pre internet recycling. There you go,
Speaker 1: all right, we were doing some brainwork. You're hilarious recycling.
Speaker 1: This is true repurposing, messing. A paper company office needs
Speaker 1: paper ladies and gentlemen. We were not destroying trees for
Speaker 1: this Charlee and show. That's hilarious. And of course you
Speaker 1: know Ken koppas directing like go ahead, you never say action,
Speaker 1: go ahead. Loved him just but understanding that, like you're
Speaker 1: not just suddenly turning on. You're already in You're already
Speaker 1: in it. You you're working, so just continue, go ahead.
Speaker 1: It's perfect. It's like the perfect direction. We talked to
Speaker 1: him about that some too. Yeah, bringing us in early
Speaker 1: and having that thirty minutes of like worktime and having
Speaker 1: us all there together in that room doing bs paperwork.
Speaker 1: You and quiet and very quiet, so quiet, painful subtimes. Yes,
Speaker 1: and then you would just hear like John or Leslie
Speaker 1: or Phillis, pretend to be honest. Sure, sure. And I
Speaker 1: also remember during the healthcare episode that was the first
Speaker 1: time I improvised, and the whole thing about the unse
Speaker 1: is different from a vagina. I still have a vagina.
Speaker 1: Remember Greg telling me I ran in him. I was
Speaker 1: still waiting tables during the first season, and I would
Speaker 1: see some people from the show at my restaurant and
Speaker 1: I would see Ken Kappas sometimes and then I saw
Speaker 1: Greg and I wasn't waiting on it, but he came
Speaker 1: back because I had to talk to you. I love
Speaker 1: that he like completely ignored that I was wearing a
Speaker 1: uniforms fantastic. I'm fighting with the network about vagina. I
Speaker 1: just really want to keep it in. I'm really hoping
Speaker 1: it works out. And I was like, yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: like he just can't. He came up to you. So
Speaker 1: you're working at Cape Manolini still, which is Beverly Hills
Speaker 1: fancy restaurant where every famous person on the planet came in.
Speaker 1: So you were there through When did you stop? I
Speaker 1: stopped right before we started season two, so literally a
Speaker 1: couple of weeks. So I quit my no I covered
Speaker 1: my ships during the weekend, and I used to work
Speaker 1: my Sunday brunch and then I because we only shot
Speaker 1: it was, you know, after the pilot was just five episodes.
Speaker 1: So yeah, and then and then I remember Amy Hackerling
Speaker 1: came in with their parents, Brian Gordon came, a few
Speaker 1: people came in, and they kind of gave me this
Speaker 1: look like oh, hi, sorry, I mean they didn't. They
Speaker 1: were a little condescending or a little too sympathetic. I
Speaker 1: was like, it's fine whatever on the four year old wagress,
Speaker 1: I know, I get up steve to the four year
Speaker 1: old version, on the four ye old wages whatever. I mean,
Speaker 1: it is what it is, you know. And then when
Speaker 1: Greg came in, he completely ignored the fact that I
Speaker 1: was wearing like I love him for that so much.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm sure he just was like, oh, but
Speaker 1: we got business to attend to. Let's get to it,
Speaker 1: you know, so we're you still working there once the
Speaker 1: start airing. Yeah, did you have people come up to you?
Speaker 1: I did some. Actually, one time someone asked me. They said, hey,
Speaker 1: I have a question for you. Are you lactose intolerant?
Speaker 1: And I said, yes, thanks for not bringing up my
Speaker 1: hystery activation. That was like their way of yeah. And
Speaker 1: then I remember, like Marty Panzer who was bart Barry
Speaker 1: Maneler's lyricist, was pissed because he said, come in here
Speaker 1: on Tuesday nights and you, uh, you're not here. But
Speaker 1: everybody nobody was on me because they're all watching the show.
Speaker 1: They're all up at the bar watching you, and I
Speaker 1: can't get any good service, Like whatever, looks like you
Speaker 1: did it? Oh my god, Um, did you did you
Speaker 1: think the show would be picked up? I wasn't sure.
Speaker 1: And I remember we didn't get invited to the first upfronts,
Speaker 1: and I remember thinking like, okay, well, and I think
Speaker 1: technically we weren't regular until Bose curz Um. But I
Speaker 1: felt like we had a shot. I felt like there
Speaker 1: was some vibe something that just felt different from anything
Speaker 1: else I'd ever been involved with. It was really intense
Speaker 1: and and really great and just half unfolded so wonderfully.
Speaker 1: It was like a slow, steady, wonderful rise, which never
Speaker 1: happens in this town. And I know that there had
Speaker 1: been documentary mockumentary movies like spinal Type and stuff, but
Speaker 1: never never a TV show even some of the mocumentary stuff,
Speaker 1: Like I feel like our show is up with the
Speaker 1: very best. I mean, I really feel that way even
Speaker 1: all nine seasons, Like there's things where you just go yes, yes,
Speaker 1: so the office. You know, I want to tell you
Speaker 1: I have this sort of theory that part of the
Speaker 1: specialness not sure it's a word, specialness or uniqueness of
Speaker 1: the ensemble had to do with, you know, how attractive
Speaker 1: we all were, how completely fucking sexy we were. No,
Speaker 1: but that was new, you know that was a new thing,
Speaker 1: you know. I mean that was definitely a concept is
Speaker 1: we were not supposed to be attracted. And I felt
Speaker 1: like I held that mantel pretty well all nine years.
Speaker 1: I just have to say. Some people ask for a
Speaker 1: little more makeup. I was like, nope, I'm sticking with
Speaker 1: the game, sticking with it. Love it, lived it, living it,
Speaker 1: love it. And my boyfriend used to say, I look
Speaker 1: better taking out the trash and I did on the show,
Speaker 1: and which is fine with me. I'm really I'm it's fine,
Speaker 1: you know, And now I know I'm not looking so good.
Speaker 1: People go, you look exactly like you did on the show.
Speaker 1: Compliment and a dig I'll take it all. Um, I
Speaker 1: you know we're in the same um space. But you
Speaker 1: had you and Steve and Angela and Oscar who you
Speaker 1: were great improblems and Rain and I we were doing
Speaker 1: check off right, and then you had b J and
Speaker 1: and Craig doing stand up right. Sure, so true, and
Speaker 1: you know I love the way you broke down. And um,
Speaker 1: were you in the Seagull or Three Sisters? When you
Speaker 1: rang three sisters? Three sisters? We did three Sisters together.
Speaker 1: I also did the Seagull I was at in college.
Speaker 1: I think I was in the Three Sisters at least
Speaker 1: twice from once with Rain. Um, but yeah, I know
Speaker 1: it's crazy, that's so, that's so right on. I mean
Speaker 1: truly like I was doing the darkest of darkest, yes,
Speaker 1: and it was no. I used to always say that
Speaker 1: I was in a drama. I used to say that
Speaker 1: to Greg, and actually he said that to me once.
Speaker 1: He goes, this isn't a drama, and I was like,
Speaker 1: it is for me. It is like right, Um, you
Speaker 1: are the only person from Pennsylvania. Yeah, Zach Woods is too,
Speaker 1: he's from he's in Bucks County, but he came along later.
Speaker 1: So I was the one always bitching to get tasty
Speaker 1: cakes into the vending machines because there's no there really
Speaker 1: is no vending machine in Pennsylvania that does not have
Speaker 1: tasty cakes, and we eventually did, but it was very brief.
Speaker 1: That's all right, mission accomplished. They were too expensive. I
Speaker 1: don't know, I'm not sure to be um, what do
Speaker 1: you think about setting the show specifically in Scranton, Pennsylvania,
Speaker 1: so goes along with Slough, England, which is this kind
Speaker 1: of forgettable town that had a glory day. But I mean,
Speaker 1: growing up in Philadelphia, Scranton was a joke, so it
Speaker 1: was always the butt of many jokes. I think what
Speaker 1: Greg did was he got very very specific and used
Speaker 1: contradictory ideas that you don't see in television, like there's
Speaker 1: the big dumb guy Kevin, but he's really good at
Speaker 1: basketball and he's a poker savant. But Meredith as well,
Speaker 1: like the ways that she was very specific. Yes, yes,
Speaker 1: and sometimes I didn't always like every one. While I
Speaker 1: remember improvising and feeling like I'm not sure if this
Speaker 1: is gonna work whatever. I felt like season three was
Speaker 1: a little bit of a struggle. I felt like I
Speaker 1: got I mean, or there was a little more trial
Speaker 1: and error or something, and that I feel like once
Speaker 1: we got to season four, once I got hit by
Speaker 1: the car in the fun run, episode was like we're
Speaker 1: off to the races. But season three, I feel like
Speaker 1: I was particularly cut out a lot, and I felt
Speaker 1: like some of it was like we were trying for
Speaker 1: things that didn't quite hit um. And some of that
Speaker 1: might may have just been me not getting it, but
Speaker 1: I was. I was a little bit like, oh my gosh,
Speaker 1: I I hope we you know, I hope we find something,
Speaker 1: you know suddenly, and boy did we. But just kind
Speaker 1: of like understanding, like another layer of like, oh, she's
Speaker 1: she's a mess, but she's also not a victim, and
Speaker 1: she's not she's not as involved, but in a in
Speaker 1: a very conscious way, she's not excluded. She just wants
Speaker 1: to stay in her life, like literally, like she doesn't
Speaker 1: want to get involved with I don't know. I've had
Speaker 1: women come up to me and be like, oh my god,
Speaker 1: I'm the Meredith of my office, and and it's not
Speaker 1: just because they're like a drinker, because they usually are
Speaker 1: and they're loud and proud, so I totally believe them,
Speaker 1: like only a Meredith would be like a Meredith. Wow.
Speaker 1: You know. It's like that to me is like the
Speaker 1: ultimate compliment. It's fantastic. You know, my dad into bar.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you knew this, but so I'm
Speaker 1: a bar inner's daughter. You remember that Halloween episode, the
Speaker 1: first Halloween episode that was supposed to be when it
Speaker 1: was revealed that Meredith was a drinker and the whole
Speaker 1: thing got cut, And remember Paul Fieg was like, I'm
Speaker 1: so sorry. The network just wanted more of Michael Scott
Speaker 1: handing candy to the kids from his new condom and like, uh, anyway,
Speaker 1: my dad on a bar and my dad understood the
Speaker 1: complexities of alcoholics too, and some of them were extremely
Speaker 1: functional in some ways and charming and others and then
Speaker 1: blow it and then get get back you know, really
Speaker 1: mess up their life and then get it back together.
Speaker 1: You know, there's little elements. I feel like there were subtle,
Speaker 1: subtle things that kept showing up, like Meredith's relationship with
Speaker 1: her son Jakie and you know, bring your daughter to
Speaker 1: work day, Meredith brings her son, uh, who's a nightmare
Speaker 1: and calls Michael Scott Mr poop so good so but
Speaker 1: again like and and Meredith's ever forgiving and she's not
Speaker 1: like a mean mom, She's she's a little indulgent, you know,
Speaker 1: which again, like I don't know if that would have
Speaker 1: been my first choice, but I totally respect it. I
Speaker 1: get it. I see that in other people and I think,
Speaker 1: oh my god, the writing was so great, Like they
Speaker 1: really did not need my help, right. I think you
Speaker 1: touched on something that I never really thought about before.
Speaker 1: But you have a lot of kind of wonderful moments
Speaker 1: with Michael Scott, like specifically with him. You know, there's
Speaker 1: obviously the Christmas episode where you know, you flash him
Speaker 1: for the first time. Um, but yeah, fun run when
Speaker 1: he hits you with the car, break your pelvis. There's
Speaker 1: a very tender moment at the end of that that
Speaker 1: episode when you hear what he's done for you. Yeah.
Speaker 1: It's interesting to me that Meredith functions kind of sol
Speaker 1: in the in the group of an Ian. This has
Speaker 1: never occurred to me before. But you know, that sort
Speaker 1: of iconic shot of you playing Solitaire on the computer, like,
Speaker 1: there's some connection to that, and you weren't by and large,
Speaker 1: you weren't going over and hanging out at sales or
Speaker 1: coming over to the account, which I think gave your
Speaker 1: character an opportunity to do a lot of special things.
Speaker 1: And obviously you being gifted physically as well well. It's
Speaker 1: fun to get to do the physical comedy. And I
Speaker 1: was thinking, you know, the the Valentine episode, the first
Speaker 1: Valentine episode season two, when Phyllis is getting all these
Speaker 1: gifts and Pam is really upset, and you just seem,
Speaker 1: you know, Meredith with their big olpen and then we
Speaker 1: find out that she's drinking and then she's passed out
Speaker 1: with a line in her hair. I mean that to
Speaker 1: me was like, what a perfect, perfect little just just
Speaker 1: perfect enough. We get it, We've been there, we know that.
Speaker 1: I mean again, there's so many layers and it's just
Speaker 1: I don't know, I just feel so um, it's just
Speaker 1: so fortunate to be a part of something that I
Speaker 1: think always have a respect level that most other TV
Speaker 1: shows don't have. I really don't. How do you feel
Speaker 1: like Kate influenced Meredith? Um? I think I will. For one,
Speaker 1: I was always willing to do most of my own stunts,
Speaker 1: and for me, that made it more fun. I felt
Speaker 1: I felt like I was really experiencing more that makes
Speaker 1: any sense. Um. And and I also think that audience
Speaker 1: knows sometimes when you know there's you know, I don't
Speaker 1: if you guys used to watch The Bionic Woman but
Speaker 1: there was always like some six foot guy in a
Speaker 1: blonde wig pretending to be Jamie Summers, like so bad,
Speaker 1: But yeah, I just it made me feel a little
Speaker 1: more part of the process, and I felt like it
Speaker 1: was one of my strengths that I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1: So when I was planking in the men's room and
Speaker 1: Dwight comes and blows me off the top of the
Speaker 1: stall with the fire extinguisher, that was me. So you know,
Speaker 1: you didn't you didn't do one thing, though, Uh, there's
Speaker 1: a couple of things I didn't do. I did. I
Speaker 1: didn't get my hair on fire, and did not light
Speaker 1: my hair on fire. When I heard that there was
Speaker 1: like face gel involved, I was like, I don't know
Speaker 1: if I wanted. I didn't shake my hand, I did not. Yeah,
Speaker 1: good for you. I think I disappointed Greg, but really
Speaker 1: he was shocked. He was like really, I'm like, I'm sorry,
Speaker 1: but no, my hair is my thing. What I um? Well,
Speaker 1: actually leading into that, do you there was so much
Speaker 1: sexual stuff with Meredith. Yea. My parents were so happy
Speaker 1: about that. My dad's so Catholic. He was like, oh,
Speaker 1: what is going on? Do you when people say that
Speaker 1: we couldn't do the show today. Do you think that
Speaker 1: do you think that's a part of it. I was
Speaker 1: reminded doing the research about you selling sex for steak, Yeah,
Speaker 1: for steak coupons? Yeah yeah, yeah. But she was contrite,
Speaker 1: she admitted it, and she was asking for forgiveness, right,
Speaker 1: there's got to be I mean, there's some conscience in that,
Speaker 1: which is funny and sad. I mean, that's that's the
Speaker 1: best thing about The Office, is that it's the funny
Speaker 1: and sad. Right. Um, there was a time I thought
Speaker 1: Kevin and Mereth might we did kiss that one time?
Speaker 1: You remember that? I didn't make it on the air.
Speaker 1: I can't. I don't remember now. What was it? What
Speaker 1: was the context like that? I know, I can't remember.
Speaker 1: It was at my desk? You know? Why did we
Speaker 1: do that? Was it? Was it a party? I remember
Speaker 1: it was like a test, Like I remember. I think
Speaker 1: about it every night. I just can't remember so much
Speaker 1: sexual attention between you and I. Oh my gosh, what
Speaker 1: was it? I can't remember. Shoot, I'm not sure. Oh
Speaker 1: my gosh. I felt like they toyed. I felt like
Speaker 1: the writer's toyed with it for a memure. Yes they did.
Speaker 1: I do remember this a little bit. And I think
Speaker 1: it was before the Valentine episode when Kevin was looking
Speaker 1: for a girlfriend. Okay, I think it was before that.
Speaker 1: It was to be explored. That's so fun. I forgot
Speaker 1: that we're not lives. We can't have a fan phone in,
Speaker 1: we can't answer damn. Um. Yeah, I'm gonna have to
Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to think about it. I don't know
Speaker 1: that it aired that. It may not have. It may
Speaker 1: not have. Was that tough for you though? The getting
Speaker 1: naked part of it was a little like ship but
Speaker 1: it's a little like jumping out of an airplane. And
Speaker 1: I will tell you, as great as you know Randal
Speaker 1: and Matt were, I always felt like I didn't get much.
Speaker 1: I kind that lunch after we shot me pick upless.
Speaker 1: It was a little uncomfortable. And I think the last season,
Speaker 1: season nine, there was an episode where we're watching parts
Speaker 1: of the documentary at Oscar's desk in a scene and
Speaker 1: I would have like a little bit of moleskin and
Speaker 1: it fell and Ed's like, whoa, wha, whoa, we have
Speaker 1: to stop. He was like, we could really see your boob.
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh no, I had no idea. I was
Speaker 1: so embarrassed. Oh I forgot about that. Yeah. No, but
Speaker 1: you were so fearless in both the physicality that you
Speaker 1: did and the pranks that you did. I feel like
Speaker 1: you and I had did a lot of really bad
Speaker 1: I remember the one what you wouldn't think about it
Speaker 1: like watching the show. But we were loading boxes. We
Speaker 1: were the warehouse was gone, right, and there was like
Speaker 1: oil on the on the warehouse floor and we're like
Speaker 1: pushing boxes like that was our idea to be more
Speaker 1: efficient was to push boxes. And they just kept having
Speaker 1: me ball and I'm like, guys, this is concorde, Like
Speaker 1: this is not like there's no padding, there's no there. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think that was I think the hardest one for weirdly,
Speaker 1: but you wouldn't think it, right, No, no, no, but
Speaker 1: it's those little things because you're not padded and no,
Speaker 1: I totally no. There was no safety meeting about it before,
Speaker 1: like seriously, like there's a reason why they used to
Speaker 1: do that stuff because you don't want to get hurt. Well,
Speaker 1: me holding you on my back, oh my god, with
Speaker 1: the that was intense. That's that's one of those things
Speaker 1: that's like what drugs was someone on who came up
Speaker 1: with that idea that Meredith strapped on Kevin's back crazy
Speaker 1: make the idiots perform like monkeys. What do you remember
Speaker 1: about finding out that Steve was leaving U. I literally
Speaker 1: was with Creed. We were on the side of the
Speaker 1: office doing like a satellite press junket um and we
Speaker 1: and they had announced it that morning, so every venue
Speaker 1: wanted to talk about it, and I was like, wow,
Speaker 1: because of course it was emotional. I mean, who are
Speaker 1: we We're not I mean Michael Scott. You know, Michael
Speaker 1: Scott is thunder reveling, he is the office. Um. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I was so freaked out. And literally I told Creed,
Speaker 1: I'm like, okay, anytime they talk about this, just just
Speaker 1: pretend like we can't hear the feet, like I think
Speaker 1: the feed's going. I'm sorry, I'm getting some interference. What
Speaker 1: was the question? Wishing him all the best? Like we
Speaker 1: had the little thing where we would figure out how
Speaker 1: to get out of the conversation. So but I was
Speaker 1: I was definitely freaked out. And I mean, the great thing,
Speaker 1: the great thing about our show is that I feel
Speaker 1: like Greg Daniels is so trustworthy, and I feel like
Speaker 1: he's picked so many great writers, and I feel like,
Speaker 1: if anything could have survived a couple more years without
Speaker 1: step Growl, it was because of Greg Daniels. But I
Speaker 1: was nervous. I was, and I was nervous about Spader
Speaker 1: um just because he's not a comedy guy. And he's brilliant,
Speaker 1: but he's not a comedy guy. And I kind of
Speaker 1: had this little thing like, oh no, he's holding the baby.
Speaker 1: He's gonna drop the baby. Don't drop the baby. And
Speaker 1: also I was intimidated because he's he's like a movie
Speaker 1: star and I had seen so many all of his movies,
Speaker 1: and you know, and there was so much sexual tension
Speaker 1: between the two of us, so much, so much, but
Speaker 1: I felt like there was sexual tension between me and Spade.
Speaker 1: They're they're probably even more even more seriously, Spader, he
Speaker 1: liked anyone there is sexual um. The season eight Christmas episode,
Speaker 1: there was one take where he's sort of like Meredith
Speaker 1: thinks she's actually made me gonna go to dinner with
Speaker 1: em or something like that, she's got a chance with him,
Speaker 1: and he sort of touches her cheeks like no, no, no,
Speaker 1: and she goes to hug me, and I literally one take,
Speaker 1: I grabbed his ass and then I was like immediately
Speaker 1: when we stopped, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm
Speaker 1: so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just felt like,
Speaker 1: oh my god, he goes, No, he goes. That was
Speaker 1: the right thing to do. End up using it, but
Speaker 1: I was like, I don't grab James Spader's ask Kate
Speaker 1: what them. I was so nervous. I was like, oh no,
Speaker 1: oh no, oh no, he's amazing, amazing. Yeah. Pool party
Speaker 1: supposedly at Robert California's house. That was the hardest episode
Speaker 1: for me to do. Wow, I was in the pool
Speaker 1: a really that's really really long time. And it was
Speaker 1: one of the hardest for me because I had to
Speaker 1: be in a bathing suit on camera in my forties
Speaker 1: dream not and you think, like, you're in a pool,
Speaker 1: why are you complaining? But like because of like hypothermia.
Speaker 1: They had it, but it was gross. It was heated,
Speaker 1: but it was indoors. So it was kind of like
Speaker 1: an old holiday in that you can swim in that's hot,
Speaker 1: and then you're in it for like in a day,
Speaker 1: maybe nine hours in the water. Yeah. Yeah, and you
Speaker 1: guys were doing those chicken fights with with on your shoulder. Yeah,
Speaker 1: Oh my god. That was crazy. Again, the sexual tension
Speaker 1: was off the charts. Um, so we had how important
Speaker 1: it was, you know, for the pilot specifically, um, but
Speaker 1: then the guest casting after that, to not have any stars, yes,
Speaker 1: to keep it as unknown people. Yes. Yeah. And I
Speaker 1: remember even Carol Burnett at the TC as she said
Speaker 1: she she loved our show during her speech and she
Speaker 1: wanted to be involved. And I think they were like, Nope,
Speaker 1: too famous, too funny, too much. Yes, that's right, that
Speaker 1: was an idea. But yeah, but then you know, of course, um,
Speaker 1: Kathy Bates, come on, Cathy Bates Spader. Yeah. Well I
Speaker 1: loved working with Will so fun Oh my god, just
Speaker 1: the greatest. He had remembered. We had had dinner literally
Speaker 1: in like four uh in New York when he first
Speaker 1: got hired on S and L with Andy Richter, and
Speaker 1: I was like, I couldn't believe that he remembered. And
Speaker 1: I remember being embarrassed because I had a really embarrassing
Speaker 1: ex boyfriend who was a real douche bag. He's like,
Speaker 1: I felt really intimidated because all you guys were from Chicago,
Speaker 1: and I felt like you guys were like so great
Speaker 1: at while I was like, what is so crazy anyway,
Speaker 1: but I love I love love Wolfore that's bad. Uh.
Speaker 1: My story similar to that was Kathy Bates went to
Speaker 1: s M. Uh she was there before me, but while
Speaker 1: I was there, she had already won the oscar and
Speaker 1: she came back to like they opened a new theater
Speaker 1: and my mom got a book of Shakespeare's sonnets sent
Speaker 1: it to Kathy Bates, told her that I was a
Speaker 1: really big fan, and I went to s M. You
Speaker 1: and I did this show and got it. I believe
Speaker 1: the only autographed item that I have of anyone that
Speaker 1: I can recall, like to Brian, you know, good luck
Speaker 1: in your future, blah blah blah. Kathy Bates. So I
Speaker 1: hear she's going to be on the show, And now
Speaker 1: here we are and we're in the makeup trailer, and
Speaker 1: I came up behind her and I said, I wanted, Kathy,
Speaker 1: I want to show you. It wasn't her first day,
Speaker 1: so I did not want to seem like a crazy stalker,
Speaker 1: but I came up behind her and I said, you know,
Speaker 1: I just want to show you that my mom. And
Speaker 1: of course I wasn't expecting her to remember I'm sure
Speaker 1: she's signed you know a lot of things just to say, like,
Speaker 1: how crazy is this that my mom did this? I
Speaker 1: know crazy, Oh my gosh, that's awesome. She then had
Speaker 1: me arrested, but she had me arrested too. That's just
Speaker 1: a little fun thing we used to do with get
Speaker 1: people arrested. Um. What do you remember about going in
Speaker 1: to shoot the finale? Um? I remember trying to be
Speaker 1: as present as possible and just to try to enjoy
Speaker 1: all of it because it was such a great ending.
Speaker 1: And um, and then I remember Greg just saying one
Speaker 1: more take, one more take, how about this? How about this?
Speaker 1: I remember we were all two hours late for our
Speaker 1: own rap party that people were texting and calling like
Speaker 1: where are you? Like, just like, no one wanted to end.
Speaker 1: No one wanted to end. There's so few moments like
Speaker 1: that in this business where you can actually feel the
Speaker 1: emotional part of the joy that all those years represented,
Speaker 1: and the way all of our lives changed, and the
Speaker 1: way that it the show continues to speak to people,
Speaker 1: and like people feel so connected and they feel so comfortable.
Speaker 1: It's so rare. I mean, really, I I make jokes
Speaker 1: like if I got hit by a car tomorrow, for real,
Speaker 1: I'd be fine, Like like it was, this was such
Speaker 1: an amazing chapter, you know, and so few actors get this,
Speaker 1: so few actors. It's it's, uh, it's really an honor.
Speaker 1: Why do you think that young people have connected to
Speaker 1: the show. Why is the show more popular now than
Speaker 1: it was? To two reasons. The most basic reason is
Speaker 1: that being in an office like dunder Mifflin with one
Speaker 1: big room with all the offices, it's much like being
Speaker 1: in a classroom, and Michael Scott is like he's the boss,
Speaker 1: but he's like the teacher. I mean, I think kids
Speaker 1: can always relate to having to sit next to someone
Speaker 1: that they didn't necessarily pick, but they're kind of stuck
Speaker 1: with for years. And also I think the show is
Speaker 1: so smart. There's so many subtle things. You can watch
Speaker 1: it a million times and see different things that you
Speaker 1: didn't see before that you weren't paying attention, Like you
Speaker 1: can notice different things. There's so many Easter eggs and
Speaker 1: like weird little things that just kind of keeping. And
Speaker 1: some of it's like stuff that got cut, like I
Speaker 1: don't remember the weight loss episode, where like people still
Speaker 1: have questions about like Meredith's skin, because there's a whole
Speaker 1: storyline where Meredith got sun poisoned on a fishing boat,
Speaker 1: and um, it got worse and worse as a week
Speaker 1: went on, and it never got explained. And I remember
Speaker 1: Steve was like he thought it was so brilliant that
Speaker 1: they just didn't worry about explaining it, because how many
Speaker 1: times you work with people that you're not that close
Speaker 1: to and like something's going on. You're like, I don't
Speaker 1: even want to know what's going on with it, you
Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like not even And also like
Speaker 1: skin is like a weird personal things, so you would
Speaker 1: be like, what's wrong with your skin? No one would do,
Speaker 1: you know. So it's like this kind of wonderful thing.
Speaker 1: It's just we're just kind of existing as as a
Speaker 1: real documentary would happen, where some things are not explained.
Speaker 1: And I feel like kids are so smart, and I
Speaker 1: feel like they feel like they're smarter maybe than their
Speaker 1: parents by the way that they notice the office in
Speaker 1: a way that maybe people have been watching very typical
Speaker 1: sitcoms for years don't don't necessarily plug into immediately. I
Speaker 1: feel like they're not as tainted by that. I don't know,
Speaker 1: that's just a thought. Yeah, No, I I think you're right. No,
Speaker 1: that's great. Um alright. Last question, hardest question. What does
Speaker 1: the office mean to you? The office means joy, validation, success, um, love, fun,
Speaker 1: great process and probably the best part of my life.
Speaker 1: I knew you were going to say, well before you
Speaker 1: set it, I know, I almost set it for you,
Speaker 1: and I was like, nope, that's find it. Yeah, oh yeah, Kate,
Speaker 1: thank you so much, Thank you so much. I'm so
Speaker 1: glad we could get drunk like this. This is awesome.
Speaker 1: This coffee has you have no idea what's in it? Actually,
Speaker 1: no clue? Um, so awesome. I always loved watching your
Speaker 1: process too. I have to say this because I always
Speaker 1: felt like you you had You just had certain instincts
Speaker 1: that like just I feel like you were such a
Speaker 1: co creator and Kevin, like just in your not speaking
Speaker 1: as well, but like there would be things that you
Speaker 1: would just it was you. You were fearless and really amazing,
Speaker 1: and I feel like, yes, the writing is amazing, but
Speaker 1: I feel like no one else could do what you did.
Speaker 1: No one. Well, thank you all right, everyone, that is
Speaker 1: all for the one and only Kate Flannery. Kate, I
Speaker 1: know you called me fearless there, but you are the
Speaker 1: fearless one. I admire you so much and I cannot
Speaker 1: wait to get absolutely wasted with you again soon. And
Speaker 1: you know what, same to all your listeners out there.
Speaker 1: Let's do it sometime, as long as you're of age,
Speaker 1: of course, But until then, please join me back here
Speaker 1: next week for another interview. I need to go fill
Speaker 1: up this coffee cump the office. Deep Dive is hosted
Speaker 1: and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive
Speaker 1: producer Langley. Our senior producer is Tessa Kramer, our producer
Speaker 1: is Emily Carr, and our assistant editor is die Go Tapia.
Speaker 1: My main man in the booth is Alec Moore. Our
Speaker 1: theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by my great friend
Speaker 1: Cree Bratton, and the episode was mixed by seth Olansky