25 Wild Facts About Cast Of The Office

Starting on the BBC back in 2001, The Office made an icon out of Rick Gervais as the iconic David Brent. With that iconic theme tune, Gervais’ cringe-worthy performance kickstarted everyone’s obsession with the surprisingly hilarious show about a dull office. Although the British series only ran for two seasons and two Christmas specials, it became a cult favorite.

In 2005, the format jumped over to America and became a runaway success far beyond the UK version. This time, it was Steve Carell as the Brent-inspired Michael Scott. However, the big pull of The Office was never the humdrum backdrop of the Wernham Hogg Paper Company or Dunder Mifflin, it was the brilliant characters themselves.

Proving that selling paper was anything but boring, both shows had all-star talent that included Martin Freeman, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, Will Ferrell, Kathy Bates, and James Spader, along with rising talent like Ed Helms, Rashida Jones, Craig Robinson, Zach Woods, and so many more.

With some 12 years of The Office to look back on and with so many big names making up the cast of both versions of the show, there are plenty of facts about the famous faces that made these series so iconic.

This is what didn't make it on screen - only the most intense The Office fans will know everything on this list.

Here are 25 Wild Facts About Cast Of The Office.

Both B.J. Novak and John Krasinski were staples of The Office as Dunder Mifflin’s office temp and sales rep who slowly climbed the corporate ladder.

It turns out that Novak and Krasinski didn’t first meet on the set of the workplace comedy - they actually went to high school together.

Speaking to Ellen, Novak discussed his role as an executive producer and writer on the show but also revealed that he went to Newton South High School with Krasinski.

In fact, the comedic duo met playing Little League and there is even a team photo of Krasinski in Novak’s house. Novak was apparently sick the day the picture was taken, so he's not in it.

Ricky Gervais may have become an internet sensation on The Office as the bumbling David Brent, but does anyone remember his short-lived pop career in the ‘80s?

During his final year and University College London, Gervais and close friend Bill Macrae formed the duo Seona Dancing. With dodgy outfits and even worse hair, Seona only released two singles - "More to Lose" and "Bitter Heart" - but failed to chart inside the UK top 75.

Although this signaled the end of the band, Gervais continued dabbling in the music business when he became the manager of the band Suede. Eventually, the lure of comedy was too much.

The Office and Arrested Development are at the pinnacle of American comedy. Did you know Rainn Wilson was nearly cast as GOB Bluth?

According to Vulture, Wilson was a finalist for the role but couldn’t contend with Will Arnett’s performance.

Wilson went to the final audition and waited for hours because producers forgot to tell him that Arnett had just been cast

Arrested Development was ultimately canceled (for the first time) in 2006, which is conveniently just a year after Wilson was winning us over on The Office. Considering Arnett was undeniably brilliant in Arrested Development and Wilson went on to be one of The Office’s breakout characters as Dwight Schrute, it all worked out in the end.

Now known for movies like Bad Teacher and Inside Out, Smith will always be remembered as Phyllis Vance on The Office.

While Smith is known for her mild-mannered voice and Eeyore-esque personality, some may be shocked to know that she used to live the spicy life of a burlesque dancer.

A million miles away from Phyllis Vance on The Office, Smith revealed to Yahoo her past in burlesque. After performing as a cheerleader for a year with the St. Louis Cardinals in the ‘70s, Smith cartwheeled into a seven-year stint as a burlesque dancer.

Smith said that some carefully-placed feathers and supporting outfits meant that it was never risqué. 

While Gervais ruled the roost on the UK version of The Office, Steve Carell shone in the US version. Carell played Michael Scott as Dunder Mifflin Regional Manager. It’s hard to imagine Carell as anything other than a comedian now, but once upon a time, he was supposed to be a lawyer.

According to "What Makes Steve Carell Tick", the 55-year-old said, “I was actually filling out my law school applications, and I got to the essay question, which was, ‘Why do you want to be an attorney?’ And I couldn’t answer it.”

The Office helped launch Carell’s movie career into Bruce Almighty and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Thankfully, that job in law never worked out.

Known as the slightly gawky Gareth on The Office, Mackenzie Crook grew from humble roots to appear in the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies and Game of Thrones. Thanks to a steady stream of acting work, Crook has been able to afford to buy himself a rather unusual house.

Comedian Peter Sellers was a national treasure of the UK. Crook was surprised to find he owned his former home.

According to an interview with The Independent, the kitchen was once a dark room and the beech tree that Sellers planted there in his 50s is now a huge feature of the garden. Although Sellers only lived there for around three years, it is still a huge honor for Crook.

As the loveable Tim Canterbury on The Office, a much younger (and long-haired) Martin Freeman started his rise to prominence. These days, Freeman is known for the Hobbit movies and starring alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC’s Sherlock TV series.

After an extended hiatus, Sherlock aired its fourth season in 2017. The delay was blamed on the busy schedules of both actors, but The Daily Mail reports that Freeman and Cumberbatch don’t actually get on. This has cast doubts over season 5, with some reports suggesting neither star can really be bothered.

Both are now in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Everett Ross and Doctor Strange but are yet to share any screen time.

Jenna Fischer had arguably the leading female role on The Office, and while she hasn’t had the fame of some of the others, she will always be associated with playing Pam Beesly on the show.

Fischer actually worked in an office and has impressive typing skills.

According to CBS, Fischer grew up in St. Louis and had always wanted to be an actor. Moving to LA, Fischer spent five years earning less than $2,000 a month and was forced to take a series of temp jobs.

Although it was hard balancing her acting aspirations and office work, it has given Fischer the neat talent of an 85 WPM average.

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are one of Hollywood’s golden couples right now. With Krasinski moving into more directing and the duo starring in his recent horror A Quiet Place, it seems that balancing work and love life isn’t too difficult for the pair. Krasinski himself underwent something of a body transformation, but apparently, Blunt prefers his old physique.

Krasinski showed off his shredded abs during a shirtless scene of 13 Hours, which Stephen Colbert admitted he was very impressed with. The Office star joked that he had always looked like this as Jim Halpert - fans just couldn’t see.

However, he said that Blunt "hates it, she would way prefer to have doughy guy back."

Ed Helms is easily one of the cast who has done the best since the show wrapped. With a lucrative comedy career in movies, Helms is best known for playing Stu Price in all three The Hangover movies.

Back on The Office, Helms played Andy Bernard - the Cornell graduate with a penchant for a capella music. It turns out that Helms himself has quite a talent for music.

Helm’s role in 2009’s The Hangover is largely remembered for “Stu’s Song” as he serenaded a tiger, but speaking to Coming Soon, Todd Phillips confirmed that Helms made the song up himself and even wrote the music.

Lucy Davis was the golden girl of the original series. Playing receptionist Dawn Tinsley, she would finally get the man of her dreams when she coupled up with Martin Freeman’s Tim. As the UK counterparts of Pam and Jim, Dawn and Tim became the core of the show.

Davis has since gone on to star in Shaun of the Dead, play Etta Candy in Wonder Woman, and has an upcoming role as Hilda Spellman on the Sabrina reboot.

Acting is in her blood because Davis is the daughter of British comedian Jasper Carrott.

Known as for his various shows with his distinctive Birmingham accent, Carrott can be credited with getting her into business thanks to an episode of spoof show The Detectives.

Before Ellie Kemper was making everyone laugh in Bridesmaids or root for her in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, she was naive receptionist Eric Hannon on The Office.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has an unbeatable cast that has included huge names like Carol Kane, Jane Krakowski, and of course, Jon Hamm. Hamm is known for playing the sadistic Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne who kidnapped Kimmy.

Hamm was Kemper’s drama teacher for a year at high school.

The star told Elle that he was a great teacher, even if it was only briefly: “He was a great teacher, and he was leading our comedy and improv classes, so he taught me the greatest lesson for a comedian.”

The manipulative Robert California was a formidable presence on The Office as James Spader turned in a typically intense performance. Spader’s career has included iconic roles in Boston Legal, Stargate, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

For The Office, he had a luscious crop of wavy hair. Spader sported a very different trim for The Blacklist when he showcased a shaved head as Raymond “Red” Reddington.

Spader told NewsOk that Red’s appearance was something he pitched to the producers: “It just seemed to fit his lifestyle, and he's someone who has to move — travel lightly and move swiftly — and it seemed eminently practical for him.”

It definitely worked for him, but who would you rather spend an evening with, Raymond Reddington or Robert California?

Starring in and writing for The Office, Kaling received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. 

Known as Kelly Kapoor on The Office and better these days for The Mindy Project, Kaling started out as a hard-working intern. In fact, she even interned on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

In a 2012 interview with Conan, Kaling revealed to the audience:“I was 19, I was a sophomore in college... it was so glamorous, which is awesome.”

Although she admits she was a rubbish intern and mainly used her job to stalk Conan, she went on to call him her comedy hero and credit him as the reason she got into the industry.

One of the few Brits to make it onto the US version of The Office, sketch comedian and Doctor Who star Catherine Tate joined the show in 2011. Although Tate was reportedly the top choice to replace Steve Carell, she was already committed to a West End production of Much Ado About Nothing. She was eventually cast as Nellie Bertram in the season 7 finale.

With her “horrendous” Essex accent, Bertram stuck out and had plenty of idiosyncrasies.

Tate is a lot quieter in real life, but apparently no less outstanding.

Speaking to The Independent, Tate revealed that she had a word-associated OCD as a child. She couldn’t leave a jumper on the floor because it starts with the letter J and Tate feared it would bring bad luck to her mother Josephine.

Leslie David Baker perfectly encapsulated the bored paper salesman Stanley Hudson. Maybe this had something to do with his previous work.

Although Baker is most-recognized as playing Hudson, he also popped up in Malcolm in the Middle and That ‘70s Show before The Office. It all could’ve been different though as Baker told Chicago Mag he used to work for Chicago’s Board of Education, the Department of Health, and the Office of Cable and Communications.

Baker was reluctant to join Hollywood, but he said The Office gave him the best of both worlds: “I still have the nine-to-five experience without the nine-to-five responsibilities.”

Where would The Office be without Baker’s 201 episodes as the long-suffering Stanley?

While Will Ferrell seems like he would be the perfect replacement to take over from Steve Carell when Michael Scott departed The Office towards the end of season 7, it was only a short stint. Ferrell is known for the same kind of comedy stylings as Carell, but his tenure as Deangelo Vickers lasted for only four episodes.

Vicker’s arc helped usher out the Carell era of the show.

Speaking to CinemaBlend, Lorne Michaels reveals that there were only four people he regrets not casting on Saturday Night Live. Among them was Carell, who actually lost out for a part on the show to Ferrell.

Although Carell hosted in both 2005 and 2008, Ferrell’s career was launched in the mid-’90s thanks to the NBC sketch show.

While Fischer was great at playing plain Pam Beesly, she’s much more glamorous in real-life.

Fischer has been married twice, once to Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and then to screenwriter Lee Kirk. Kirk has starred in and directed an episode of The Office, and the duo has a son and a daughter together.

Fischer was ranked at #37 on People's Most Beautiful People list in 2006.

It was a good time for The Office star, also earning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007.

As for the “Beautiful People” list, Fischer was beaten by the likes of Angelina Jolie and Eva Longoria.

We’ve already covered Novak’s role in front of and behind the camera, but the 38-year-old isn’t just used to TV and cinema. Novak is also a best-selling author. Back in 2013, publishers Alfred A. Knopf revealed that Novak had signed a seven-figure sum for two books.

In 2014, Novak released One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories. Although it sold well, it was nothing compared to his children’s book The Book With No Pictures.

It was an innovative way to get children more involved with reading and soared up to the top of the Times #1 bestseller list.

It certainly looks like Novak’s Harvard degree in English and Spanish literature came in handy.

Angela Kinsey played the cat-loving accountant Angela Martin across the show’s entire history. Angela was known as a religious fanatic who often frowned upon Dunder Mifflin’s frivolous activities, but she isn’t alone in her thoughts.

It appears that Kinsey’s real-life grandma also isn’t a fan of taking the Lord’s name in vain. Speaking to Conan, Kinsey revealed that her grandma won’t watch her shows because they are too vulgar.

If tuning in just to see Kinsey as Angela in The Office wasn’t enough, she can also be seen in American Dad!, Haters Back Off, and Fresh of the Boat. Her grandma is sure missing out on some great performances.

As a meme-worthy addition to The Office, Brian Baumgartner was hilarious as Kevin Malone.

Baumgartner was estimated to tip the scales at around 300 lbs when he started looking for roles in the theater. He landed minor roles in episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Arrested Development, and Jake in Progress before he played Kevin.

Less than a year after The Office ended, fans noticed his dramatic weight loss.

There is no exact figure, but it is suggested that Brian shed anywhere between 50 and 100 lbs after the walked out the doors of Dunder Mifflin. Either way, he looked great at his wedding to Celeste Ackelson in 2014.

As well as the small screen, Gervais has enjoyed movie roles in Night at the Museum and Ghost Town, as well as mockumentary David Brent: Life on the Road.

He was offered a role in Mission: Impossible III before he had to back out.

The third movie was a soft reboot of the franchise and introduced a new crop of IMF agents. Among them was Simon Pegg as the tech-whizz Benji Dunn. According to Vulture, the movie underwent delays due to script problems and Gervais’ part clashed with Christopher Guest’s movie For Your Consideration.

Pegg is still part of the series, but just imagine if Gervais had portrayed Benji.

Another major star to grace The Office was Kathy Bates. Although Bates was pretty late to the game as Sabre CEO Jo Bennet, she was as brilliant as ever, while Bennett was remembered for her two Great Danes. 

In an interview with James Corden on The Late Late Show, Bates and Ed Helms discussed what it was like working on The Office.

Bates joked that she doesn’t remember Helms but definitely remembers the dogs.

Both revealed that Helms would have to stick dog treats in his pants to attract the Great Danes to him in one of the show’s most disturbing scenes. Well, that’s one way to get the shot you want!

Craig Robinson is also known for his performance as Doug Judy in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but that isn’t the only time he has been in trouble with the law.

In 2008, the star was arrested for substances but his conviction was dismissed after he completed a diversion program. This was only the beginning though. In 2013 he was arrested in the Bahamas and was fined $1,000 for possession of illegal substances.

Supt. Stephen Dean of the Bahamas Police Department told USA Today that it was “nothing major” and it certainly hasn’t stopped his career. Robinson is still a firm favorite of Judd Apatow’s Apatow Mafia alongside other comedians such as Seth Rogen.

Will Ferrell has done some great comedy skits over the years and is known for his hilarious sketches from Saturday Night Live. But what about his apparent love of hip-hop?

In 2011, Ferrell, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, John C. Reilly, and Elijah Wood starred in the music video for the Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise”. As the official sequel to 1987’s "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" the celebrities joined an extended 30-minute version of the video called Fight for Your Right Revisited that premiered at Sundance.

The extended video was an epic rap battle and also included the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Alicia Silverstone, Ted Danson, and Laura Dern. 

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