22 things you probably didn't know about 'The Office'

Before she became known as Angela Martin, Kinsey worked as a phone operator for 1-800-DENTIST.

"It was great material," Kinsey told Ora TV's "Larry King Now" in 2018. "I actually sold a show to TBS called '1-800' about my time as an operator because ... people are crazy, but they're also delightful."

Kinsey also said she interned for NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" and booked several roles in commercials prior to appearing on "The Office."

According to Rainn Wilson's 2020 book, "The Bassoon King," as reported by Cheat Sheet, Steve Carell had a condition during filming that made him sweat profusely. 

Per Wilson's book, the temperature on set was kept at 64 degrees Fahrenheit to combat Carell's active sweat glands.

While on the "Office Ladies" podcast in 2020, Krasinski revealed his on-screen kiss was with Jenna Fischer as Pam.

"That was my first acting kiss ever," said Krasinski. "Now I say that I wonder whenever else I would have had the opportunity, but no college play kissing, no nothing."

Krasinski also said that he remembered Fischer being nervous before the scene and that the moments before filming seemed to be "in slow motion."

During the 2007 "The Office" writers' strike, Carell called in sick with a case of "enlarged balls," according to The Atlantic's 2011 report.

It seemed like a show of solidarity, and without the star on set, production on new episodes reportedly went on hold.

Before working as a casting director, Smith spent a year as an NFL cheerleader as well as some time as a burlesque dancer.

"It was just the perfect job for me at the time," she told Yahoo! Entertainment in 2012, speaking about working with the St. Louis Cardinal cheerleaders. "I really enjoyed it because I loved football, so I was able to watch the game, dance, and be there and look at the cute guys across the field. So it was the triple threat there." 

Smith said that she later joined a traveling vaudeville and burlesque group, which she worked at for seven years.

"There was no stripping," Smith told Yahoo! Entertainment. "We had strategically placed feathers and G-strings with feathers covering our rumps. It was quite sexy, but no stripping or nudity."

In a 2021 episode of  "The Office Deep Dive," Fischer and Brian Baumgartner said that the computers on set had access to the internet.

Fischer said that each morning, the cast would sit at their desks and "work" so that the crew could film B-roll.

She also said that some cast members would use their computers to interact with fans on platforms such as MySpace.

Though the season-five proposal scene was less than a minute long, it was the most expensive shot in the series at $250,000, according to a 2021 "Office Ladies" podcast episode. 

Instead of filming at a real gas station, Fischer said the crew built one on set in nine days "in the parking lot of a Best Buy."

According to Fischer, the traffic passing by the couple in the shot was actually cars on a "four-lane, circular race track around the gas station set" and the mountains in the background had to be edited out and replaced by East Coast trees in post-production.

Despite the characters' contrasting personalities, Wilson, who auditioned for and got the part of Dwight, also tried out for Michael, the actor told NPR in 2008.

"It was never meant to be," Wilson told NPR. "It was just one of those things that I just basically did my Ricky Gervais impersonation because I really didn't know what to do with the character."

In a 2020 "Office Ladies" podcast episode, Fischer revealed that Krasinski wore a wig during season three.

During filming, Krasinski was working on "Leatherheads," and his character had shorter hair. 

Fischer said that the haircut was then incorporated into "The Office" storyline because "it had to be."

Season five's "Dinner Party" is often considered one of the funniest parts of the show and it was apparently one of the few episodes for which the script was never rewritten.

"Most scripts get rewritten, and I think this was the only one ever done that didn't," cowriter Gene Stupnitsky told Rolling Stone in 2018. "The only thing that was changed was that in our first draft, Jan hits the neighbor's dog and kills it on purpose."

In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Hardin revealed that she suggested Jan get a boob job to mark "the beginning of her losing her shit" when Michael breaks up with her on season four.

" ... I turned to Greg and said, 'It's funny, I'm looking around at the females in our cast, and I'm thinking nobody in our cast has a boob job,'" Hardin told Rolling Stone. "Now, I'm not sure that I'm totally right about that, by the way, but that's what I thought. His wheels just started turning in that moment."

Krasinski captured some of the footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania, for the opening credits, the actor told the "Office Deep Dive Podcast" in 2021.

Krasinski said he shot the footage during a visit to the local paper mill and on a drive around Scranton.

Krasinski said he sold the footage for the title sequence for about $1,000. However, he later regretted his decision, saying it "could have been the greatest investment in my entire life."

Though Novak and Kaling maintained a close friendship during their time on "The Office," the latter used to make up stories about their coworkers to cause confusion.

In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, Novak said that he was afraid to give criticisms during edits after Kaling told him that showrunner Greg Daniels dated one of the directors in college.

" ... I was nervous to insult his ex-girlfriend, so he didn't make the edits that I wanted," Novak told The Guardian. "And later I asked him about it and he was like, 'What are you talking about? She's 20 years older than I am, we didn't go to college together!'"

When auditions were held for "The Office" in 2003, Rogen tried out for the part of Dwight. 

Rogen, along with Kathryn Hahn and Eric Stonestreet, was one of many actors who didn't land a role in "The Office" but found success in other projects.

Scott auditioned for the part of Jim before landing his role as Ben on NBC's "Parks and Recreation."

"I would have made a way worse Jim than Krasinski did," Scott said on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen" in 2015. "But yeah, I did audition for it and did not do well in my audition."

On the season-three episode "Gay Witch Hunt," Michael kisses Oscar as a way to make up for his homophobic comments.

However, on a 2020 "Office Ladies" podcast episode, Oscar Nunez revealed that this kiss wasn't planned. Originally, Carell was supposed to hug Nunez but decided to surprise everyone on set with a kiss instead.

" ... He stopped kissing me and I'm like, 'OK, stay in character," Nunez said. "I said 'thank you,' I think, I don't know why."

According to a 2009 interview with The Guardian, Krasinski had an awkward encounter when auditioning for "The Office."

When someone asked him if he had the jitters, he told them he didn't feel as nervous for himself as he did for the makers of the show. Krasinski then realized he was speaking to the executive producer — but still had a strong enough audition to get the part of Jim.

According to Smith's NBC acting bio, she worked for Allison Jones casting during the pilot screening of "The Office." 

However, executive producers were "so impressed" by Smith's line readings that they created the role of Phyllis, who became a recurring character throughout the series.

Steve Carell's real-life wife, actress Nancy Carell, played Michael's realtor girlfriend, Carol.

Carol first appears on the season-two episode, "Office Olympics" and becomes a recurring character until her breakup with Michael on season three's "A Benihana Christmas."

In a 2017 tweet, Fischer revealed that she kept Pam's engagement ring from the season-five proposal scene.

"While true that I kept the engagement ring Jim gave to Pam, it was a silver prop ring, not worth $5,000, and I do not wear it in real life," Fischer wrote on Twitter.

Though Schur was a producer and writer on "The Office," he stepped in front of the camera to play Dwight's cousin, Mose, on season six.

"Playing Mose Schrute was a waking nightmare," Schur told Entertainment Weekly in 2017. My boss, Greg Daniels, forced me to do it as a way to cause me pain. And it was terrible. The first time I did it, I had to grow a real neckbeard."

Schur said most of Mose's speaking parts were cut because others on set thought it was "funnier if he doesn't say anything."

On season seven's "Goodbye, Michael," Dunder Mifflin's employees wish Michael a farewell with their own rendition of "Seasons of Love" from "Rent."

"It was so emotional!" finale director Paul Feig told The Los Angeles Times in 2011. "I was prepping [for the next episode] and my assistant said, 'You should come down here.' The first time they started singing that song, everyone choked up in real life. It really started to land for people that the end is coming."

Feig also told TVLine in 2011 that Kinsey began to cry when filming her final scene with Carell for the episode.

This story was originally published on December 19, 2018, and most recently updated on November 5, 2024.